BENELLI TRK702X
With a distinctive look that is rather refreshing when sat alongside its competitors, the Benelli is clearly the left-field choice when it comes to midrange adventure bikes. Once astride the 836mm high seat – which, while having the lowest measurement, doesn’t actually feel the lowest thanks to its breadth – it appears to have a rather odd riding position that, after about half-anhour in the seat had me wondering if I’d be crying out for mercy within another 30 minutes, yet two hours later all was still fine. The reach to the bars is a little long, and the footpegs are surprisingly close to the seat, giving an almost race rep leg tuck, albeit with the pegs a little further forward than race bike rear sets. Naturally, this will suit some people more than others, but for my 5’ 10.5” and 32” inside leg frame, it seemed a little at sorts. The somewhat strange ergonomics are especially noticeable when swapping over to the Suzuki or Honda when, instantly, the riding position feels more comfortable. A quick check showed that the Benelli footpegs are a good two inches higher off the ground that the other two, and if you had short enough legs to make the peg/seat distance comfortable, then you’d not be able to reach the floor. However, after a day of about six hours’ riding (plus an hour sitting eating soup, and a couple of hours standing around during the static photographs), it was still comfortable, so it’s only really worth mentioning because it’s different, and not because it actually brings any discomfort. You’ll know if it suits your own dimensions better by actually trying one out for size.
On our test bike, the engine and gearbox both had the feeling of still being a little tight, with barely more than 100 miles under its belt when we took delivery, and it did feel a little freer during the test. Although it’s easy to say that the 693cc power plant is ‘just the old Kawasaki ER6 lump’, it’s actually a little more developed than that, and is rather smoother and more flexible than could perhaps be expected.
It’ll pull fourth gear from just over 20mph with no problem; will sit comfortably at more than legal
motorway speeds (handy to know for continental sojourns that could include autobahns); and it really sounds rather nice when spun up through the gears in an enthusiastic fashion. Talking of changing gears, the gear lever is bit of an odd shape and you tend to push on the bend in the lever rather than the tip.
But the gear lever, and the rear brake lever, are made of steel so will bend in an off-road whoopsie, rather than snap like cast aluminium components would (as an aside, all three of these bikes have steel foot controls).
The comprehensive three-piece luggage is permanently locked, which means that you’ll not accidentally leave it unlocked, but also that you can’t purposely leave it unlocked, so you have to take the keys out of the ignition each and every time you want to gain access (like having a camera for a quick snapshot, or your wallet to pay for fuel, or spare gloves for a quick swap, etc.).
It’s irritating, and would be even more so if you wanted to leave the bike ticking over and the grips staying heated, if, of course, it actually had heated grips. This is a minor gripe of mine that affects all three – adventure bikes, sold in the UK, without heated grips? Bah…
On the positive side, the screen is really good, despite the rather small size, and is certainly the best of the three here, and I’d go as far as to suggest that the Benelli offers the best weather protection overall and, furthering the TRK’s practicality, it also has a centre stand (the Japanese offerings don’t).
The digital TFT dash display is a tablet-sized 5” in size, with the ability to not only display the usual engine functions, rider modes, etc., but also can also be used to connect to your phone via Bluetooth and convert it to a phone-directed navigation system. The TRK’s technological spec is actually a little lower than the factory had first suggested when it announced the model a couple of years ago, and there was talk of it being fitted with a forward-facing camera – apparently, this has become commonplace in Chinese home-market vehicles for use after traffic collisions and subsequent insurance claims!
But perhaps the best thing about the 702 is the price, and I’ve left that to last for a reason. It’s just a smidge over seven grand and, impressively, that also includes the three-piece ‘Benelli by Givi’ aluminium luggage that would normally cost in the region of £1200. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a bargain.