Benelli

Benelli Tornado 402R spotted in patent

A new patent from Benelli's Chinese owners Qianjiang has revealed what appears to be a Tornado 402R using the company's latest twin-cylinder engine design.
At the moment, Benelli's European range is sadly lacking in Tornado-badged sports bikes, even though there are plans in place for a new Tornado 550 twin and 650 four-cylinder in the future. However, some markets, including China, get the Tornado 302R sports bike, which was given a fresh design last year.

This new bike, which is codenamed 'QJ400GS-16A', has a larger 399 cc twin that was also recently the subject of a patent filing. The engine, going by the code QJ270MQ (the '270' means two cylinders with a 70mm bore), is virtually identical to Kawasaki's Ninja 400 and Z400 twin.
In terms of performance, the QJ270MW is good for 33 kW (45 hp), which is on a par with the Kawasaki that it takes inspiration from, and is bolted to a steel tube frame in the new Benelli Tornado 402R. A single-sided swingarm at the back gives the bike a surprisingly high-end appearance, but while there are upside-down forks at the front the lack of radial-mount brake calipers is an unusual omission.

The new bike's styling is clearly related to the smaller 302R, sharing a similar headlight design and LED strip side lights. The mirrors are direct carry-overs from the 302R, but all the body panels are different, and the overall look is more sophisticated than the smaller bike.
In China there's an increasingly hard-fought battle for the 400 cc sports bike market, with contenders from a growing number of companies. Benelli's sister brand QJMotor has already launched its machine in the class - the 400RR - but while it has a similar single-sided swingarm to the one seen here, it's otherwise a totally different bike.
The engine in the QJMotor machine is an older design, derived from the company's own 350 cc twin, and there are differences to the frame, suspension and brakes - for instance, the QJMotor 400RR has twin front discs. The QJMotor's styling is also unlike the Benelli model seen in this patent, with twin headlights mounted side-by-side in a style that's more Ducati-esque.
We'll have to wait for an official launch to discover whether Benelli plans to sell the 402R globally, but in 2020 the company announced plans to offer twin-cylinder bikes in 400 cc, 700 cc and 900 cc categories, as well as 900 cc and 1200 cc triples and 650 cc and 1000 cc fours.