Ritesh Madhok
Benalli India have recently launched the TRK502 and TRK502X in the Indian market priced at 5.10lac and 5.50lacs ex-factory respectively. Looks like Benalli India’s new management team was quick to understand that for the roads and terrains we find in India, adventure tourers are the most suitable class of motorcycles. These are the first ever offerings from the Italian manufacturer in the adventure touring segment, and by the looks of it, I can surely say that they have delivered a stunning looking machine that looks like a Ducati Multistrada from the front and a Triumph Tiger from the rear, that sounds even sweeter as if an inline 4, is very forgiving and delivers a posh and comfortable riding experience.
Both the bikes come equipped with the same parallel twin engine that churns out 47.5 Bhp of power, and 46Nm of Torque, which on paper doesn’t really sound impressive. But one short spin on both these machines, and you realize they aren’t that bad either, rather they are good. Both the motorcycles come with the same engine & butter smooth transmission setup, and deliver a mileage of 20-25kmpl in daily usage. The motor runs vibe free most of the times except post 7,000rpm, where a few vibes are felt on the handle and foot pegs. If you can let that go, the motor delivers enough controlled power to manage daily bumper to bumper traffic as well as high speed highway rides.
Benallis are famous for the exhaust note they have, and both the TRKs stand to this promise. Both the TRKs deliver distinct throaty bassy exhaust note which comes alive as the rpm climbs up. The 502 has an underbelly exhaust while the adv version 502x has a hanging canister type exhaust for better ground clearance. You need to rev the motorcycle high in every gear to make It move fast as all the gears are very tall, which is in a way very safe for novices; with no sudden bursts of power to throw them off-guard. That said, the power delivery is very linear, and has the genes to be the perfect bike for someone who’s just beginning his motorcycling journey. The bike can easily cruise at 100-140kmph all day long in peak summer heat, with no heating issues felt.
The TRK series of motorcycles are Benalli, but not the benalli of the past. The build quality has gone up and both these bikes are sturdily built. 1200kms on each of these beautiful machines, and the bikes did not complain once, did not require even a chain setting. The TRK502 is more highway oriented. It gets magwheels, gets a 110/80-17 and 150-70-17 inch Pirelli angel GT sets of tyres and an underbelly exhaust. The power delivery too is tuned for mid-rev range with a smaller sprocket on the rear. Other than that, both the bikes share the same body panels styling and size. The 502 gets a simple one tone paint job in white/Red while the 502x gets vivid body stickers screaming out the X in it.
What makes the 502X an adventourer? Well, the 502x has a 110/80-19 and 150/70-17 inch Spoked wheel Metzeler off road spec tyres. That makes the 502X 40mm taller than the 502 which sits at 800mm of seat height. This also grants 30mm more ground clearance to the 502X than the 502, which sits at 190mm. The 502x gets a sprocket with more teeth on the rear to deliver that torque quickly for offroad trails and sliding, but fails to deliver anything very wild you’d expect from a motorcycle of similar capacity due to the weight of 230+kgs on both the motorcycles. Both the bikes get 50mm inverted forks up-front and Mono-shock absorber on the rear with preload-rebound adjustment, which perform brilliantly well to deliver a very royal experience.
The riding position is very comfortable, and the windscreen worksto reduce stress on the rider. The Benallis have stuck to being traditional, both the bikes get a simple analogue “digital cluster with information like time, odometer, 2 trip meters, a digital fuel gauge and analogue tachometer. Both these bikes come retro-fitted with effective and sturdy crash guards, which in case of a fall, will take all the bashing and protect your upper body panels. Said that, the switch gear feels premium, and Benallis smart thinking to provide a USB charging port upfront under the handle totally makes sense. Both the bikes have the option to switch off ABS completely but we wont really suggest that to new buyers.
