After a series of many revelations and speculations about the launch date of the Benelli 302, now it seems like the Indian arm of Italian two-wheeler company DSK Benelli is all set to introduce its all new sports bike, the Tornado 302R in the Indian motorcycle market on July 25 (Tuesday), 2017. The company will launch the fully-faired sibling of TNT 300, the Benelli Tornado 302R in the country by July 25 this year. The company has also started accepting bookings for the new Benelli 302R against a down-payment of Rs 25,000 across its 25 authorised dealerships in the country. It was earlier reported that DSK Benelli had necessary clearance from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) but the launch has been delayed due to various reasons. Now the company has confirmed the launch date.
Design wise, the elegant and muscular Benelli Tornado 302R is based on a traditional Steel Trellis frame chassis that makes the motorcycle weigh less than its naked sibling, the TNT 300. The Benelli 302R borrows its styling and design from the TNT 300, especially at the rear section. The Benelli 302R comes equipped with a full fairing body and split headlamp setup, a beefy fuel tank (14-litre), 17-inch alloy wheels, LED tail lamp with clear lens turn blinkers.
Taking about its mechanical department, the fully faired Benelli Tornado 302R is powered by a liquid cooled, 300 cc in-line twin-cylinder, BS-IV compliant 4-stroke engine that develops 36 bhp of peak power at 12000 rpm and 27 Nm of maximum torque at 9000 rpm. The engine comes mated to 6-speed transmission that sends power to the rear wheel.
In terms of safety, Benelli Tornado 302R comes with ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) technology as standard in India. Other safely and comfortable features include 41mm upside down forks at front, rear mono suspension, dual front 260mm floating discs with a four-piston caliper brake and a single rear 240mm disc with a single piston caliper brake. Dimensionally, the fully faired Benelli 302R measures 2,175mm in length, 746mm in width, 1,146mm in height, and weighs 180kg (16kg lighter that TNT 300 –196 kg)
The Tornado 302R is expected to be launched in India with a price tag of close to Rs. 3.5 lakh (thanks to its local manufacturing) (ex-showroom) and will be made available in four body colour options – Red with White, Red with Black, Green and Silver. Once launched in the Indian lucrative market, the Benelli Tornado 302R will compete against the Yamaha YZF-R3, Kawasaki Ninja 300 and the KTM RC390 in its segment.
