VOL. 55 ISSUE 30 JULY 31, 2018 P93
T
he Benelli name has been associated with
motorcycles since 1911, making it the
oldest motorcycle company in Italy. Founded
by the Benelli family in Pesaro, Italy, six brothers
repaired and manufactured motorcycle and bicycle
parts. From their first engine, a single-tcylinder 75cc
two-stroke released in 1919, to the more recent 1131cc
TNT R, Benelli has changed hands from the original
family to Alejandro de Tomaso and Moto Guzzi to
Andrea Merloni to the more recent Qianjiang Group.
Chinese owned
with an Italian
heart, the
Benelli brand is
back and making
waves once again.
We rode the new
TNT 300 and
600—are these
waves worth
catching?
Benelli is claimed to be one of the fastest selling premium motorcycle brands
in India, and they are determined to make a comeback in the United States, with
the recent release of the TNT 135, and now the TNT 300 and TNT 600.
The Tornado Tre 900 ("tre" supposedly short for trellis, in reference to the trel-
lis frame) was first released in 2002, and its roadster version, the TNT (Tornado
Naked Tre) followed a few years after. While India has been enjoying the TNT
300 and TNT 600 for the past couple of years, we finally get to see them here
in the States. With the motorcycle industry struggling to bring new riders into the
fold, affordability and approachability are two big factors when luring new riders
to buy new bikes. So how do these small and middleweight bikes ride? We took
a tour of the Hollywood hills, Pacific Coast, and Malibu canyons to find out.
BY JULIA LAPALME
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SSR/BENELLI, HAL WANG
Motorcycles
MULTINATIONAL
