Benelli Imperiale 400 cruiser likely to debut at Auto Expo 2018; Royal Enfield Classic 350 killer?

Benelli, the Italian motorcycle maker had a spectacular stall in the EICMA show held in Milan in the first week of this month. Apart from sports and adventure bikes of Benelli, a classic model has garnered a lot of attention. The model in question is the Imperiale 400. As per reports, the Indian subsidiary DSK Benelli may preview the model at the Auto Expo 2018 in February.

Motorcycle models with classic designs are a big hit among Indian buyers and Royal Enfield has been experiencing tremendous success with such models. This seems to have prompted DSK Benelli to bring the Imperiale 400. The market launch of the motorcycle is expected in mid-2018, reports Gaadiwaadi. DSK Benelli has already confirmed that the company is planning to unveil a 400cc bike in India in 2018 and hence Imperial 400 might be it.

The Imperiale 400 has all the ingredients of a classic bike starting from the twin-pod instrument cluster. The teardrop-shaped tank with a rubber grip, split seats and chrome bits add to the retro cruiser flavour of the Imperiale 400. The motorcycle is based on a double cradle, steel tubular frame.

The motorcycle is powered by a 373.5cc single-cylinder, SOHC engine with fuel injection. The mill develops a little over 19.4bhp at 5500rpm and 28 Nm of peak torque at 3500rpm. The motor is paired to a five-speed gearbox and is Euro 4 compliant.

The Imperiale 400 boast off telescopic forks up front and double shock absorbers at the rear. It gets disc brakes at the front and rear and dual-channel ABS is offered as standard.

The advanced engine and cycle parts make it clear that Imperiale 400 will give Royal Enfield Classic 350 a run for its money. Pricing is the key here. DSK Benelli is expected to manufacture the Imperiale 400 in India. If the company decides to do so, it will be able to price the motorcycle very competitively against Royal Enfield.