Benelli Leoncino 500 rolled out in India at Rs.4.79 lakh

Benelli Leoncino 500, the much-awaited neo-retro style scrambler motorcycle has been launched in India at Rs.4.79 lakh (ex-showroom, India). Though the Leoncino 500 is available in three variants internationally as the Standard, the Trail and the Sport, the Indian-spec model gets only the Standard variant in two colour options including Steel Grey and Leoncino Red.

Bookings for the bike have started today via online and at all the Benelli dealerships for a token amount of Rs.10,000 with deliveries to commence from this month end. The Leoncino 500 is likely to be brought to India via the CKD route. Benelli offers the bike with a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty.

Mechanically, the Leoncino 500 gets powered by the same 499.6cc, liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder motor that powers the Benelli TRK 502. The fuel-injected engine churns out 47bhp of power at 8,500rpm and 45Nm of torque at 4,500rpm and comes paired with a six-speed gearbox. The bike features USD forks at the front and a monoshock suspension at the rear. Braking duties are handled by 320mm dual discs and a 260mm single disc at the front and rear respectively. Dual-channel ABS comes as standard on the Leoncino 500.

In terms of competition, the Benelli Leoncino 500 doesn’t have a direct rival, but will toughly compete with the likes of the Kawasaki Z650 and the Ducati Scrambler in terms of price, since it is much more affordable.