Benelli rides in Leoncino 500 sports bike at Rs 4.79 lakh

PUNE: Despite the sharpest motorcycle sales dip the June quarter in the country, Benelli, the Italian super sportsbike legendary marquee brand, on Monday launched the Leoncino 500 at Rs 4.79 lakh pan India showroom.

The much anticipated scrambler-style motorcycle come at present in the Standard variant, and in two colour schemes — Steel Grey and Leoncino Red. In the international markets, the Leoncino 500 is available in three variants — the Standard, the Trail and the Sport.

While Leoncino 500 has no direct rivals at the price point, its closest competitor is the more expensive Ducati Scrambler Icon priced at Rs 7.89 lakh, although that bike brings much more power and badge value. There is also the Harley-Davidson Street 750 at Rs 5.25 lakh. Though it is a different style of motorcycle but produces similar performance figures for the rider.

Powering the motorcycle is a 499.6 cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected twin-cylinder motor that develops 47.6 hp and 45Nm of torque.

The engine sits within a tubular steel-trellis frame that's suspended on a 50mm USD fork and pre-load adjustable monoshock.

The Leoncino rides on 17-inch wheels at either end, and it goes without saying that it gets ABS as standard. Braking hardware includes a 320mm twin-disc setup (with four-piston calipers) at the front, and a 260mm disc (with a single-piston caliper) at the rear.

"The Leoncino combines tradition and passion with contemporary style, innovation and performance," Vikas Jhabakh, MD at Benelli India, said.

The modern version of the Leoncino is a pure makeover of the original model and is a tribute to a legend of Italian motorcycling, which finds its identity in the modern world.

"With the Indian motorcycle market gearing up for new segments and superbikes witnessing a progressive growth in the last few years, we have taken a strategic decision to bring in some of the globally renowned Benelli products into the Indian market," Jhabakh said.