Benelli TRK 800 Adventure Bike Surprises at EICMA

In my EICMA preview article, for our A&R Pro subscribers, I wrote that the Chinese continue to impress each year with their two-wheel offerings, and that one would do well to watch what Benelli brings to the Italian trade show, as the Chinese-owned brand has a habit of bringing intriguing machines each year. I was not wrong.

There has been no shortage of middleweight adventure bikes debuting at EICMA (and before), but it is the Benelli TRK 800 that caught me the most off-guard.

Riffing on the Benelli TRK 502 that debuted in 2015, the Benelli TRK 800 is a middleweight ADV that features a 19″ front wheel, and plenty of bang for its buck.

Powered by a 754cc parallel-twin, the 2022 Benelli TRK 800 makes a reasonable 76 hp (56 kW), with 48 lbs•ft (67 Nm) of torque on tap at 6,500 rpm. The dry weight is rated at 498 lbs (226 kg).

This makes the Benelli TRK 800 a bit underpowered, and a bit overweight, to be a hardline competitor to more mature 800cc European and Japanese models, but it makes strong offerings with its looks and presumably affordable price tag.

There is a six-speed gearbox, that is mated to a slipper clutch. The chassis is a steel trellis design, with fully adjustable Marzocchi front forks, and a rear shock with preload and rebound adjustability. There is roughly 170mm of suspension travel, fore and aft.

Braking is done by Brembo four-piston calipers at the front, with dual 320 discs. And the lighting is a full LED system, with a prominent DRL on the face of the bike.

The center stand comes as a standard item, and the fuel tank boasts a 5.5 gallon (21 liter) capacity. That should get you pretty far down the road, and in case you get bored while doing so, there is a 7″ TFT dash to stare at.

Pricing isn’t quoted yet, but it will be very affordable by European standards. Availability in Europe will be in the second-half of 2022.

All said and done, the value from the 2022 Benelli TRK 800 is rather impressive. As I said before, keep an eye on the Chinese brands, they are getting better with each year. Keep an eye on Benelli, in particular.