Benelli 150cc bike in the works

Design patents that have been revealed in the USA show an early prototype of a 150cc motorcycle from Benelli. The bike is currently called the BJ150-31 and will surely carry a more appealing name on the production model. The ‘BJ’ used in the name suggests that the bike will be sold under Benelli and not under QianJing, Benelli’sparent company. ‘150’ reveals the engine capacity of the motorcycle while ‘31’ suggests that it is the 31st design.Benelli also patented a faired bike last year called the BJ150-30 which suggeststhat the production model could have both body styles. The bike uses a perimeter frame that houses a 150cc water-cooled single cylinder engine. Given that it’s at the patent stage, power figures are not known yet. The 150cc engine suggests that the bike is aimed at Asian markets and Benelli could shrink the engine to 125cc and make it learner legal in European markets.

As with all recent Benelli bikes, the design of the bike comes from QianJing. Although the bike’s overall styling and design are appealing and as such, new for Benelli, KTM would not be very impressed. The vertically split headlights look like those on the 390 and 250 Duke. The BJ150-31 features a single petal discbrake along with upside-down forks up front, giving the bike the appearance of a high-end product.

The specs of the BJ150-31 are very similar to the Yamaha YZF-R15 V 3.0, in that they both have perimeter frames, upside-down front forks, and a water-cooled single-cylinder motor that displaces around 150cc. If Benelli manages to manufacture this product in India rather than importing it here, it could prove to be a real rival to the Yamaha R15, which is currently the only motorcycle of its type in its segment.