VOL. 52 ISSUE 15 APRIL 14, 2015 P109
the Benelli is now fully on a level
with anything made in Europe.
I guess that, just as with Japan
50 years ago—a nation which
originally traded exclusively on
price—has now learned that ex-
port customers prize affordable
quality above all else. Judging
by how well-made the BN302 I
rode was, QJ has got the mes-
sage and acted on it.
CHOP IT IN HALF
This 300cc motorcycle's liquid-
cooled eight-valve parallel-twin
engine essentially consists
of the BN600R's inline four-
cylinder motor sliced in half. The
short, compact design running
a 12:1 compression ratio sees
the double overhead camshafts
chain-driven up the left side of
the engine, with the six-speed
transmission's oil-bath clutch
mounted tightly in, and the
cylinders inclined forward by 20
degrees, mounted on a robust
crankcase. Fitted with a lambda
probe oxygen sensor to optimize
the fueling that's controlled by the
American-made Delphi ECU, and
a single injector for each of the
(Above) Cantilever rear shock is
easily reached for preload and
rebound but no compression
damping adjustment.
(Left) The classic Benelli racing
green is back on the BN302 and
looks the business.
A MODERN HISTORY OF
B E N E L L I
After purchasing Benelli in
December 2005, QJ's ambitious
plans to relaunch the Italian brand
stalled in the face of uncertainty
caused by the global economic
downturn, which put a brake on
the introduction of new models
from Benelli QJ, as the firm is
now officially known. But the
commercial success of Benelli's
first all-new model under Chinese
ownership, the BN600R Naked
roadster introduced two years
ago as the first four-cylinder mo-
torcycle ever made in China, has
encouraged QJ's management to
start production of a slew of new
models bearing the Benelli name
that first made their debut at
the 2013 EICMA Milan Show, of
which the BN302 is the first.
Their debut in showrooms around
the world has partly been caused
by the on-going slump in the
Chinese home market, caused
by the ban on any non-electric
motorcycle being ridden in all but
one of China's 167 largest cities,
coupled with increased prosper-
ity making purchase of a small
car more affordable. QJ claims
its workforce of 14,000 employ-
ees produces 1.2 million motor-
cycles and scooters annually in
its modern and well-equipped
factory at Wenling, 300 miles
south of Shanghai, but like many
of its Chinese rivals the softening
home market has caused QJ to
pay increased attention to export
sales, an area where some of
them are struggling to com-
pete against the single-cylinder
products of Indian manufacturers,
which are more closely focused
on quality than their Chinese
rivals, while still sharply priced.
