Just like the Benelli Tornado Naked T, the Benelli Tornado 302 treads on one of motorcycling’s iconic names, replacing it with a budget-oriented model that has none of the pizazz of its namesake.
This is what Benelli has been reduced to as a motorcycle brand, and the reason why the West no longer takes Benelli seriously.
That all being said, if we beat our head against the wall long enough to forget the Benelli Tornado, in either its 900c or 1130cc variants, the Benelli Tornado 302 is a fetching small-displacement machine.
At its core is the same 300cc parallel-twin 36hp engine found in the Benelli BN302, but Benelli has built a bespoke chassis for the sport bike, which is certainly appealing to our senses.
The 300cc sport bike space is full of machines right now, many of which are not terribly enticing. It’s good to see Benelli bringing something to the table, a bike someone would actually want to see in their garage. Pricing and reliability remain to be seen, but our interest is piqued.
Source: Benelli
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