DSK-Benelli TNT 250 First Review

DSK-Motowheels had announced in late 2014 that it will be launching five new Benelli motorcycles in the Indian market. The motorcycles headed our way were from varying displacements between 300cc to 1,130cc. The biggest hurdle for Benelli is pricing, as these bikes will come via the CKD route. The fact that every motorcycles that would be launched is a multi cylinder offering didn’t help either. To address this issue DSK-Motowheels announced at the India Bike Week 2015 that it will launch the Benelli TNT 250 in India by second half of 2015. What sets the Benelli TNT 250 apart from its other Italian siblings is its heart. The Benelli TNT 250 is powered by a single-cylinder motor which should help DSK in pricing the motorcycle aggressively and it will be the cheapest Benelli motorcycle when it goes on sale in India.

The Benelli TNT 250 made its world debut at the 2014 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy late last year as the BN 251. The styling of the Benelli TNT 250 is akin to any modern naked motorcycle offering while a heavy influence from the Benelli TNT 300 is clearly visible. Sculpted tank, split seat, rear grab rails, multi-spoke alloy wheels and chunky side slung exhaust complement the attractive design of the bike. The tail of the bike looks erringly similar to that of the KTM 200 Duke in profile. The Benelli TNT 250 employs a part-analogue-part-digital instrument cluster with the analogue tachometer taking centre stage. The rear-set footpegs and flat handle bars should result in a marginally sporty yet comfortable riding posture like most modern street bikes. The overall design of the Benelli TNT 250 is fresh and interesting which should find favours among the youngsters.  

Powering the bike is a 249cc, liquid-cooled, single cylinder engine which makes 24.5PS of power at 9,000rpm and 21Nm of torque at 7,000rpm. The powerplant is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The power figures aren’t radically higher than its rivals but what remains to be tested is refinement and performance of the bike.

The BN-251 features an exposed trellis frame that uses the engine as a stressed member. Suspension duties are handled by 41mm upside down front forks at front and an adjustable monoshock rear unit which isn’t off-set like its 300cc sibling. Four piston calipers mounted over a 280mm single disc provide braking prowess at the front while a two-pot 240mm single disc does duty at the rear. The motorcycle comes shod with 110/70 front and 140/60 section tyres fitted over 17 inch aluminium alloy wheels. The bike tips the scale at 150kg and uses a 16.5 litre fuel tank that should be beneficial while touring.

The Benelli BN TNT 250 will be the cheapest motorcycle from the Italian two-wheeler manufacturer but don’t expect a cutthroat pricing like the KTM 200 Duke. The bike will be sandwiched between the KTM 200 Duke and the Suzuki Inazuma with respect to pricing. So expect the Benelli TNT 250 to retail for around Rs 2 lakh as it will be locally assembled, though the pricing can come a bit low if DSK-Motowheeles is successful in localizing its components.