Benelli TRK251 Road Test Review: But Where's The Adventure?

It is pretty befuddling how motorcycle manufacturers nowadays are playing pretty fast and loose with the 'adventure' tag. Take the Benelli TRK251, for instance. The Italian brand calls it its 'Young Adventure Machine.' The truth is that it packs only 170mm ground clearance, no long-travel suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels at both ends, and, for crying out loud, super sticky tarmac-only Metzeler Sportec M5 rubber.

Where's the adventure, then?

Gives Off ADV Vibes
For starters, the TRK251 certainly has the feel of an adventure motorcycle. The design has this familiarity about it, making the quarter-litre bike look like a scaled-down TRK502. The similarities are pretty obvious, especially with the sharp beak, tall windscreen, and flared tank panels with the integrated LED turn blinkers.

However, as you start to get the whole feel of the bike, the rest of the motorcycle doesn't seem as 'adventurous,' to say the least. The tail section is wide enough, and you do get a luggage rack as standard. It doesn't feel as big and imposing as the TRK502; it's welcoming and approachable.

Easy Ergos
Now, unlike most ADVs with their vertigo-inducing saddle heights, the TRK251 is actually relatively easy to hop on to. At 800mm, it has the joint-lowest seat height in the sub-400cc adventure space, alongside the Himalayan. The seat is flat and spacious enough for larger riders to comfortably find their riding posture. Thanks to the slim tank profile, even straddling the bike is an easy task.

The single-piece handlebar is a bit raised, and the footpegs are mid-set. Overall, the feeling from the saddle isn't one of an adventure motorcycle. Instead, it feels like a city slicker capable of going touring.

Big Problem Number 1 - Vibey Engine
Benelli has used the same motor as the old TNT25. In its BS6 avatar, the 249cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled motor makes 25.83PS and 21.1Nm, both produced at pretty high revs. For a bike of this class, the output does seem to be lacking.

No prizes for guessing then that the actual performance is lacklustre. There's not enough zing in its step to make you feel engaged. One has to wring the throttle wide open for the TRK to get going. Most of its drive is present after 4500-5000rpm, and hence, the acceleration times it posted are slow.

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The engine is also super buzzy. As soon as the tacho crosses 4000rpm, there are these short sharp pulses emanating from the motor until the redline. As a result, your highway ventures have to be kept in check. Cruising speeds have to be at the 90kmph mark, where the engine vibes aren't too harsh and manageable. Try to cruise any faster, and it will just spoil your mood.

With lesser performance on tap, you would expect the motor to be a bit more frugal than its brethren, but that’s not the case either. The TRK scores nearly as much as the Himalayan and the 250 Adventure in our fuel efficiency runs, which is a bit of a downer. However, the larger tank capacity would have you ride the bike for a longer duration.

The only likeable bit about this motor is just how tractable it is. While most of the drive is located higher in the rev range, its bottom-end performance is commendable. You can ride away from speeds as low as 25kmph in third gear. One can even keep pace with city traffic in fifth with enough drive on tap to make overtakes without requiring a downshift.

And that’s a good thing because the gearbox is a piece of work. Yep, the gear shifts are hard and clunky, sometimes failing to shift up properly, and the clutching action isn’t the slickest.

Big Problem Number 2 - Firm Suspension

Even though there’s a bit more travel on offer than the Leoncino 250 and the TNT25, the TRK251’s suspension travel is adequate at best to handle the urban jungle. It is not as capable of tackling the real jungle because, with the limited travel on offer, you have to find ways to dodge the potholes, defeating the purpose of an adventure motorcycle.

It isn’t sophisticated either. Both components are set up on the firmer side, with the rear having a faster rebound setting. This means that the rear is extra reactive, leading to a continuous bobbing sensation on concrete roads or with minor ripples. On smooth tarmac, there are no qualms, though.

The minor advantage of this street bike suspension tune is that it makes the TRK251 quite a capable handler. The TRK is never flustered, whether filtering through traffic, changing lanes on the highway, or hitting the twisties. It is very light and easy to manoeuvre, and thanks to the super grippy Metezelers, there’s a phenomenal grip on offer. You cannot push the bike too hard, though, as you end up grinding the footpegs pretty fast. But hustling the bike from one side to the other requires minimal effort.

Another significant problem that we faced with the TRK251 during our tests was its poor braking performance. The system takes far too long to bring the bike to a dead halt from 80kmph and 100kmph, the lever progression is minimal, and the more pressing issue is poor ABS calibration. When braking on loose surfaces, the intervention is almost immediate, making the motorcycle free-roll for quite some time before the actual braking process starts. This is definitely what you don't want in panic braking situations.

Lacks Modern Features
The kit on offer is pretty basic. The lighting is all-LED, and the digital dash is rather obsolete, missing out on crucial data like distance-to-empty or range indicator. Plus, there's no switchable ABS, smartphone connectivity, or any other modern tech, for that matter.

The only convenient bits that you find on the bike are the USB charger for charging devices on the go, span-adjustable brake and clutch levers, and the luggage rack.

It's A Miss
So the Benelli TRK 251 is no adventure motorcycle. It remains a decent city slicker and an okay highway motorcycle with quite some flaws. It scores well in engine tractability and handling. Still, things like the lack of modern features, clunky gearbox, vibey engine, no long-travel suspension, and poor ABS calibration make it hard for us to recommend it.

Problems are compounded for the Benelli when you consider that it's asking price of Rs 2.51 lakh is over Rs 30,000 more than the Himalayan, a bike that can do the city bit just as well as this and then is far better on the highway too. Plus, the Himalayan is a pukka adventure bike, unlike this pseudo-ADV.