7 reasons to buy the Benelli Leoncino 500 in India.
Let me admit it, the Leoncino 500 is my favourite “Benelli Motorcycle” ever launched in India.
Launched in August 2019, Leoncino or “lion’s cub” as it translates in English is Benelli’s idea of a scrambler.
And it sits right in the sweet spot of “mid-range superbikes” where we don’t have many options right now. But an increasing demand.
I’m saying that because many bikers ask me the question – Which superbike can we buy around 5 lakhs?
And now I think I have the answer. The Leoncino 500. Priced at 4.70 lakhs (ex-showroom) Delhi, the Benelli Leoncino makes for a surprisingly good package.
Leoncino 500 is Benelli’s best selling motorcycle globally.
And since it has been launched in our country, I have 7 reasons why you should buy the Leoncino 500 in India.
1. The Leoncino 500 looks absolutely stunning.
Benelli calling it a scrambler because the neo-classic design of the Leoncino gives it a retro but modern look. And I must say, it looks like nothing else on the road. Both the red and grey color variants look attractive enough to turn heads in the traffic.
The headlight, The tail lamp, the instrument cluster, and the fat 50 mm shocks upfront gives it the big bike look.
I feel It is unarguably the best looking Benelli on the Indian street.
2. It has the best braking setup in the category.
The Benelli Leoncino comes with two 320 mm radial discs in the front and a single 260mm disc at the back. Fact is, there’s no middleweight bike with a dual-disc set up in India.
In Fact, the more expensive ones like Kawasaki Vulcan 650, Harley Davidson Street 750 and Kawasaki Z650 doesn’t get a dual-disc setup.
The Leoncino comes with ABS as standard.
3. Leoncino 500 is the best sounding motorcycle in the category.
All over the world, Benelli bikes are known for the symphony that comes from their exhaust. And the Leoncino 500 doesn’t lack behind, the exhaust note on the Leoncino has deep bass and sound musical to the ears. The brand Benelli puts time and effort into sound engineering their bikes, and that’s why they enjoy a following.
4. You can go touring on the Benelli Leoncino 500.
The upright sitting position and the wide handlebars make the Leoncino a comfortable touring bike. You can comfortably ride the Leoncino for hours on end without feeling cramped in the saddle. Complimenting that is the high stability of the Leoncino.
As Dino said in his video review, the high-speed stability of the Leoncino is as good as it can get. So you can be sure to cruise comfortably on the highways.
And if that’s not enough, the Leoncino can also handle bad roads while touring.
Looking for best touring bikes below 5 lakhs? This article may help. I’ve picked 10 motorcycles for touring in India, some won’t even cost you 2 lakhs.
5. You can turn the ABS on or off on the Leoncino 500.
If you like to have some fun in the dirt, you’ll love the switchable ABS function on the Leoncino.
Power sliding a motorcycle and pulling off stunts is possible only if there’s no intervention of the ABS. And I’m happy that Benelli is offering switchable ABS on the Leoncino.
Even the offroad focused BMW GS 310 doesn’t get switchable ABS.
6. It comes with five years, unlimited kilometers warranty.
Benelli Motorcycles comes with a five year, unlimited kilometers warranty as standard. And Leoncino 500 is not an exception. If you face any issue with the bike, their 5-year warranty has your back.
7. Benelli slashed the servicing costs in India by 34%.
In October 2018, Benelli decided to cut servicing costs by 34% in the Indian market. Not only that, but they also increased the servicing intervals of their bikes from 4000 kilometers to 6000 kilometers. And the good news doesn’t end there.
According to Overdrive India, Benelli aims to localize 25 to 30 percent of the components, to further reduce the costs of their bikes. Which I think will also lead to the reduction in servicing costs of Benelli bikes in India.
Why skip buying the Leoncino 500 in India?
1. The trial version of the Leoncino 500 may launch soon.
In the international market, Benelli sells two versions of the Leoncino – Standard, and Trail. Currently, Benelli has launched its standard version in the Indian market, and they may launch the Trail version too after seeing how the Indian market responds to the Leoncino 500.
The Trial version will come with spoke wheels, block pattern tyres and more ground clearance which will make it a solid offroader.
So if you’re someone like me who likes to play in the dirt, you should wait for Leoncino 500 Trail to come to India.
Since I love offroading, I would definitely wait for the Trail version to launch.
2. A cheaper Leoncino 250cc is going to launch soon.
If your budget is less and you still want to own something stylish like the Leoncino, then wait until the Leoncino 250 is launched.
Of course, you’ll have to compromise on the performance because there will be a small 250 cc engine on the smaller Leoncino. But what you won’t have to compromise on is the style. The smaller Leoncino 250 looks similar to it’s an elder sibling.
The price of the Leoncino hasn’t been released yet, but it will obviously cost less than the Leoncino 500.
Benelli Leoncino 500 alternatives in India.
To be fair, the Leoncino 500 is one of a kind motorcycle, and no other bike can be directly compared with it
However, these are some of the bikes you can buy instead of the Leoncino 500.
1. Royal Enfield Interceptor 650.
2. Ducati Scrambler 800.
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