Old Bike Australasia - June 03, 2018

Fat 50mm forks with twin

320 discs on the front end.

Standard rear rack

accepts Givi luggage.

BENELLI TRK 502

mounted shock has adjustment for

the spring pre-load only. The brakes

are very high specification with twin

320mm discs, but in no way fierce, do

their job well, and for a learner rider,

would be very easy to live with. The

ABS system can be switched off if you

fancy a bit of off-roading. I was

impressed with the dash, which is

well set out, with a digital speedo and

analogue tacho, fuel gauge and clock

and the usual indicator lights – all

easy to read. There’s a 15V USB

charging point near the dash for a GPS

or phone. The screen is not adjustable

but it seems to be in the right position

for me. The bike handles very well,

and the standard Pirelli Demon tyres

have a hand in this. The only thing

I was not keen on are the footrests

which have fat, flat rubbers and feel

a bit vague.

I do the Sydney to Phillip Island ride

fairly regularly and I would have no

problem doing the trip on the Benelli.

Out on the open road it buzzes along

at legal speeds very happily, and the

20 litre tank capacity also means you

can do a very long stretch – Benelli

say up to 400km (and my ride

supports this) – before refuelling

is necessary.

Overall, I think the TRK 502 is a

surprisingly versatile mid-capacity

tourer, that also happens to be LAMS

approved. ■

Benelli TRK 502

Off-the-shelf

ENGINE DOHC, parallel twin with

4 valves per cylinder.

BORE X STROKE 69mm x 66.8mm

COMP. RATIO 11.5:1

POWER 35kW @ 8,500 rpm

TORQUE 46Nm @ 6,000 rpm.

LUBRICATION Wet sump

FUEL SUPPLY Electronic fuel injection

with twin choke 37mm

body.

FUEL CAPACITY 20 litres

FUEL CONSUMP. 3.9l/100km

IGNITION ECU Bosch MSE 6.0

FRAME Tubular steel trellis

SUSPENSION Front: Upside-down

50mm telescopic forks

145mm travel Rear: Swing

arm with central shock

absorber 45mm travel

BRAKES Front: 2 x semi-floating

320mm discs with

4-piston caliper and ABS

Rear: Single 260mm disc

with single floating

caliper and ABS

WHEELS/TYRES Front: 120/70 ZR17 M/C

58W

Rear: 160/60 ZR17 M/C

69W

WHEELBASE 1525mm

SEAT HEIGHT 800mm

WEIGHT (WET) 235kg

PRICE $8870.00 ride-way

It’s that middle modelthat is the
subject of our test, and to position it,
the TRK 502 is a learner-approved 500
with the styling cues of a GS BMW or
Ducati Multistrada, with considerably
less power. And considerably less
price. For just $8,870 ride way, this
motorcycle represents incredible value
for money, and within reason, delivers
pretty much all that is required for the
average rider.
OK, it’s no powerhouse, but the
engine is flexible, happy to rev to
9,000, and it handles very well. Amaz-
ingly, the TRK weighs 235kg, which is
28kg more than the Leoncino, and
that’s all down to the extra gear that’s
been added in the adventure style;
steel structure to hold the screen and
top bodywork, higher-rise handlebars
beefier rear end and luggage rack and
so on. However I never found this
weight to be a problem, and although
initially a bit curious if the 800mm seat
height would be comfortable for my
185cm build, I had no qualms after a
200km ride. On this ride I was accom-
panied by several 700/800cc bikes and
I had no trouble keeping up.
Chassis-wise, the trellis frame looks
impressive, as does the beefy front
end with 50mm upside down forks
with 145mm travel that would not
seem out of place on a bike of twice
the capacity. Front suspension is non-
adjustable and the rear centrally-

OLD BIKE AUSTRALASIA: 103

Finish and attention

to detail are first class.