Benelli coming to India with the BN 302

It is now official, DSK Group is bringing in the Italian motorcycle manufacturer to India. On 17th of October, the brand will share their strategy for the Indian marketplace and also unveil the upcoming products.

The entry level motorcycle for Benelli in India would be the BN 302, naked sportsbike. The bike is powered by a 300cc, 4-stroke, twin-cylinder, liquid cooled motor producing 36 BHP of power @ 11,500 RPM and 26 Nm of torque @ 9,000 RPM. Engine is mated to a 6 speed gearbox and the bike has a 16 litre fuel tank capacity.

Styling and equipment:

• Upside-down front fork
• Cross mounted rear monoshock
• 12-spoke alloy wheels
• Dual disc brakes at the front and a single disc brake at the back
• Underbelly exhaust
• Step-up, single piece seat
• Floating side cowls
• Small tyre hugger
• Digital + analogue speedometer
• Conventional, wide handlebar
• Forged brake and clutch levers
• Tubular rear swingarm

When launched, the Benelli BN 302 will fight against the likes of KTM Duke 390 and Suzuki Inazuma. The brand will face stiff competition from other upcoming products such as the TVS Draken and Bajaj Pulsar CS400.

What do you think about the Benelli BN 302? Would you go for it? Most likely, the bike will be brought in as a CBU and pricing will be a bit off. Expected price range is around Rs. 3 lakh.