Benelli Tornado 302 (302R) India launch postponed to March-April 2017

Italian motorcycle brand Benelli's Indian arm DSK Benelli was in the process of launching Tornado 302 in December. However, emerging reports indicate that the Pune based DSK Group has postponed the launch of the fully-faired sibling of TNT 300 to March-April 2017.

The delay in the launch has been initiated to employ the motorcycle with ABS, reports ZigWheels. The government of India regulations demand that all motorcycles over 125cc be employed with ABS as standard from April 2017. The company is likely to commence bookings for the Tornado 302 in March 2017.

The new version of the Tornado 302 was unveiled at 2015 EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan. It sports stylish and modern design additions that are pleasing to young riders. The motorcyle is based on a newly designed trellis frame that is now lighter, which results in better handling around corners.

The motorcycle is powered by an in-line two-cylinder four-stroke four-valve DOHC engine that develops 36bhp at 12,000rpm and 27Nm at 9,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission and the bike reportedly has a top speed of over 170kmph.

The Tornado 302 measures 2,175mm in length, 746mm in width and 1,146mm in height. It features 41mm upside down forks in the front and mono suspension in the rear. Tornado 302 also comes with a fuel tank capacity of 14-litre. It uses twin 260mm floating discs with a four-piston caliper brake at the front and a single 240mm disc with a single piston caliper brake for the rear.

DSK Benelli may name the Tornado 302 as 302R in India. The fully-faired model will take on the likes of Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Yamaha YZF-R3 when launched in India.