The Italian-designed and Chinese-owned Benelli Leoncino scrambler arrived in March and now the more off-road-oriented Trail variant will arrive in August.
Both are learner-approved and powered by a 496cc parallel-twin.
2018 Benelli Leoncino Scrambler and Leoncino TrailExtra for Trail
The Scrambler comes in at $8990 ride away, while the Trail will costs an extra $600, although the only differences are that the Trail has knobby tyres with spoked rims, running a larger 19″ front wheel.
While the prices are competitive, they are undercut by fellow-Italian brand SWM which is also Chinese owned. Their Silver Vase scrambler and Gran Turismo naked is $7490.
Leoncino TrailBoth will be available in red, silver or black and come with a 24-month factory warranty and 24-month Customer Care Program.
You can see both bikes presented in this video.
Both bikes were designed by Pesaro studio CentroStile Benelli in 2015, paying tribute to the original 1955 125cc Leoncino, including a trellis frame and the Lion of Pesaro on the front fender.
Despite their heritage, the bikes have some modern touches such as full LED lighting and
Pesaro engine
Benelli was established in 1911 but is now owned by Chinese company Group Qianjiang.
Like most of their fleet, this model is designed and assembled in Italy with some Chinese components. However, they say the engine is made in Pesaro.
The fuel-injected engine has 35kW of power at 8500 revs and maximum torque of 45Nm at 4500rpm, a double overhead camshaft timing system and four valves per cylinder.
It is married to a six-speed gearbox with a hydraulic clutch.
The suspension on both bikes features upside-down 50mm forks and a laterally mounted shock absorber.
Brakes are 320mm twin discs up front with four-piston brake calipers and a 260mm disc on the rear and a double piston caliper with Bosch ABS.
The bikes feature a 815mm seat height which is higher than the Ducati Scrambler which, at 790mm, is one of the lowest of the modern-day scramblers.
