VOL. 55 ISSUE 30 JULY 31, 2018 P97
and along PCH when filtering to the front of a
long line of cars at a stoplight, delivering enough
power to stay ahead of the bit-chomping traffic
as we made our way toward Malibu's twisties.
And what of those twisties? Turn-in was quick
enough to flick the bike through tightly curved
roads in Malibu. In contrast to other rides in the
segment, the small Benelli is the biggest, and
therefore heaviest among its rivals. The next
heaviest bike, the Ducati Scrambler Sixty-Two,
is 29 pounds lighter. Is that extra weight notice-
able? Barely. But if you're an average size Ameri-
can, you'll appreciate that little extra heft that
helps keeps the bike planted through corners.
The suspension is clearly set up for a larger
rider, as my 140-pound weight was just
beginning to compress the shock. I
felt most bumps and dips, but they
weren't punishing. The average
size rider (around 180-190 pounds)
would likely feel more comfy with
the 300's suspension setup.
Add the dual disc brakes,
which brought the 300 to a
stop without worry, and this
small displacement bike seems
like a decent option for those
on a budget.
So, Who is SSR?
SSR Motorsports was formed
in 2002, as a distributor of a
wide range of bikes built by
the Qianjiang (Q.J.) Group
from scooters to UTVs, and
nearly everything in between.
Their pit bikes range from
50cc to 170cc, with their
best seller being the SR125.
Scooters were added in
2006, with the Europa 50
SP, Mero 150, Pacifica 150,
Turino 150, and X6 150. They
have dirt bikes from as small
as 150cc (SR150) to as large
as 450cc (SR450S), and an
XF250 dual sport bike. Their
street bike lineup consists of
the 125cc Razkull and 250cc
Buccaneer, Buccaneer Cafe,
and Snake Eyes. Adding
Benelli to the family could
very well add some zest to
the SSR brand with the TNT
135, TNT 300 and TNT 600,
in addition to the Zafferano
250 and Caffanero 150
scooters.
William Li, president and
owner of SSR, is determined
to fight the reputation that
Chinese bikes are low quality.
"Our mission statement
for the company is to provide
quality products at an af-
fordable price with good
customer service," Li said.
"We are on track. I feel suc-
cessful, but still there is some
way to go, and there's a lot of
potential."
With expansion of the
dealership network to nearly
300 locations, and adding
a claimed 10 to 12 dealers
each month, the SSR brand
is gaining more footing
in the market. While the
Benelli lineup might not be
on the show floor of every
SSR dealership, each of
those dealers will have the
capability of ordering them
for customers. "We're testing
the waters," says Mel Harris,
VP of operations, speaking
to the new TNT 300 and
TNT 600. "We're not going
to equal the Yamaha R3
and Ninja 400 [sales] by any
means, but in all honesty, I
think we can compete with
[other motorcycle compa-
nies] small bikes."
Here's hoping that,
especially with the TNT 300,
Benelli can help make small
bikes sexy again.
