It’s been a three-year wait but the Leoncino 800 and 800 Trail will finally arrive next year to beef up the small range from the Italian/Chinese company.
They are powered by a 754cc liquid-cooled twin with 60kW of power and 67Nm of torque which is a step up from the 35kW Leoncino 500.
TrailHowever, they are porky little lions with the Leoncino 800 tipping the scales at 220kg and the Trail 4kg heavier.
Benelli Australia says the Leoncino will be available at all Benelli dealers starting from mid-2020 with the Trail to follow.
There is no word yet on price, but the Lencino 500 is $A7990 and the Trail is $A8690.
Leonicino 800 features
Leoncino 800Features include an LED lighting with the Leoncino lion logo in the centre of the headlight and a matching lion statue on the front mudguard.
It sits on Marzocchi 50mm upside-down forks adjustable for rebound, compression and preload with a rear mono shock adjustable for preload and rebound.
They have a 15-litre tank and Brembo braes with twin 320mm discs up front.
The Leonicino 800 sits on 17” aluminium alloy tubeless spoked rims mount 120/70-17 and 180/55-17 tyres.
Trail has knobby Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres, 120/70 19” in the front and 170/60 17” in the rear. It also comes with full-colour TFT instruments.
Benelli is an Italian company that started in Pesaro in 1911. It was bought by Chinese company Qianjiang in 2005. Bikes are designed in Italy, but made in China and are consequently budget priced.