Benelli Tornado 252R Breaks Cover

While Benelli’s India lineup mostly comprises mid-capacity bikes, the Chinese bike maker has a well-categorised fleet in its home country. And the latest addition to this lineup is the Benelli Tornado 252R, which aims to compete in the 250cc sport bike segment. 

The overall design of the new 252R is quite similar to the heavily updated 2021 Tornado 302R, lending it a big bike persona. From the oval projector-equipped headlight to the sporty tail section with air scoops, the resemblance between the two bikes is quite noticeable. What’s different here, though, are the graphics and colour options. These are fairly sober compared to the shades on offer for the 302R.

Along with the big bike persona, the features are pretty solid too. These include a 37mm USD fork, slipper clutch, ABS, adjustable levers, and a fully-digital LCD instrument cluster with smartphone connectivity.

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The Tornado 252R is powered by a 249cc parallel-twin motor putting out 26PS and 24Nm, which is 1PS more than India’s beloved KTM RC 200. Meanwhile, the 252R is anchored by single disc brakes at both ends. 

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Benelli has made the 252R fairly practical too, courtesy of a low seat height of just 785mm, an acceptable kerb weight of 177kg, and an adequate 14-litre fuel tank. 

The 2021 Benelli Tornado 252R is priced at the INR equivalent of Rs 2.93 lakh in China. But as far as its India launch is concerned, we feel the larger Benelli 302R is more likely to make it here instead, considering the level of competition in the Indian 250cc motorcycle segment.