Benelli has introduced the new Leoncino 800 Trail, a motorcycle with a distinct off-road spirit, brought out by the raised double exhaust and the 19” front wheel. Powered by a 754-cc twin-cylinder, four-stroke engine which is liquid cooled it unleashes 81.6 HP (60 kW) at 9000 rpm and a torque of 67 Nm (6.8 kgm) at 6500 rpm. It features a double overhead camshaft with 4 valves per cylinder and double throttle bodies of 43 mm diameter. The wet anti-slip clutch and 6-speed gearbox are also worth mentioning.
The chassis has been revised a little in order to better tackle off-road terrains while primarily it is a tubular trellis with steel plates, the same as the road version. The suspensions have been upgraded with Marzocchi up-side down front forks with 50 mm diameter with adjustable rebound, compression and pre-load, and now has longer travel, from 130 mm in the road model to 140 mm in the Trail one. The rear suspension travel has also been increased to 140 mm. As a consequence, the seat height has increased from 800 mm in the road model to 818 mm in the Trail one. The knobby Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires, 120/70 19” in the front and 170/60 17” in the rear, complete the set of technical upgrades.
The Brembo braking system remains same as the Leoncino 800 and is the double 320 mm disc in the front with a four-piston radially mounted mono-block calliper, and a 260 mm disc at the back with a double piston calliper.
The raised double exhaust gives it a rally spirit and this along with the number plate holder and the heat shield has been specifically designed for this model. The Trail version also features latest-technology TFT instrumentation for ease of use and the seat is designed for comfort through the tough terrains this machine can go through.
Currently we in India are waiting for the updated Benelli range to arrive which will see the entire range being updated to its 2020 BS6 versions. Lets hope to hear some good news from the company soon.
