The Royal Enfield Classic 350 finally has some competition from what was once an Italian brand - Benelli, that is now part of the Qjian Jiang group of China. The Benelli Imperiale 400 has been priced at Rs 1.69 lakh, which puts it directly in competition with the Royal Enfield Classic 350 that’s priced between Rs 1.54 lakh and Rs 1.64 lakh ex-showroom.
At first glance, it looks every bit the classic cruiser and also sounds like its rival. It has the same, single-cylinder air-cooled thump of an exhaust note.
The Benelli Imperiale 400 comes with a 374 cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine with a single overhead cam (SOHC) with four valves and electronic fuel injection. It puts out a claimed 21PS of power at 5,500 rpm and 29 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm. It’s mated to a 5-speed manual transmission with a chain drive.
Want to see how it compares with the Royal Enfield Classic 350? Click the link below.
The Benelli Imperiale 400 comes with spoked rims with an 18-inch wheel at the rear and 19-inch in front, much like its rival. It also comes with disc brakes on both wheels with dual-channel ABS.
The instrument console features an analog tachometer and speedometer, with a digital fuel gauge and MID. This is where it beats its rival. However, the Royal Enfield Classic 350 comes with a larger 13.5-litre fuel tank compared to the 12-litre fuel tank on the Benelli Imperiale 400.
With the simplistic retro-lines, it looks every bit the classic cruiser it’s meant to be. However, while the looks and performance seem to match the Royal Enfield Classic 350 on paper, the difference could be in service and spares.
Royal Enfield has a pretty large service network and a bunch of smaller mechanics who can work on the motorcycle virtually anywhere. Benelli, in comparison, has a much smaller service network footprint. The bike is assembled at its plant in Hyderabad.
However, Benelli is offering two years of complimentary service and an annual maintenance package for the next two years. Service intervals are every 5,000 Km. It is also offering an unlimited mileage three-year warranty on the Imperiale 400 in a bid to boost confidence in its new classic cruiser.
It is available in three colours - red, black and silver. Bookings can be made at Benelli’s 21 dealerships with a Rs 4,000 refundable deposit.
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