New Benelli TNT 600 Spotted In China, Likely To Be BS6 Compliant

Here’s some good news for all you Benelli fanatics who’ve grown tired of seeing the same old dreary TNT 600i: There’s a new one inbound. The bike was spotted in China with better features, new colours schemes and most importantly a bold new look. The brand stopped exporting the TNT 600i to European countries since it failed to meet stringent emission norms. The new bike, on the other hand, will comply with these standards and by extension the upcoming BS6 emission norms in India. And considering its production-ready avatar, the bike may soon replace the current-gen Benelli TNT 600i.

Let’s face it, the Benelli TNT 600i is an odd looking cookie and in need of a revamp. That’s exactly what Benelli intends to change with the new bike. The overall proportions of the bike have changed. It now features a muscular fuel tank with sharp tank extensions which look similar to the current-gen KTM 390 Duke. Thanks to the dual-tone colour scheme and clever use of black panels under the seat, the bike looks a lot sleeker than before.

The upcoming Benelli 600i trades the bulky twin underseat exhaust for a side-mounted one which may be on the same lines as the Benelli 752S. Thanks to this, the tail section looks a lot cleaner. It also does away with the split seat design and adopts a single seat approach which gels well with the overall design. Complimenting the stubby tail is a tyre hugger that holds the number plate and LED turn signals.

In terms of features, the bike gets a fresh new LED headlight and a full-colour TFT display with a pretty cool layout and legible readouts. On the downside, the new TNT 600i retains the same mechanicals as the current-gen model. To put things into perspective, the chassis, swingarm and front forks have been carried over, and so are the disc brakes and ABS setup.

While we don’t expect any changes in power figures, the bike’s 600cc inline four-cylinder engine may be reworked to comply with the upcoming stringent BS6 emission norms. In the current state of tune, the TNT 600i generates 86.24PS at 11,500rpm and 54.6Nm of peak torque at 10,500rpm.

We expect the Italian brand to reveal the bike at EICMA this year, while its Indian launch could be early next year right before the BS6 regulations kick in. Considering the above mentioned updates, expect a slight bump in price compared to the current model.