Benelli will revive the old Imperiale name for a new model. The Chinese-owned company has just applied for a new trademark on the title.
The original Benelli Imperiale dates back to the early 1960s when Benelli bought fellow Pesaro-based bike maker MotoBi. MotoBi had been making the bike since the mid-1950s.
Benelli and MotoBi were already intrinsically linked. Guiseppe Benelli formed MotoBI in 1950 after a family dispute saw him leave the firm that bore his name. He died in 1957 and in 1962 Benelli bought up MotoBi.
The Imperiale was originally a 125cc single. Benelli and MotoBi sold similar 175cc models under the name ‘Catria’.
What bike will get the new Imperiale name?
The new Imperiale trademark application comes from Benelli Q.J. That’s the current name of the company that owns the Benelli brand. Still based in Pesaro, it’s now a subsidiary of Chinese bike maker QianJiang. However, it’s not clear what model the name will be used on.
Benelli’s model range is expanding fast. The latest additions are the 500cc parallel twin Leoncino and TRK502 machines. The range now includes singles and twins from 125cc to 500cc, and the four-cylinder 600cc BN600i. The firm dropped old three-cylinder Tornado, TNT and TRE K models but will replace them in the near future. We’ve already seen designs for a new 750cc parallel twin and a naked 900cc triple. A 1200cc shaft-drive three-cylinder tourer is also under development.
Will any of those bikes revive the Imperiale name? That’s still not clear, but just because the old Imperiale was a 125cc bike doesn’t mean the new one won’t be bigger. The Leoncino was also originally a 1950s 125cc single, but the name is now on a 500cc twin.
The timing of Benelli’s trademark application means it’s likely to show the new Imperiale at EICMA at the end of the year. That’s also when we expect the new 750cc parallel twin model to make its first appearance, perhaps making it a favourite to get the name.
