Benelli Imperiale 400 Rivals: What Else Can You Buy

The Imperiale 400 rivals directly against the RE 350 range of motorcycles and the recently introduced Jawa 300 and the Jawa 42

Royal Enfield dominated the retro classic segment of India until Jawa stepped into the scene last year. Jawa launched a total of two new bikes in 2018 that gave some tough competition to Royal Enfield. Recently Benelli introduced their first retro-styled motorcycle the Imperiale 400. The Imperiale 400 is the least expensive motorcycle launched by Benelli in India.

The lower price tag was achieved due to heavy localization that itself is a huge achievement for the Chinese owned Italian two-wheeler manufacturer. The Benelli Imperiale 400 is priced at Rs 1.69 Lakh (ex-showroom) and here are the few other motorcycles that you can buy with that money

1. Royal Enfield Classic 350

The most popular offering in the Royal Enfield range is the Classic 350. The Classic 350 uses a single downtube frame while the Imperiale 400 uses a double-cradle frame. The Imperiale 400 relies on a 37mm telescopic forks at the front and twin shock absorbers at the rear while the Imperiale 400 depends on a 41 mm telescopic fork at the front and a twin shock absorbers at the rear.

The anchorage duties of the Imperiale 400 are handled by a 300 mm single disc brake at the front while the RE Classic 350 uses a 280 mm front disc brake. Both the motorcycles use a 240mm disc brake at the rear. A dual-channel ABS is offered as standard with both the motorcycles.

Powering the Imperiale 400 is a 374cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, fuel-injected engine that produces about 21 bhp of peak power and 29 Nm of peak torque. The Classic 350 on the other hand, is powered by a 346cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, Carbureted engine.

The unit produces about 19.8 Bhp of peak power and 28 Nm of peak torque which is comparatively lower than the Imperiale 400. The Classic 350 engine is paired with a five-speed gearbox whereas the Imperiale 400 374cc unit is coupled with a six-speed unit.

2. Royal Enfield Bullet 350

The Royal Enfield Standard 350 too uses the same single downtube frame and shares the same 346cc, single-cylinder air-cooled unit with the Classic 350. The unit coupled with a five-speed gearbox produces 19.8 bhp of peak power and 28 Nm of peak torque. The RE Standard 350 has a kerb weight of 185 kilograms while its rival weighs about 205 kilograms. The Bullet 350 shares the same braking and suspension setup with the Classic 350.

3. Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350

The RE Thunderbird 350 is the true blue cruiser in the RE lineup. The Thunderbird also shares the same single downtube frame with the Classic 350. What sets the Thunderbird 350 cruiser apart from the rest of its rivals out there is the fact that it gets some modern touches in the form of a projector headlamp setup and semi-digital instrument cluster which are not present in its rival.

The Thunderbird too uses the same 346cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine coupled with a five-speed gearbox that produces about 19.8 bhp of peak power and 28 Nm of peak torque which is comparatively lower than the Imperiale 400.

The Thunderbird too uses the same 37mm telescopic forks at the front and a twin sided suspension setup at the rear while the Imperiale 400 uses a fatter 41 mm telescopic unit at the front and twin-sided setup at the rear. The Thunderbird 350 uses the same 280 mm brake at the front and 240 mm disc at the rear. Both the motorcycles get a dual-channel ABS as standard.

 4. Jawa 300

Both the Jawa 300 and the Benelli Imperiale 400 uses a double-cradle frame, however, the Jawa 300 has a kerb weight of 170 kilograms which makes it almost 35 kilograms lighter than its rival the Imperiale 400. The Jawa 300 is powered by a 293cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine.

The unit paired with a six-speed gearbox produces about 27 Bhp of peak power and 28 Nm of peak torque compared to Benelli Imperiale 400 21 hp and 29 Nm of peak torque. The Jawa definitely produces more power than the Imperiale 400 and also has a lighter kerb weight.

Both the Jawa 300 and the Imperiale 400 uses a telescopic suspension setup at the front and a twin shock absorbers at the rear. However, compared to the Jawa 300 the Imperiale 400 uses slightly fatter 41 mm front forks. The braking duties of both the motorcycles are handled by disc brakes on both ends. A dual-channel ABS is also offered on both the motorcycles for the safety of the rider.

5. Jawa 42

The Jawa 42 and the Jawa 300 share the same double-cradle frame, suspension setup, and the brakes. The Jawa 42 also has a kerb weight of 170 kilograms and even shares the same 293cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine with the Jawa 300. The unit produces the same 27 bhp of peak power and 28 Nm of peak torque and is paired with a six-speed gearbox.