Following the success of its A2 licence-friendly retro-ish roadster, the Leoncino 500, Chinese-owned Italian factory Benelli has just released a new, more powerful version of the same bike.
Here’s what you need to know…
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We’ve spent a fair bit of time on the various incarnations of the Leoncino 500 over the last few years. It always impressed, offering plenty of thrills without breaking the bank. The 800 looks as though it’s following the same formula – though its seven-and-a- half grand price tag does put it in more direct competition with some top bikes from some of the biggest names in the game.
The beating heart of the Leoncino 800 is a 754cc, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, twin=cylinder engine – the same one that powers its 752S naked sportbike. It’s Euro 5 approved and offers a respectable (but not earth-shattering) 75bhp and 67Nm of torque. They’re similar numbers to the rest of the middleweight naked bikes currently in production… so far so good.
Elsewhere, there’s decent specification upside-down Marzocchi forks with 50mm tubes and 140mm of travel up front (which are rebound, compression and preload adjustable). At the rear there’s a swingarm with central monoshock (which allows you to adjust spring preload and rebound damping).
There’s even a Brembo braking system in the form of double 320mm diameter semi-floating discs gripped by four-piston radial-mount monoblock callipers up front, and a 260mm diameter disc gripped by a double-piston calliper at the rear. It might not be the best set up from the brake specialist, but Brembos are still Brembos, and there’s no doubt nice to have such refined equipment as standard.
It also gets 17-inch aluminium alloy tubeless spoked rims, with 120/70-17 and 180/55-17 tyres, and even better is the sizeable 15-litre fuel tank.
We’re going to be riding the Leoncino 800 in the coming weeks, so if you want to find out even more about the bike, be sure to pick up the next copy of MoreBikes, for free!
Tech spec & price
Benelli Leoncino 800 (2022)
Engine: 754cc liquid-cooled, in-line twin-cylinder, four-stroke
Power: 75bhp @ 8500rpm
Torque: 67Nm @ 6500rpm
Chassis: Trellis steel tubes
Suspension: (F) Upside-down Marzocchi fork with 50mm tubes, adjustable in rebound, compression and preload, 140mm travel. (R) Aluminium rear swing arm with central shock absorber spring preload and hydraulic rebound adjustable
Brakes: (F) Twin semi-floating disk 320mm, mono block radial calliper 4 pistons and ABS (R) Single disc 260mm with double piston and ABS
Wheels/Tyres: Aluminium alloy/ (F) 17in x MT3.50in (R) 17in x MT5.50in
Wet Weight: 222kg
Fuel capacity: 15 litres
Seat Height: 805mm
£7499+ OTR
Contact: www.benelli.co.uk
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