BENELLI LEONCINO 500 (2018 - on) Review

Benelli’s current range of small to mid-capacity Chinese-made nakeds, adventure bikes and scramblers are a far cry from the fire-breathing superbikes and super nakeds of the early noughties, but the Benelli Leoncino is still a true member of the family.

Ok, so the Italian firm has now shifted its focus to produce more affordable, modest everyday machines, but that’s no bad thing. They’re now a heck more affordable and after a day spent riding the new Leoncino on the country roads and towns near Benelli’s factory in Pesaro, Italy, (just down the road from Valentino Rossi’s house) we’re pleased to report isn’t half bad, either.

The funky roadster is stylish, well built, easy to ride, fun, charming, characterful and refreshingly different. Of course, it’s built down to a price, but there’s no signs of cost cutting despite a price tag that puts its Japanese and European competition in the shade.

Benellis have always been about carving corners and terrorising racetracks. The Leoncino was never conceived to be a sportsbike and it’s not what you’d call razor sharp, but it doesn’t throw a hissy fit when you show it a bend.

During development the Benelli was tested on the same Panoramica coast road, near the factory, that spawned the Tornado and Tre K. It’s also the same playground used to develop Bimotas (based down the road in Rimini) back in the day.

The chunky forks are overkill

Steering is light and accurate, there’s ample ground clearance, lots grip from the Pirelli Angel GT sports touring tyres and strong stopping power from the twin radial caliper disc set up (and insanely big 260mm rear disc).

Benelli has fitted huge 50mm diameter forks, which are usually the preserve of Italian superbikes. They’re overkill on a simple roadster like this, but they’re softy sprung and damped to give you feel and confidence, at any speed.

The Leoncino (Italian for lion cub) is powered by a zesty 47bhp, fuel injected 499.6cc parallel twin cylinder motor with a deep, throbby, chocolatey soundtrack.

There's a chocolatey soundtrack

Acceleration is never going to separate arms from sockets, but there’s a surprising amount of power to keep even the experienced interested and lots of low down grunt. A smooth throttle, light controls and a slick six-speed gearbox also makes town riding a breeze.

It’s not completely Italian. The Benelli Leoncino is made in China before being shipped to Benelli, in Italy, for quality control and then distributed around the world. If our Leoncino test bike is anything to go by you shouldn’t have any worries about how it’s screwed together. A two year parts and labour warranty also helps sweeten the deal.

It might not have the cheeky performance of its closest ‘modern retro’ rival: the Yamaha XSR700, but it’s still fast, fun and a wallet-friendly £1800 cheaper.

Machines in this price range normally wear rear shocks that look like they cost a fiver, but the Leoncino is different. Just like a top end tourer or adventure bike the shock wears a remote preload adjuster, making it a doddle to dial in.

The Benelli is refreshingly simple

It might not have electronic rider aids and multiple power maps, but that’s ok by us. The Benelli is refreshingly simple with switchgear buttons that start and stop it, dip the lights, blast the horn and operate the indicators…and that’s it. Perfect.

The paint finishes are deep, plastics are modern and all the little details are taken care of, like neat wiring and mirrors that don’t vibrate and swing in the wind.

Dodgy front mudguard-mounted ‘Lion of Pesaro’ badge aside, the Benelli is full of snazzy detailed touches for the price, including Pirellis, radial brakes, ‘fat’ bars, ABS, LED lights, an LCD dash and remote rear preload adjuster.

Even current superbikes don’t have forks as chunky as the Leoncino’s. The ultra-rigid 50mm outer tubes, which give superb braking stability are something you’d normally see on exotic noughties MV Agustas, Bimotas…and Benellis.