500cc Benelli Sportbike with Leoncino Twin-Cyl Engine Spied? - EXCLUSIVE

Benelli’s sister brand, QJMotor, has been playing at the front foot for quite a while now. The company has come up with several interesting products for the Chinese market within a short period. It was just last week when QJMotor’s 250cc fully-faired motorcycle was leaked. And now, a new spy shot of the brand’s alleged 500cc sportbike has surfaced on the internet.

We can see in the spy image that the motorcycle is wearing no camouflage whatsoever and looks production-ready. It features a twin headlamp setup that’s likely to be full-LED. Although not visible in the picture, there could be integrated LED DRLs as well. The fairing looks neatly done with minimal sharp lines and carry a prominent QJMotor logo. The rearview mirrors are mounted on the fairing, however, they don’t get integrated turn signals. The indicators are located on the side of the fairing.

ArrayAlso Read: Could this be Benelli’s Answer to Suzuki Gixxer SF 250?

Going by the spy shot, it appears that the motorcycle would have a low seat height that would be beneficial for shorter riders. The seating arrangement here is split-type. We don’t see any grab rail for the pillion. It could be an integrated part of the rear cowl. What we can see is the stylish tail tidy and compact exhaust. As for the equipment, this sportbike is fitted with a pair of USD forks at the front and a monoshock at the rear for handling the suspension duties. For the brakes, there’s are twin rotors up-front and a single at the back.

Now, coming to the engine. It’s being said that this sportbike would be powered by a 500cc twin-cylinder motor. While the output figures are unknown at the moment, they are likely to be similar to those of the Benelli Leoncino 500. The 8-valve mill of the Leoncino 500 makes 47.5 PS at 8500 rpm and 46 Nm at 6000 rpm.

Speculations say that this 500cc sportbike is likely to be called the QJMotor Race 500. It is expected to be launched in the Chinese market first and, perhaps, would reach other countries later. Benelli already has the Leoncino 500 on sale here in India and we would like the Race 500 to come to our country with a different name under Benelli’s umbrella and, probably, create a stir in the market. Wouldn’t you?

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