It seems that Benelli has no shortage of new models to launch onto the market. At EICMA 2023 alone, the Chinese-owned Italian brand unveiled an impressive number of motorcycles scheduled for release on the global market. After all, Benelli is owned by Qianjiang Motors, one of China’s largest motorcycle manufacturers and the parent company of brands such as Keeway, QJ Motor and MBP.
Shortly after presenting a series of new models at the end of last year, Benelli has already announced the availability of some of them, most notably the Tornado 400, which should be available for sale in Europe in the first half of 2024. The Tornado 400 is the middle child of the trio of sports bikes presented at EICMA 2023, all equipped with twin-cylinder engines. The Tornado 400 clearly wants to stand up to the twin-cylinder sports bikes already on the road – bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 400 (upgraded to Ninja 500), CFMOTO 450 SR, Honda CBR500R and Yamaha YZF-R3.
For reference, the Benelli Tornado 400 was previously launched on the Chinese market under the designation Tornado 402. It has been slightly updated to comply with European regulations, more specifically to cater for A2 license holders looking to upgrade to a larger displacement motorcycle from their A1-restricted learner machines. The Tornado 400 is equipped with a 399 cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, Euro 5-approved twin-cylinder engine. This engine delivers 47.6 hp – the A2 category limit. Power is sent to the rear wheel via a six-speed manual gearbox.
This engine is integrated into a tubular steel frame with an elegant unilateral swingarm. As for the suspension, the Benelli has a 37-millimeter inverted front fork and a rear monoshock equipped with a link. The braking functions are provided by entry-level Nissin floating calipers mounted on the front fork.
With a fuel capacity of 14.8 liters, the empty weight is around 172 kg, which is quite light and affordable. In addition, there’s LED lighting, a five-inch TFT color display, Bluetooth smartphone pairing, USB charging and even a tire pressure monitoring system.
As mentioned earlier, Benelli is expected to launch the new Tornado 400 in Europe in the first half of 2024. However, at the time of writing, no official price has yet been announced.