QJ Motor Race 500, Chase 700, and Benelli 302R

BENELLI’S PARENT COMPANY, CHINA-BASED QJ MOTOR, HAS REVEALED a sporty 500-cc motorcycle that could shake up the entry-level sport bike scene if brought to India under the Benelli banner. The bike is called the Race 500 and, while not much is known at this time, we believe it to be powered by the 500-cc parallel twin from the Leoncino 500. This motor makes 47.5 hp and 46 Nm of torque and is mated to a six-speed gearbox. Expect extremely competitive pricing if Benelli do decide to bring this bike to India.

QJ Motor recently revealed another machine that could be very relevant to our market in the form of the Chase 700. This middleweight naked is powered by a 693-cc, liquid-cooled parallel twin that pumps out 76 horses and 68.2 Nm of peak torque. If brought to India as a Benelli, this bike would go up against the Kawasaki Z650 and the Triumph Trident 660.

Benelli recently unveiled their 2021 302R and this entry-level sport bike sees a major overhaul for this model year. New bodywork is much slimmer, the twin headlamps have been replaced by vertically stacked projector units, and the dash is now a full-colour TFT screen. This 2021 overhaul sees the 302R shed 16 kilograms, now tipping the scales at 182 kg, which should help the BS6-compliant engine cope well. Peak figures stand at 35 hp and 27 Nm, which is 3.5 hp and 0.5 Nm less than the BS4 motor. We expect the new Benelli 302R to be launched in India later this year.

Watch this space for more.