Exclusive: Benelli Imperiale 400 to be BS6 compliant in April

Benelli will soon update its entire portfolio to meet the upcoming emission norms. The first motorcycle to receive the BS6 treatment will be the Imperiale 400. It will be launched in April and the rest of Benelli India’s BS6 lineup will follow soon after.  

Interestingly, Benelli increased the prices of the BS4 Imperiale 400 just last month. This was the first price hike since the motorcycle’s launch in October last year, and it was quite a substantial one. While the Imperiale 400 was launched at Rs 1,69,000, post-hike the new prices were Rs 1,79,500 for the silver colour option and Rs 1,89 499 for the black and red variants. That’s a hike of almost Rs 20,000. Its introductory price of Rs 1.69 lakh initially allowed Benelli to attract more customers. It soon amassed close to 4,000 bookings, the highest for a Benelli India motorcycle. Now, the pricing is expected to increase again with the Imperiale 400 BS6.  

Also read: Jawa vs Royal Enfield Classic 350 vs Benelli Imperiale 400: Comparison Review

The Imperiale 400 is a retro-looking motorcycle that competes directly with the Royal Enfield Classic 350 (starting Rs 1.53 lakh) and Jawa (Starting Rs 1.64 lakh). It gets an air-cooled and fuel-injected 374cc motor and a 5-speed gearbox. The motor in the current BS4 tune delivers 21PS at 5500rpm and 29Nm at 4500rpm. It gets simple underpinnings in the form of telescopic forks and dual shock absorbers. Braking is via a 300mm front disc and 240mm rear disc brake with dual-channel ABS. The motorcycle gets 19-inch front and 18-inch rear spoked wheels. 

It remains to be seen if the BS6 Imperiale 400 gets extra features to justify the increase in price.