Benelli has taken the wraps off three new models for the 2023 model year – the Tornado Naked Twin 500, BKX 250 S and the BKX 250 adventure bike. The three bikes were shown at the ongoing EICMA 2022 and they sport radically cutting-edge designs that are sure to stand out from the crowd. 

• Tornado Naked Twin 500 has the same engine as existing 500cc Benellis

• BKX 250 S naked bike has a hint of supermoto about it

• BKX 250 is a small-capacity adventure bike and has wire-spoke wheels

Benelli Tornado Naked Twin 500: details

The 2023 Benelli Tornado Naked Twin 500 is a new naked roadster that uses the same 500cc parallel twin from the likes of the Leoncino 500, the TRK 502 and the 502C. The engine puts out a similar 47hp and 46 Nm and, like its siblings, you can expect this motorcycle to have a soulful exhaust note. The design of the clutch and transmission covers are now different and Benelli has also made some updates to the airbox and exhaust systems. 

What’s newer and more exciting with this bike is the funky design philosophy, particularly the face which looks like it came straight out of a motorcycle custom house. The Benelli Tornado Naked Twin 500 has one of the most aggressive head-on views that you will see on a production motorcycle, with pronounced winged DRLs on the side that flank vertically stacked LED low and high beam lights. Benelli says that this will be the design theme going forward for its future motorcycles. 

The rest of the motorcycle is more conventional, in that it looks like an aggressive European street naked with a chunky (14-litre) fuel tank and a split seat set-up. The Benelli Tornado Naked Twin 500 gets a new chassis along with a fat 50mm USD fork and a monoshock as well as twin 320mm front discs to lend the motorcycle a big-bike look. The 17-inch alloys are wrapped in 120 section front and 160 section rear tyres, respectively. 

The Tornado Naked Twin 500 gets a 5-inch TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity and the company says that customers can answer and end calls using the controls on the handlebar. This new motorcycle will go on sale overseas in the second half of 2023 and it is not clear at the moment whether the bike will be launched here as well.

Benelli BKX 250, BKX 250 S: details

The Benelli BKX twins are an unusual-looking duo, to say the least, especially with the attention-grabbing neon yellow wheels. Styling has been handled by the folks in Pesaro, Benelli’s Italian home turf. Both models are powered by a liquid-cooled, 249cc single-cylinder engine making 25.5hp at 9,250rpm and 21Nm at 8,000rpm. Mated to this engine is a 6-speed gearbox. The suspension duties on both models are handled by a 41mm USD fork and a preload-adjustable monoshock, albeit with differing degrees of travel, 150mm for the BKX 250 S and 180mm for the BKX 250.

Where these models differ is in terms of intended usage and wheel sizes. The BKX 250 S is a naked bike with a hint of supermoto in it, reinforced by the small beak and the upswept exhaust muffler and it rolls on 17-inch rims with sizes of 110/70ZR17 (front) and 150/60ZR17 (rear). Braking duties are handled by a single disc at either end, with a 280mm disc at the front, bitten down upon by a four-piston caliper and a 240mm disc at the rear.  

The BKX 250, meanwhile, has some mild off-road aspirations, corroborated by the presence of wire-spoke wheels shod with dual-purpose rubber and some light crash protection. The BKX 250 runs on wheels sized 100/90-19 at the front and 140/80-17 at the rear. The rest of the hardware, barring the suspension travel, remains the same as the BKX 250 S. 

Both bikes share the same digital LCD cluster and USB charger, and feature the same 13.5-litre fuel tank which Benelli claims is good for a range in excess of 400km. Like the aforementioned Tornado Naked Twin 500, the BKX twins will go on sale in mid-2023 and it remains to be seen whether these bikes will make their way to our shores. 

Which of these new Benelli bikes would you purchase? Let us know in the comments section below.