Benelli Leoncino 500

The Leoncino 500 is Benelli's retro-styled middleweight naked, built around a 500cc parallel-twin that makes about 46.8 bhp at 8,500 rpm and 46 Nm at 6,000 rpm, carried in a 207 kg motorcycle with an 810 mm seat height and a comparatively small 12.7-litre tank. Benelli doesn't publish an official mileage figure, and real-world reports from owners vary quite widely — from the low 20s to the mid-30s in kmpl — which is fairly typical for a twin-cylinder naked ridden across a mix of city and open-road conditions. The "scrambler" name and round-headlight styling borrow heavily from classic 1970s roadster design, and that retro look, combined with a reasonably accessible seat height, is the Leoncino's main calling card against more aggressively styled naked bikes in the same displacement bracket. It's a relaxed bike to ride day to day, with the parallel-twin delivering its power in a manageable, linear way rather than demanding high revs to feel responsive. The buyer here wants classic styling at a mid-size displacement without stepping up to a 650cc-plus twin, and is often cross-shopping against the Kawasaki W175's smaller, cheaper retro proposition on one side and the Triumph Speed 400 and Royal Enfield's bigger singles on the other, where the Leoncino's twin-cylinder layout and 500cc size occupy a slightly awkward middle ground on both price and displacement. Benelli's brand recognition in India, while present, is considerably smaller than Royal Enfield's or Triumph's, so this is a purchase made by someone who has specifically sought the bike out rather than stumbled onto it at a dealership. Priced at Rs 5.6 lakh ex-showroom with no variant or colour differentiation currently listed, the Leoncino 500 suits a buyer prioritising distinctive retro styling and twin-cylinder smoothness over outright value, badge prestige or service network depth — Benelli's dealer and parts network in India is thinner than the mainstream players, so it's worth confirming local support before committing. The small 12.7-litre tank is worth planning around on longer rides, since it will need more frequent fuel stops than most 500cc-plus motorcycles, even allowing for the twin's reasonable efficiency. For predominantly city and short-highway use that's a non-issue, but anyone planning regular long-distance touring on this bike should factor in roughly 250-300 km between fill-ups rather than assuming tourer-like range from a bike that otherwise looks ready for it, and should plan fuel stops around that figure rather than guessing on a long weekend ride.