Chinese brand Benda already has plans to enter the US market in the not too distant future, and is making a name for itself elsewhere after launching several unusual production models. Now, it has plans to expand its range even further with a roadster with a twin-cylinder engine that takes inspiration from models such as Ducati’s Monster and Honda’s VTR250, which is available in other markets.
Design renderings presented in China show the new bike, codenamed “250 Street Shooter”, featuring a twin-cylinder engine in a steel trellis frame. The company’s previous models included the LFC700, an in-line four-cylinder cruiser with a huge 310-section rear tire, the Dark Flag 500 (China’s first V-4 engine bike) and, more recently, the Napoleon 500 and Napoleon 250 bobbers. However, while Benda’s range of cruisers is already well stocked and is set to grow further with a 1200cc V-4 machine planned for the near future, the 250 Street Shooter is an addition to the company’s relatively sparse range of roadsters.
At the moment, the only non-cruiser model Benda offers is the LFS700, which uses the same 680cc four-cylinder engine as the LFC700, but on a bike with a shorter wheelbase and flat-track inspired styling, but the 250 Street Shooter will add a second option to that range.
As is becoming the norm with Chinese-made motorcycles, the specifications are relatively exotic for such a small machine. There’s a single-sided swingarm and an inverted fork, for example, and although there’s only one front brake disc, it’s gripped by a radial-mount four-piston caliper.
Although the bike is referred to as the “250″ Street Shooter, suggesting that its capacity is 250 cc, the engine appears to be similar to the company’s 298 cc twin-cylinder used in the Chinchilla 300 cruiser model. It’s an eight-valve DOHC engine with liquid cooling that delivers 30 hp at 8,500 rpm and 25.7 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm on the Chinchilla, although these figures may well change for the new roadster model.