Benelli TNT Naked T-135 hits the road for testing; minibike coming to India by March 2017

It looks like the New Year will see the arrival of Italian motorcycle maker Benelli's minibike TNT Naked T-135 to India. The 135cc bike, which made its debut at the Auto Expo 2016 earlier this year, has hit the Indian roads for testing, indicating the arrival of the bike.

A new image of the Benelli TNT Naked T-135, taken by Bikewale while undergoing testing on the public roads, has started doing the rounds on the internet, fuelling a fresh round of whispers about the launch of the model. Benelli, which sell its models in India through its DSK Motowheel, is expected to add the minibike to its portfolio in the country by March 2017. The TNT Naked T-135 is expected to be priced at around Rs 1.3 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh.

The T-135 comes powered by a 135cc single-cylinder engine that is tuned to pump in 12.6hp at 9,000rpm and 10.8Nm of torque at 7,000rpm mated to a five-speed gearbox. The motorcycle, which gets design inspired from the bigger TNT models of Benelli comes with fuel tank capacity of 7.2-litres and seat height of 780mm.The TNT Naked T-135 features 12-inch wheels and a twin-pipe exhaust. It comes employed with inverted forks up front and a mono shock absorber at the rear.

In 2017, DSK Benelli is also expected to launch the 300cc motorcycle -- the Tornado 302 -- in India. The Tornado 302, which is likely to be launched in India as 302R, is speculated to make its entry in January 2017.

DSK Benelli, which entered India in March 2015, has sold over 3,000 units of its glamorous bikes in the country since its entry into the market in March 2015. The Italian bike maker currently has six models in its India portfolio -- TNT 25, TNT 300, TNT 600i, TNT 600 GT, TNT 899 and TNT R 1130.

Image Source: BikeWale