2020 Benelli TNT600 debuts in China

QJ Motor, Benelli’s parent company has revealed the SRK600 on its website. The previous model was sold under various names but we can confirm that it’ll be sold in India as Benelli TNT600, replacing the BS4-compliant model sometime later this year. The SRK600 is being made available in three variants in China - Standard, Medium and High.

The updates include a new chassis and bodywork. Aesthetically, it seems to be inspired by the Kawasaki Z900 especially the headlamp and even the green/gray colour scheme. But the good news lies under the skin for the spec sheet suggests that the weight has gone down by a massive 33kg and the wheelbase is shorter too by 20mm. The handling and agility was an issue on the previous-gen bike and the updates would solve a lot of problems for sure.

In terms of the engine, it now meets China IV regs which is equivalent to Euro5 or BS6 in India. The 600cc, inline-four motor continues in the same state of tune but owing to emission norms, the power has gone down by roughly 4bhp at 79bhp. The torque though is up by 0.4Nm and QJ suggests that the mid-range has been improved too. Thankfully, the TNT600 will also come with a lot of high-quality components including Brembo monoblocs (with dual-channel ABS), Marzocchi forks and KYB monoshock along with a slipper clutch. Last but not the least, there’s a full-blown 5-inch colour TFT alongside keyless ignition which will be a highlight of the package.

When we last spoke to Benelli, their plans didn’t include the launch of TNT600 this year and considering the pandemic situation it seems to be a distant dream for sure. However, considering that Benelli has no BS6 models on sale, the process could be expedited and we may vary well have the TNT600 soon plying on our roads for an ex-showroom price of roughly Rs 6.5 lakh.