Stylish and Well-Equipped
At EICMA, Benelli decided to unveil the Leoncino 800. It takes what the company has done with its 500s and brought it to a larger machine. Benelli will make a regular and a Trail version of the model and both are good looking bikes. The Leoncino doesn’t rewrite any of the rules, but it brings another good middleweight option to the field.
The bike features a 754cc parallel-twin engine that makes about 82 hp and 49 lb-ft of torque. The bike offers up a trellis frame, adjustable Marzocchi USD front fork, and adjustable rear shock. The Leoncino 800 also gets Brembo brakes and ABS is standard on both models.
The Trail version gets some larger wheels, a higher swept exhaust, and about a half-inch more of suspension travel. The motorcycle weighs 485 pounds (Trail weighs 9 pounds more). The bike will likely compete with other retro-scrambler styled motorcycles like Ducati’s Scrambler. It’ll be interesting to see where Benelli sets the price.
At the moment the company didn’t release any pricing or availability information. I don’t expect this bike to come to the U.S., but I would sure like to see it do so. It’s a handsome machine and I’m always up for bike motorcycles like this.
