Re: Benelli Imperiale 400 spotted in India, now launched @ 1.69 lakh So having a lazy afternoon and getting off work early, I decided to go to my 3m shop for some TLC on the Ninja. Having reached the location a little earlier due to light afternoon traffic, I decided to drop in to the Benelli showroom near by, to have a look at some of the newer bikes.
Now the auto industry is reeling under one of its worst slumps, so when you enter a showroom you expected to be greeted by some enthusiastic staff. Instead a guy who looked like he had just got up from his sleep walked out. On checking out the bike, he said “ This is the Benelli Imperiale” and froze. Like an actor who forgets his lines or as if he expected me to guess the rest.
After that we moved on to the test ride and I sized the bike. The bike was pretty large, compared to say an avenger. But the design just does not work. It looked dated even by retro standards. The front reminded me of a CD Dawn Deluxe! The rare looked unique but did not gel with the rest of the bike. The seat was pretty large and should.accomodate even the largest of frame sizes easily. The riding position was nice and upright and should be perfect for commuting and the occasional highway run.
The biggest problem with the bike is it's engine. I think when Benelli decided they want to make a bike that can cruise the engineers probably heard it as snooze. You can actually take a short nap on the bike and when you wake up you would still be where you were! It's that slow. There is just nothing in the bottom end and it takes forever to get going. Once on the move it's ok. Also the quality is questionable. The speedo was shaking and rattling like crazy ( bike was only 700kms old) and the switches felt cheap. The Interceptor I rode last had 50000 on the odo and still felt much better. Also the fueling was jerky and cut in abruptly at times.I wish they had gone the whole mile and given this bike a parallel twin motor. Maybe from the TNT300 in a more relaxed state or from the Leoncino ( the next bike I rode and it left me suprised in a good way ) It would have given this bike a real character and would have been a worthy contender to take on the Interceptor. Also at 2.34 lacs on road Pune it's not exactly cheap. If you are taking a loan it's better to stretch just that little more and get the far more exciting Interceptor instead. Sure the emis will be a bit more, but then so will be the grin under your helmet visor ��
Until the next bike! Ride Safe ! |