Benelli TRK 502

This is the new Benelli TRK 502. It is now BS6 compliant, a lot cheaper than the outgoing model, and it also gets some new additional features. Now, for those who have been a fan of Benelli for the really good exhaust sound their bikes make, well, you won’t be disappointed with this one. The TRK 502 does turn heads and not just for its exhaust sound but also due to its sheer size. 

This Benelli is a whopping Rs 2.28 lakh cheaper than the known Kawasaki Versys 650 and Rs 2.07 lakh cheaper than the recently launched Honda CB500X. So, we were quite excited to ride this bike and find out if it makes sense to purchase one or to go with the more expensive options.

First, let’s talk about the most impressive aspect of this Benelli – its road presence. The bike is big, burly, and to be honest, it looks quite intimidating – for the guy who is going to be on that saddle and also for the guys who are going to look at it at the traffic signal. I think the Italians know that there’s a big market for motorcycles that offer size and great proportions. 

The TRK 502 has an aggressive front – thanks to the presence of a large headlamp unit and a sharp front beak. Then there’s this large windscreen that amps up the overall look at the front. Move to the side and you will notice the large 20-litres fuel tank and the tank shrouds along with fat seats and the tail section. There are other bits like the large hand guards, tail rack, and LED lights throughout that makes this motorcycle look a bit more premium than it is.

The TRK 502 is loaded with some features that make it quite enticing. For example, you get these large handguards that feel quite solid, then there’s a USB charging point, adjustable clutch, and front brake levers.  

The bike also gets LED lights all over, hazard lamps, and dual-channel ABS. The attention to detail is quite good too. Like, the size of buttons is quite large which makes it extremely easy to operate. Behind these buttons is a blue backlight that looks super cool in the dark. The company has also given two extra buttons to be used for auxiliary lamps.  

Talking about its performance, the TRK 502 gets its power from a 500cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor. This unit makes 46bhp and 46Nm of peak torque which is a decent figure for a bike of this size. This engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox.

Let’s first talk about the comfort this motorcycle offers. The overall riding ergonomics are extremely comfortable. It is relaxing and doesn’t demand a lot of work, especially for long-distance rides. Then there are these large seats which offer a great amount of cushioning and support. Benelli has given this adventure tourer a few things like large footpegs, windscreen, and not to forget, the 20-litres fuel tank which makes you stop less for fuel, thus reducing the overall fatigue level. The suspension setup is not entirely plush, but it does go quite well through some of the bad roads we encountered.  

Coming to the performance of this Benelli, well, this motor feels extremely refined, especially when you are riding in the city and touring comfortably on the highways. The overall power delivery is linear and quite predictable too. But the tractability of this engine makes things extremely easy for the rider. The bike can do as low as 45kmph in sixth gear and that means you don’t really have to change gears often, leading to less fatigue.     

But the TRK 502 weighs quite a lot, and hence, there's a drop in the power-to-weight ratio. And that means the overall performance goes for a toss. This is why the TRK 502 doesn’t feel thrilling when you twist that throttle fully. Usually, with a bike this size, you want to feel the fun, you want to feel that wind as the bike accelerates faster, but this is something that is missing on this Benelli. 

On the road, the bike feels planted and stable. Be it in the city or the highway, the TRK 502 manages to give out an experience that is easy to deal with. But at low-speed rides, especially while filtering through traffic in the city, the top-heaviness of the motorcycle does bother sometimes. The brakes work fairly well though. The bite, the progression, and the feel are appreciable too. 

Now, let’s agree to the fact that the Benelli TRK 502 is not a typical touring motorcycle. It is big. It is heavily built and the overall performance isn’t up to the mark for a bike in this segment. But then, when you look at the pricing and the kind of features and experience it offers, automatically you start considering this motorcycle and I think you should. I’ll tell you why. This motorcycle actually checks a lot of boxes of a typical Indian buyer. It has an immense road presence. It sounds really nice. And then it offers good long-distance comfort – for the rider as well as the pillion.  

So, in short, TRK 502 is for people who can’t afford the Kawasaki Versys 650 or the Honda CB500X. But still want a big motorcycle that can tour. And for Rs 5.78 lakh (on-road, Mumbai), it’s a good motorcycle to get home.   

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi