2020 Benelli 302R uses a liquid-cooled twin-cylinder engine developing 35.3 PS of maximum power and 27 Nm of peak torque
The new Benelli 302R was teased recently in China and it has been now been launched for a price of CNY 32,800 (Rs. 3.51 lakh). The twin-cylinder motorcycle could become the first BS6-compliant Benelli motorcycle in India as it is expected to launch in the domestic market towards the end of this year. For China, there are no huge changes in the new Benelli 302R’s looks as compared to the outgoing model.
From the looks of it, the new motorcycle does not have any major changes, at least visually. It comes equipped with a front fairing, USD front forks, twin headlamps, clip-on handlebars, split seat setup and twin front disc brakes as they have been carried over from the outgoing version of the motorcycle.
As part of refreshing the package, new colour schemes like Red, White, Blue and Green are added. The red colour boasts a red frame while the blue and white colours gain green coloured frame and the green colour with a silver frame. The 2020 Benelli 302R measures 2,150 mm long, 745 mm wide, 1,145 mm tall along with a wheelbase of 1,410 mm.
It has ground clearance of 160 mm and seat height stands at 785 mm. If anything, the only major change comes in the form of an updated motor that is a cleaner version of the current motorcycle’s 300 cc parallel-twin, 8-valve, liquid-cooled engine. The updated motor should be clean enough to meet the Indian emission compliance.
For this, the company must have included some new components, which have led to an increase in weight. For reference, the outgoing version is already quite heavy, at 198 kg, for a motorcycle of its segment. The new model weighs 210 kg, which is a significant bump. The new model outputs a maximum power of 35.3 PS at 12,000 rpm and a peak torque of 27 Nm at 9,000 rpm. The updated motor is slightly less powerful.
It is said to do zero to 100 kmph in 6.8 seconds before reaching a top speed of 170 kmph. The Benelli 302R was launched in India back in 2018 and was quick to catch the attention of many bike aficionados due to its handsome looks and great exhaust note. However, its rather mediocre performance led to a fall in interest among buyers. It remains to be seen if the updated model would fare any better over here.
