Benelli Tornado 302R India Launch In January 2017

Announced to be launched in the first week of January 2017, the Benelli Tornado 302R will come with ABS as standard feature.

The most promising and much-anticipated motorcycle at the DSK Benelli stand at the 2016 Auto Expo was the Tornado 302R. The sportbike was expected to be launched in 2016 but the implementation of ABS and homologation process delayed its entry into the market. Moreover, the company was also busy with updating its line-up for the new regulations. In one of his interactions with media, Shirish Kulkarni, Chairman of DSK-Benelli, also stated that the company is currently operating on updating its model line-up for BS-IV emission compliance and the mandatory ABS norms. 

Finally, we have good news for those waiting for this upcoming full-faired, parallel-twin powered motorcycle. DSK Motowheels has declared that the official launch of the Benelli Tornado 302R has been scheduled for the first week of January 2017. Moreover, the dealers might also start bookings of the bike within a couple of weeks.

It was expected that the Benelli Tornado 302R will appear like a faired TNT 300. However, it just shares the 300cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin motor from its naked sibling, that makes 36PS at 10,000rpm and delivers a peak torque of around 27.4Nm at 9,000rpm. The engine powers the rear wheel via a 6-speed gearbox and the bike has a top speed of over 170kmph.

Under the sporty, aerodynamic fairing of the Benelli Tornado 302R is a new steel-trellis frame that has been designed for light weight and agile handling. The suspension setup comprises of 41mm inverted front forks and a single shock absorber with spring preload adjustment at the rear. The 17" wheels in aluminium alloys come with 150/60 section rubber at the rear and a 110/70 section tyre up front. Braking duties are handled by twin front and single rear petal disc brakes, all assisted by ABS.

Expected to be priced around Rs 3.5 lakh in India, the Benelli Tornado 302R will compete with offerings such as the KTM RC 390, Yamaha YZF-R3 and the Kawasaki Ninja 300.