DSK MotoWheels to bring Benelli to India

Benelli, like MV Augusta and Ducati, is an Italian manufacturer of beautiful and some times exotic motorcycles. And like the latter two, its range isn't exactly cost effective. But Benelli, like most other big bike makers from across the world are bullish about the Indian market. After having eyed the Indian market for a while and the recent successes of brands like Harley and Triumph, the Italian bike maker is now ready to take the plunge.

And holding Benelli's hands for this Indian foray is DSK MotoWheels. Now, DSK has a fair presence in the Indian big bike market already; the company assembles and sells Hyosung range of motorcycles in India and quite successfully at that. It is this knowledge and DSK's ability to produce motorcycles at more competitive prices compared to Benelli that should hold the Italian marque in good stead in our market.

Though there's no official confirmation but DSK-Benelli is expected to bring in five models into India. These motorcycles will have engine capacities ranging from 300cc to  nearly 1200cc. As we mentioned earlier, the idea with this venture is to make Benelli motorcycles more accessible to the Indian biking enthusiast and in line with this, expect the motorcycles to be assembled here rather than coming in as fully built units or imports.

The most affordable in the range will be the BN302. It is powered by a 300cc inline twin mated to a 6-speed gearbox. With its naked styling and a kerb weight of 185kg, it should make for a friendly motorcycle for both city and highway use. Next up will be the BN600 twins. The naked - called the R - will be more for fast, short rides and of course taking on a hill climb, while the 600GT with its half fairing should make for a good motorcycle to tour on. The BN 600 twins come with 4 cylinder, inline 600cc engines making them the first 600cc motorcycle in India to use this configuration. The GT, the heavier of the two, weighs in at 223kg and comes with a 27 litre fuel tank for long range riding.

Also on cards is the hooligan TNT 899. It gets a 3 cylinder engine, weighs 205kg and put out a max power of around 120PS. It will sit between the Triumph Speed Triple and the more affordable but slower Street Triple. Finally, we expect the TNT Cafe Racer to make it to our shores as well. It will sit on top of the range and besides looking mean and immensely attractive at the same time, it will pack in a wallop too. It is powered by a 1130cc, 3 cylinder engine that makes nearly 130PS of max power.

DSK MotoWheels which is expected to bring in these Benelli motorcycles into India before the end of the year will sell these machines through separate DSK-Benelli branded dealerships instead of co-branding existing DSK-Hyosung showrooms. We will have more details as the story unfolds.