Unveiled at EICMA: 2015 Benelli BN251
Known for its exotic motorcycles, Italian brand Benelli showcased its smallest capacity motorcycle at EICMA, the BN251. The 250cc naked bike will go up against KTM’s 200 Duke, both in India and internationally.
Typical of the naked bike styling, Benelli BN251 has an exposed steel trellis frame with an inverted telescopic fork at the front and two-sided monoshock swingarm at the rear. The naked bike measures 2080mm in length, 805mm in width, 1090mm in height and has a wheelbase of 1385mm, while the ground clearance is 130mm. The lowish ground clearance (35mm less than the 200 Duke) is, in part, thanks to the chunky 17-inch wheels. The BN251’s fuel tank holds the same 16.5-litre of fuel as the BN300.
While KTM’s Duke brothers feature a subtly positioned, under engine exhaust, the BN251 sports a conventional side mounted exhaust. The instrument cluster is all analogue including the tacho and speedometer (though the odometer is digital).
The smallest engine in the Benelli line-up is a 249cc single cylinder, liquid-cooled mill that produces 24bhp and 21Nm of peak torque, and comes mated to six-speed transmisison. With no kerb weight mentioned by the Italian manufacturer, we shall have to wait and see how it will do against its rival. The Benelli BN302, technically the KTM 390 Duke’s rival, sports a power-to-weight ratio that is lower, but claims to offer only marginally less performance. The BN251 will probably follow in its slightly larger naked siblings’ footsteps.
The Italian bike maker has just last month entered the Indian market by partnering with DSK Motowheels. The partnership intends to bring a sizable chunk of Benelli’s international line-up to India and the BN251 will almost certainly feature on the list of bikes to come. Similar to DSK’s relationship with Hyosung, Benelli bikes will be brought in via the CKD route, and will be assembled here. Distribution and after-sales will be taken care of by DSK. The Indian brand has planned separate dealerships for Beneli’s bikes and to launch the bikes before end of year. They have stated that they will build 8 showrooms by January, and will be present in 20 locations by end of 2015.
