The Benelli Imperiale 400 is the latest offering to join the company's product portfolio. Targeted at a segment that has been dominated by Royal Enfield products, the motorcycle has been aggressively marketed with prices starting from Rs 1.69 lakhs, ex-showroom. We recently rode the motorcycle in the city as well as on the highway and you can read about it here. In the meantime, here’s a detailed review image gallery of the classic vintage-styled cruiser offering from Benelli.
The Imperiale 400 has a bodyline which matches that of the classic vintage styled motorcycles. The reason behind it is the inspiration it draws from the Imperiale 125, a motorcycle manufactured back in the 1950s, by the erstwhile Benelli-owned company, MotoBi.
Benelli has achieved a sweet balance when it comes to the chromed and blacked-out parts on the motorcycle. The chromed bits include the headlamp and instrumentation bezel, rear-view mirrors, wheel rims, handlebar and pillion grab handles. Meanwhile, the motorcycle gets a blacked-out treatment for the powertrain, exhaust and other components.
Keeping to the classic look, the Imperiale 400 comes with a circular headlamp flanked by clear lens turn indicators, single-piece handlebar with metal finish levers.
Powering this Benelli is an all-new 373.5cc single-cylinder four-valve air-cooled mill equipped with fuel-injection. The engine is capable of pumping out 19bhp and 28Nm. Meanwhile, transmission duties are handled by a five-speed gearbox.
On the go, the engine’s power band is available from the mid-end towards the top-end of the rpm range which is quite beneficial while cruising on the highway. However, when riding in the city, the need for torque in the lower-end of the rev range can be felt, especially in slow moving traffic.
One of the aspects this motorcycle excels at is handling. The steering offers direct feedback and also feels planted in corners. So well, that scraping the pegs or the exhaust shield happens easily.
For braking, the Imperiale 400 employs a 300mm disc brake up front coupled to a two-piston floating caliper. The feel from the brakes is good with modulation. However, the initial bite, especially from the front, could have been better.
One of the sweet sights when astride on the motorcycle is the twin-pod instrument console that features a white backlit bezel along with a pair of LCD units, one comprising of the odometer, two trip meters and time. The other one shows the fuel level and a current gear position. Notably, it is also the only motorcycle in its segment to come with a tachometer and also a flip-type ignition key.
The Imperiale 400 comes with a split-seat design that looks classy and unique. Instead of bolting the seat directly to the chassis, the rider seat is sprung underneath which offers an even better ride quality experience.
Talking about performance, the Imperiale 400 is capable of achieving a top speed of 130kmph without much hassle. However, the sweet spot to cruise comfortably is between 90-100kmph bracket, which is ideal considering our road infrastructure.
