Benelli Leoncino 800 With Bigger Engine, More Power Expected

Latest type approval documents filed in China reveal that Benelli may be working on an updated version of the Leoncino 800. Last year, Benelli showcased the Leoncino 800, after the bike made its debut at the EICMA 2019 show. The original Leoncino 800 was to be powered by the same 754 cc parallel-twin engine from the Benelli 752S naked bike, but that bike was never launched commercially, at least in markets outside of China. But now, approval documents filed by the Qianjiang Group, the Chinese parent company of Benelli, reveal that the Leoncino 800 will be powered by 799 cc which makes 87 bhp, rather than the 80 bhp of the 754 cc engine.

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The Benelli Leoncino 800 Trail with wire spoke wheels will also come with the same 799 cc twin

According to the documents, the Leoncino 800 has a kerb weight of 209 kg, so the bike will be actually lighter than the 220 kg that was claimed for the bike with the 754 cc engine. While Qianjiang's domestic brand, QJMotor also has a line of models which will share underpinnings with the Benelli models, the corresponding Benelli bikes, including the updated models have not been shown anywhere, primarily because of international motorcycle shows largely cancelled since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Both the standard Leoncino 800 (with cast alloy wheels), as well as the Leoncino 800 Trail (with wire spoke wheels), will get the same 799 cc engine. The same engine will also likely make it to the QJMotor SRT800, the adventure bike which will form the basis for the Benelli TRK800, which will likely be introduced later this year, or early next year. In case, EICMA 2021 goes ahead as planned, Benelli will get a good opportunity to showcase its range of upcoming models, and many of these will eventually be launched in India as well.