Benelli TRK800
By Ben Purvis
Benelli has been quietly bolstering its range over the last few years, but the company's new TRK800 is without doubt the most significant machine it has launched since Chinese company Qianjiang took ownership back in 2005.
There's been little secret that the TRK800 was under development, and it's not a revolutionary bike by any means. The chassis and 754 cc parallel twin engine are existing units, used by the likes of the Leonicino 800 and, in China, the QJMotor SRT750. In fact, the QJMotor machine is extremely similar, sharing much of the TRK800's styling including the lights and turn signals, and of course the bikes will all be made in Qianjiang's Chinese factory.
The importance of the TRK800 stems largely from the fact that Benelli's smaller adventure bike, the TRK502, has been the best-selling motorcycle in Italy in 2021, outstripping all rivals including BMW's R1250GS. That means the TRK800 has a springboard to make a similar impact on the market, and if Benelli can expand its dealer network and brand recognition further afield, it could start rising in the charts outside Italy as well.
It won't be making too much impact on the 2022 sales charts, since Benelli says the bike won't be available until the second half of the year, and as such the final specifications have yet to be confirmed. Power is rated at 76 hp, with 49 lb-ft of torque, which means the bike will be up against the likes of Yamaha's Ténéré 700 and more road-oriented adventure models including the (updated for 2022) Kawasaki Versys 650. The suspension comes from Marzocchi, with full adjustment for compression, rebound and preload at the front, and rebound and preload at the back, while the brakes are from Brembo. A large, 7" TFT dash means the TRK800 matches or beats its rivals in terms of rider amenities.
