Benelli India is slowly revamping its lineup to feature all BS6-compliant machines. The newest addition comes in the form of the Benelli Leoncino 500, a retro-styled naked bike. Following the launch of Benelli's adventure bike, the TRK 502, the Leoncino is designed with a more fashion-conscious rider in mind. That said, the updated Leoncino 500 features a few revisions to the engine which have made it compliant to India's BS6 standards.Â
At the heart of the 2021 Benelli Leoncino 500 resides a 500cc parallel twin engine. Equipped with dual overhead cams, liquid cooling, and fuel injection, this engine churns out a respectable 47 horsepower at 8,500 rpm. The Leoncino 500's six-speed transmission does not come with a slipper clutch—a feature more commonly found on bikes of this caliber. Suspension duties are handled by a beefy 50mm inverted fork up front mated to a rebound and preload-adjustable monoshock out back. Meanwhile, braking duties are handled by twin 320mm rotors and a single 260mm rotor in the front and rear respectively.
The 2021 Benelli Leoncino is equipped with programmable dual channel ABS. With this setup, the rider has the option of disabling ABS for the rear wheel. Additional features include a full LED lighting system, as well as an all-digital LCD instrument panel. Do note, however, the the Leoncino 500 misses out on a full color TFT display.Â
As far as pricing is concerned, those of you who have been eyeing the Benelli Leoncino 500 will be delighted to know that the BS6 iteration of this bike is substantially more affordable than its BS4 counterpart. Priced at Rs. 4,59,900, or the equivalent of $6,332 USD, it's nearly Rs. 20,000 more affordable than the BS4 bike which had a sticker price of Rs. 4,69,900, or $6,470 USD. This puts it in competition with other entry level big bikes from the likes of KTM, Royal Enfield, and even the big four Japanese manufacturers.Â
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Source: BikeDekho