Benelli 302R: Long Term Report

I was itching to take the Benelli 302R for a long ride. With the service done, I could now finally hear her on full chatter. Goa was the destination. Having done a Mumbai-Goa ride on my RC 200, I was confident this will be super easy. Especially when I don’t have to deal with the 302R’s heavy clutch. I started out late evening from Pune, and in the next three hours, we were having a scrumptious meal at the Harley-Davidson café in Kolhapur.

While the city commutes were cumbersome because of the heat and the heavy clutch, she’s just fine on the highways. By midnight, I was at the Amboli Ghat, with barely any vehicles plying on the road, and I found the headlights disappointing. Though the headlight spread is good, the intensity is not. Eight hours on the saddle with just one break, surprisingly I didn’t end up with a sore butt. While heading back, we took the beautiful Chorla Ghat and boy she’s fun on the ghats as well (courtesy the Metzelers). Oh yeah, and the exhaust? It’s a blast on full chatter! Next up on the list is a ride on the lap of Mutha with the chaps from office.