Benelli Leoncino 250 : 5 Things To Know

Having brought the Leoncino 500 to India earlier this year, Benelli has now launched its smaller sibling, the Leoncino 250, to fill the void left behind by the discontinuation of the TNT 25. With bookings now open, we bring you everything you need to know about the upcoming lion cub.

Big Cub Little Cub

The Leoncino 250 looks a lot like Benelli’s larger lion cub, the Leoncino, and that’s not a bad thing. Benelli has managed to pull off the neo-retro scrambler design, and the Leoncino is a handsome looking motorcycle. The lion motif on the front fender is present on this 250 version as well but the oval LED headlight is new, as are the graphics schemes offered on the smaller bike.

Under The Surface

Even though the Leoncino 250 may look a lot like its elder sibling, its underpinnings are all unique, with the steel trellis frame, swingarm and suspension all specific to the 250. Gone is the massive 50mm front fork seen on the Leoncino; it has been replaced by a more proportionate 41mm upside-down unit on the 250. The rear shock gets preload adjustability.

The Heart Of The Lion

The Leoncino’s powerplant is based on that of the older TNT 25. It continues to put out 25.8PS of power and 21Nm of torque. That said, with BS6 emission norms coming into effect next April, this motor will have to be reworked to comply, and it’s likely that there will be a reduction in output.

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Features And Equipment

One of the differences with the larger Leoncino is the fully-digital instrument cluster on the Leoncino 250. While both bikes get fully digital clusters, each one gets a different unit. In addition to this, the Leoncino 250 also gets full-LED lighting as well as dual-channel ABS, meaning that it is a reasonably well-equipped motorcycle. The 280mm front disc is accompanied by a 240mm rear disc.

An Arm And A Leg

Despite all that equipment, the Benelli Leoncino 250 is still a very expensive motorcycle. Priced at Rs 2.5 lakh (ex-showroom, India), it takes on the larger and more powerful Honda CB300R (Rs 2.41 lakh, ex-showroom). In the same displacement range, the Leoncino takes on the KTM 250 Duke and Suzuki GIxxer, both of which are more powerful and significantly cheaper than the Benelli. If despite this the Leoncino is your pick of the lot, then you can book one for Rs 6,000 on Benelli India’s website.