It seems like Benelli has no shortage of new models to release onto the market. At EICMA 2023 alone, the Chinese-owned Italian brand unveiled an overwhelming number of bikes slated for release in the global market. After all, Benelli is owned by Qianjiang Motors, one of the biggest Chinese motorcycle manufacturers, and parent company to the likes of Keeway, QJ Motor, and MBP.
Not long after showcasing a number of new models late last year, Benelli has already announced the availability of some of them, more specifically, the Tornado 400, which is expected to go on sale in Europe in the first half of 2024. The Tornado 400 is the middle child in the trio of sportbikes released at EICMA 2023, all of which are powered by parallel-twin engines. It clearly wants to take on the crop of established twin-cylinder sportbikes already in circulation – bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 400 (updated to the Ninja 500), CFMoto 450 SR (450SS in the US), Honda CBR500R, and Yamaha YZF-R3.
For reference, the Benelli Tornado 400 was previously launched in the Chinese market under the Tornado 402 moniker. It’s been updated slightly to meet European regulations, more specifically, to cater to A2 license holders looking to step up to a bigger bike from their A1-restricted beginner machines. The Tornado 400 is rocking a Euro 5-approved 399cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, parallel-twin engine with a dual-overhead camshaft. This engine pumps out 47.6 horsepower – the limit of the A2 category. Power is sent to the rear wheel via a manual six-speed gearbox.
This engine is housed in a tubular steel frame complete with a fancy single-sided swingarm. As for the suspension, Benelli relies on an inverted front fork with 37 millimeter stanchions, and a linkage-equipped rear monoshock. Braking duties are handled by entry-level Nissin floating calipers mounted axially onto the front fork.
With a 14.8-liter fuel capacity, we’re looking at a wet weight of about 172 kilograms, or around 380 pounds, which is fairly lightweight and accessible. On top of that, we get full-LED lighting, a full-color TFT display with five inches of real estate, Bluetooth smartphone pairing, USB charging, and even a swanky tire pressure monitoring system.
As mentioned earlier, Benelli is expected to roll out the new Tornado 400 in Europe within the first half of 2024. As of this writing, however, no official pricing has yet been announced. For reference, the Honda CBR500R goes for around 7,000 euros ($7,650 USD) in Italy, and the Ninja 400 retails for around the same amount. As such, we should expect Benelli to price its bike substantially lower, should it want to attract attention away from its mainstream rivals.
