Benelli Tornado 302: Launch Likely in October- November 2016

[Praveen]

DSK- Benelli has a decently strong portfolio in India. With competitive prices and ever-expanding dealer network, Benelli motorcycles make quite a good case for themselves. However, only one thing seemed to be missing in the performance motorcycle segment- a fully faired bike. Looks like Benelli is soon going to fill the gap with its latest offering- the Tornado 302.

DSK Motowheels chairman, Shirish Kulkarni said in an interview with Autocar Professional that the homologation and other paperwork were already underway for the Tornado 302 and that it will be launched by this year's festive season.
The Tornado 302 is essentially a faired version of the TNT 300. We have already seen the bike in this year's Auto Expo. The Tornado is equipped with all the modern goodies like inverted forks, rear monoshock, dual petal discs at the front and the likes. ABS is likely to be a standard fitment. Power comes from the parallel twin 300 cc liquid cooled motor which is good for 36 PS and 27 Nm of torque. Pretty healthy for a 300 cc motorcycle, I'd say! Sure, it's no brute like the RC 390, but I think the Tornado will appeal to those who are looking for an Italian flair in their machines.
I think by the first quarter of 2017, the Indian market will be swamped with so many quarter liter performance bikes that the riders and enthusiasts are sure going to be spoilt silly with all the choices they'd get!

[Kapil_Kumar]

Praveen I have been waiting Any idea about price bracket? 3.2 ex-showroom?

[Niki Lauda]

I like this Tornado. It looks better than the KTM RC twins. The KTMs look like aliens compared to this Italian beauty. It may be down on power, but I think it will be more refined than the KTMs in the long run. Ideal for touring I think. Can you upload some picture that reveals how the bike looks from the front and the back too? Thanks.

[Praveen]

Kapil_Kumar The price is likely to be in the range you have mentioned. Niki Lauda I feel the design of the Tornado looks a tad umm, incomplete. Here are the front and rear angles:

Image Credits: Rushlane

Image Credits: Motorbeam.com

I feel the Tornado has a fluidic design of sorts whereas the RC has sharp angular lines, which make it more inclined towards clinical precision.

[Niki Lauda]

Praveen, I wouldn't say incomplete. But yes, it does look simple like the superbikes from the late 80s and early 90s. I think it'll look a whole lot better in a darker shade probably. The best thing I like about Benelli though is the exhaust note. They sound raspy.

[Praveen]

Niki Lauda Yes, it does remind me of the 90's superbikes. Remember Roadrash game? The only detailed look we could get was from the 'Bike showrooms'. Most of the bikes featured in that game had proper old-school design, at least going by the Showroom images (all the race bikes in-game looked more or less similar to each other barring the colour schemes). Yes, the exhaust note of most of the Benelli's are amazing. It just makes you rev its nuts off!

[Praveen]

Benelli Tornado 302 Spied in India:

A spy picture of Benelli's new 300cc faired motorcycle, the Tornado 302 has surfaced on the internet. The bike was spotted somewhere in Pune. Here are some pics by Motor Octane:

Going by the pictures, the riding position hints at sport touring credentials and the bike is likely to be equipped with ABS. Expect excellent braking power, thanks to the twin petal discs at front and single disc at the rear. I feel the bike will also come with a rear tyre hugger to make it more practical for indian roads. Look at the slush stains on the bike!
The bike exudes an old-school design. The bulbous front and a tapering lean-mean rear make it look like a proper 90's superbike. The coloured frame also accentuates the Italian flair in the design. In my opinion, the only grinch in the design is the exhaust. It looks like a badly made origami artwork. The bike is expected to be launched this festive season and I hope it is BS4 compliant.