Benelli’s TRK 502, has been around for quite a while, and the Italian-Chinese bike maker finally decided to make a few changes. Well, here is the Benelli TRK 552, with some improvements over its predecessor, to keep it relevant against rivals like the Royal Enfield Himalayan, the KTM 390 Adventure and to some extent, the Honda NX500.
The changes begin with a new headlamp setup, and these are LED units. In fact, the TRK 552 receives LED illumination all around. Then you have a larger windscreen, a slightly sharper beak, and wider fairings. In terms of equipment, it gets a new color TFT cluster with adjustable display modes, smartphone connectivity, heated grips, hand-guards, a backlit switchgear, and a USB port. While it does receive a tyre pressure monitoring system, there are no ride modes or traction control to speak of, which is surprising, considering its rivals come equipped with those. However, dual-channel ABS is offered as standard.
The Benelli TRK 552 gets a new 552 cc parallel-twin engine with a 270-degree crank, producing 60 bhp at 8,500 rpm and 5.6 kgm of torque at 6,000 rpm. While this does make it more powerful than the rest of its competitors, we believe the TRK 552 may feature a slightly altered tune once it is launched here, due to the latest emission norms.
Hardware? Well, the frame is suspended on Marzocchi USD forks and a monoshock, both adjustable. The TRK 552 makes use of a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel setup, with tubeless-spoke rims, which again is a step up from the Himalayan. 320 mm petal twin discs at the front and a 260 mm disc at the rear, coupled with callipers from J.Juan have been deployed to bring this adventure-tourer to a halt.
The Benelli TRK 552 is also likely to command a premium over the outgoing 502, which currently costs Rs 5.84 lakh (ex-showroom). We’ll know better in the coming months.
