The adventure touring scene in India has grown considerably in the last few years. A lot of Indians now want to tour the country on motorcycles that offer good comfort, decent performance and most importantly, it should be within budget. The TRK 502 falls in this space, but at the premium end of things. We had spent a few days with this bike couple of months ago and from that experience, we tell you five reasons to buy the Benelli TRK 502.
Excellent road presence
The TRK 502 is one of the biggest motorcycles in terms of body proportions in the segment. And this aspect is something a lot of Indians like a lot. A big motorcycle gives a sense of great aspiration and it makes the rider feel they own something truly premium.
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 premium than it is.
Great Comfort
A week on the TRK 502 clearly showed how comfortable this motorcycle is. The combination of large seats with right cushion, good seating ergonomics and easy to reach handlebar makes this Benelli an extremely comfortable motorcycle. The credit goes to a few other things too. The large seats which by the way offers great amount of cushioning and support. Then there are things like footpegs, windscreen and not to forget the 20-litres fuel tank, which makes you stop less for fuel, thus reducing the overall fatigue level.
Lots of features
The TRK 502 is equipped with some practical features. Things like large handguards, adjustable clutch and brake levers and USB charging can be seen on this motorcycle.
The bike also gets LED lights, hazard lamps and dual-channel ABS. The attention to detail is quite good too. Like the size of buttons are 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.
Touring friendly
The TRK 502 has great comfort, a motor that churns out decent performance and the ability to haul lots of luggage makes it touring friendly. Plus, it has a large fuel tank and that means less fuel stops. Due to the presence of a large windscreen, there’s less wind buffeting. And thanks to the presence of a good pillion seat, you can take another person on a long ride and that person will be as comfortable as you.
Priced well
The most important factor for a purchase is the pricing and Benelli has got it right. The TRK 502 is priced really well, making it much cheaper than its rivals like the Kawasaki Versys 650 and the Honda CB500X. In fact, the BS6 model saw a price cut, taking its new pricing to Rs 6.09 lakh on-road Mumbai.
Conclusion
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 definitely should.
