Benelli has developed a brace of new large-capacity bikes that it plans to unleash onto the market next year.
The smaller bike (above) is an entirely new parallel-twin, coming in at 750cc and featuring a steel trellis frame and Ducati Monster-ish styling. At the moment, only leaked pictures of the bike exist, so there’s no clue to its specification beyond the capacity, revealed by a ‘750’ badge on the seat. It’s likely to make something in the region of 90bhp to 100bhp, putting it in the same ballpark as obvious rivals like Aprilia’s Shiver.
The suspension is made up of upside-down forks, possibly from Marzocchi, and a single rear shock with a direct linkage. Brakes are Benelli-branded radial callipers gripping twin front discs.
It’s thought that the bike is likely to be built in China alongside several other Benelli models up to and including the four-cylinder BN600 machines.
New 900cc three-cylinder Benelli
One step above the new 750 is a revamped 900cc three-cylinder model (left) that’s believed to be a replacement for the TNT 899. The engine is the familiar Benelli triple, which dates back to the Tornado Tre and makes around 120bhp. On this occasion it’s fitted to a new steel and aluminium frame.
A few parts including the fuel tank and swingarm are carried over from the existing TNT, a model that’s been around since 2004, but the rest is new. Like the 750, there are upside down forks and Benelli-badged brakes. The large side-mounted exhaust is a clear indication of work done to meet new European emissions rules coming into force at the start of 2017.
As with the new 750, at the moment there’s no official confirmation of the bike or any specifications, only pictures that have leaked onto the internet. However, both bikes appear to be very close to production in terms of their finish, right down to the paintwork and stickers. That suggests they’ll be ready for production in the very near future, probably in time to join Benelli’s 2017 range when it’s revealed later this year.
