Last year, Benelli had us pleasantly surprised with its TRK-502 and Leoncino concept bikes. Now, the Italian marque has unveiled quarter-litre versions of these bikes, christened as the TRK-251 and the Leoncino 250 at the EICMA Show in Milan.
A scrambler-styled motorcycle, the Leoncino’s design has been influenced by Benelli’s century-old heritage. The fuel tank wears the marque’s coat of arms and an elegant dual-tone paint scheme. The blacked out headlamp gets a classic round shape with the LED strip adding a modern touch. The tall rear section gets a miniscule LED tail lamp assembly.
The Benelli TRK 251 on the other hand, is an adventure touring motorcycle. It aims to combine the go-anywhere capabilities of an adventure bike along with the usability of a quarter-litre engine. The beaky front fairing integrates a twin headlamp setup and has been aerodynamically shaped to improve wind flow around the bike. The raised handlebar, neutral set footpegs and the sculpted fuel tank offer a tall and comfortable riding position, ideal for an adventure touring motorcycle.
Both the TRK-251 and the Leoncino 250 are built around steel trellis frames. The 250cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine is shared by both the bikes. The engine delivers 25.8bhp and 21Nm of torque, and is mated to a six-speed transmission. There is no word regarding either of these bikes being introduced in the Indian market. The Leoncino 500 however, is expected to go on sale in India in the first quarter of 2018.
