BENELLI TRE K 1130 (2006-on) Review

The Trek is a bit like marmite you'll either love it or hate it. Me? I love mine. The engine is a thing of joy, the exhaust sounds fabulous. Ok it sounds like a bag on nails when it starts but that means little once you are on the move. For me the Trek is comfortable and I can easily do 3 or 4 hours with out getting that numb bum feeling. The suspension copes with most that I have chucked at it. The chain is a doodle to adjust. Due to the design of the adjuster there is no need to check alignment after adjustment. Its a tall bike and I had to have mine lowered this didnt upset the handling at all. It is not all positive. As many have commented some of the finish leave a lot to be desired. The sub frame is shedding its paint (but then so did my Guzzi 750 Breva) The mirror stems are rust magnets. Getting spares can be slow but this seems to be getting a little better. Benellis in general need to be service by knowledgeable mechanics and there aren't many of those around. When I first got my bike I had some fuelling problems, which needed a new TPS and remap. One of the rear indicators broke off which was sorted under warranty. I had problems with the speedo which was traced to a terminal in a connector not being correctly inserted. But since then I have experienced no further reliability issues. The bike starts first time all the time (even when left for 2 weeks when I forgot to put it on the battery tender). The screen and fairing are adequate. There is bog all storage under the seat. Finding neutral can be a pain sometimes when stopped. My Trek has the drinking habits of Father Jack, averaging between 33 and 37 MPG. If you are thinks of getting one make sure you get a fairly long test ride. 20 minutes will not enough.

This for me was at the time the greatest bike ,i loved every minute of riding it while it was actually on the road .For all its faults i still love it ,the looks ,the engine performance ,the handling etc all great .The downsides for me have been its reliability and quality of finish and the fact that the manufacture was well aware of other potential defects waiting to happen .Due to the amount of repeated failures i have had and the the time it has been off the road that is why i have scored it as i have . That said the finish on the latest ones has improved a lot and the front suspension has been fixed .Due to the faults ,that are not suffered by all i must add the value of the bike has been badly de valued .The package to me was the best compromise between sports bike and tourer and it looks superb .The bike has bags of engine character and a sound that is so addictive .I have yet to find another bike that i love so much yet really hate it at the same time .I have called mine the ex wife as like her it will have to go in the end .Spare parts for repairs are long winded in there arrival a lot of the time .The only pice of advice i will give is if you buy one make sure you get it from a dealer who actually knows what he is talking about .Service and history are paramount .I now buy with the head and would not buy another .

this is very nearly a perfect all rounder its defo the best compromise between sport and tourer in my opinion .my face allways has a big smile when i take the trek out .if i was to complain the only item at fault really has been the finish on the mirror stems and paint peeling on the rear sub frame and peg hangers but this should be getting done under warranty i hope .I might add that usually we all nearly want to change loads of parts on our machines but this bike the only thing i had improved was the seat and lowered the bike an 1" as its a bit tall.

Just a brilliant motorcycle. If you're after a Tiger or similar all rounder make sure you try the TreK...you won't be sorry.

really pleased with the trek, it does everything. i have just done a tour in france it didn`t miss a beat even after two days of rain. fuel consumption is an issue but i am waiting for a new fuel map from benelli who say i should see another 15 miles a gallon?