VOL. 55 ISSUE 33 AUGUST 21, 2018 P109
Substantial and
spacious, the
Benelli TRK 502X
offers real-world
rideability and has
genuine off-road
potential along
dirt roads and
hillside tracks.
its tarmac sister, resulting in a more
spacious riding position without
making you feel you're perched
on the Benelli—you still feel you're
sitting in it rather than on it. The
standard screen was ideal for my
5'10" stature, with no helmet buffet-
ing at speed.
According to Michelotti, Benelli
QJ has retained the same self-made
50mm fork as on the original TRK
502, now with slightly softer springs
and reduced compression damp-
ing in pursuit of more compliant
off-road use. It felt well damped,
with good feedback from the front
Metzeler, and no chatter even over
some of the broken-road surfaces
I encountered, and despite the
19-inch front wheel now fitted, the
steering didn't feel much slower,
just light and predictable. At the
rear, the twin-tube swingarm oper-
ates a rear monoshock via a vari-
able link generating 6.8 inches of
wheel travel on the X-bike (versus
5.9 inches on the TRK 502). It's
adjustable for spring preload via a
C-spanner, and for rebound damp-
ing via a 40-click adjuster ring at
the base of the shock. This was
far more compliant on the X-bike I
rode than the one in the TRK 502 I
sampled a year ago, both on-road
and off, but ride quality on road was
much better, with no sign of it skip-
ping and chattering over poor road
surfaces like before. And off-road,
the suspension was almost plush,
with the Tourance rubber hook-
ing up well on dirt roads. The rear
suspension compliance in soaking
up road rash and delivering traction
off-road helps deliver the reassuring
sense of togetherness I got from
riding this bike.
The TRK 502X's twin 320mm
floating QJ front discs are gripped
