Benelli Imperiale 400 Review: First Ride!

Benelli Imperiale 400 Review By: Syed Shiraz Photography: Faraz Shah

Before I begin this Benelli Imperiale 400 review, a bit of background is indispensable. Especially considering how royally the company’s previous partner and PR agency had botched it up for current and prospective customers. Don’t fret now if you own or want to own a Benelli as Benelli India is now under the aegis of the Mahavir Group that has over two decades of experience in selling Mercedes-Benz cars in India. In fact, their (Mahavir Group’s) website says that they are the largest dealers for Mercs in India. They also have dealerships of Skoda, Isuzu, Indian Motorcycles, Suzuki motorcycles & ATVs, and Benelli, of course.

Point is, this time Benelli India is in the right hands. That takes care of the customers’ peace of mind, but what about us, the media folks? I say that because not only was its erstwhile partner absolutely anesthetic to words like logic and courtesy, their main PR chap behaved like a typical property dealer; you know the kind: thick gold chains around their necks, sky-high promises on their mouths, but an incurable glint of deceit in their eyes. I didn’t use ‘real estate broker’ as that would be too sophisticated a term to describe this gent. If you’re wondering why the angst, then let me tell you that the dork couldn’t make a single media unit available in Delhi in the past 5-6 years! Well, that changes now.

Benelli India has a different PR agency this time, and the gent handling Delhi media is an absolute gem! I would request the agency to give that man a raise! More often than not, unless you’re an editor of a big magazine, newspaper, or TV channel, the PR folks are more ambiguous in their responses to media unit requests than a confused girl trying to find excuses to not say a yes or no directly to a guy’s proposal.

Nothing of that sort happened here; the bloke was highly proactive in arranging our first Benelli, the Leoncino 500, and was also absolutely prompt in getting me the answers from Benelli for the few technical queries I had. Moreover, despite my inability to write its review yet (the videos went LIVE shortly after the ride though; you may check them here: English Review, and Hindi Review), it didn’t keep him from inviting us to the Imperiale 400’s first media ride. And what a brilliant first ride it was! Simply put, it earns a place in my “best media rides” along with the Suzuki GSX-S750 first ride, Suzuki V-Strom 650 first ride, and Indian FTR 1200 first ride. Coincidentally, both Suzuki and Benelli share the same PR agency (MSL).

No, they didn’t give us a “press gift”; what they gave instead was sheer quality time with the motorcycle. And, listen up manufacturers, THAT’S ALL WE WANT. Plus, the planned route included everything that a prospective owner of any motorcycle, and not just this one, would expect to ride on. Flawless tarmac (expressway), not-so-flawless tarmac (B-roads), not at all tarmac (offroad tracks with a few stretches covered with strewn sugarcane leaves, and sand near the Ganga riverbank), mad traffic, no traffic, and everything in between. Perfect!

By the end of the day, I had ridden a shade over 240 km. Awesome for a first ride! Also, since this motorcycle will be bought by people who love retro-styled motorcycles, and they will compare it to the RE and Jawa at some point or the other, they must know my credentials on the subject. I mean, you should know whether the person reviewing a ‘modern retro’ has some experience with at least the original Jawas and Bullets, if not the more exquisite classics from the ’50s and ’60s. So here they are in brief:

The first motorcycle I bought from my own hard-earned (as opposed to pocket money or parents’ gift) was a ’73 Jawa 250 in 2001. Have ridden the REs a lot too in the past more than two and a half decades of riding, thanks to my maternal uncle’s workshop that has been catering to Enfields, BSAs, Triumphs, etc., since 1969. Haven’t ridden the latest Indian Jawas, but saw them up close at the launch last year. So I’ll keep my references, as and when they pop up, to the Jawa and RE within the purview of my exposure to both bikes. For those of you wondering why we have not been able to test the Jawa yet, let me tell you that the media units have finally reached Bombay, and I hope that Delhi should get its fleet soon now. Let’s begin the Benelli Imperiale 400 review now, shall we? If you’re not much into reading, you may check my video reviews here: English review link and Hindi review link.

Benelli Imperiale 400 Review: Design, Build Quality, and Instrumentation

I don’t need to even talk about the design of this motorcycle, as retro lovers won’t need my opinion on it. They already love it, and I concur. The purity in design is second to none here, and this Benelli won’t look out of place parked alongside the Matchless’, Nortons, BSAs, Ariels, and Triumphs of the ’50s. Then there is the build quality. It’s so darn good that Jawa and RE can’t hold a candle to it. Everything looks and feels well-built and sturdy. The fit-and-finish is exemplary too, and I couldn’t find any loose ends whatsoever. Also, at the end of the day long ride where we jumped speedbreakers, throttled it out over rough roads, and maxed it out on highways, there were no rattles, squeaks, or moans from this motorcycle.

I also loved the instrument cluster on this one. It’s the most comprehensive in the segment: two dials, one each for the revs and speed, where you have speed markings in both mph and km/h; a clock, digital fuel gauge, gear position indicator, and two trip meters.

The switchgear comprises a pass/flasher switch, hazard lamps, and a span adjustable front brake lever! And just look at the levers on this one! You would normally see such chunky levers on expensive machinery like the Bonnies!

Talking about levers, I must add that there might be a few who would find the clutch lever pull a tad on the heavier side in dense traffic. I had no issues, and you may see in the videos on my YT channel that I do not have huge forearms.

Benelli Imperiale 400 Review: Ergonomics & Comfort

Back in the day, the best part about most motorcycles used to be that one size fitted all. The Benelli Imperiale 400 is no exception. I am just a shade over five feet tall, and the other three people riding along were all taller, with the tallest being a six-footer. I asked all of them about the ergos, and the unanimous answer was that it’s a very comfortable bike for everyone. But I must add here that, surprisingly, a couple of taller folks reported that the pegs hit their shins while pedaling the bike backwards.

However, they said that the issue is not as pronounced as it is on the Interceptor 650. It’s strange that I didn’t face this issue on the Benelli, whereas I did face it on the RE. All riders also concluded that the saddle is very comfortable for both city and long rides, and I can say that for the pillion seat too. I did sit behind our photographer for the day. Faraz, and found the perch to be fantastic.

The seat height is a low 780 mm, but since the seat is broad, I could only tiptoe on this one like I do on almost motorcycles. Will I be able to ride it day in and day out like this? Absolutely!

For perspective, the RE’s saddle height is 800 mm, while the Jawa’s is just 765 mm.

Benelli Imperiale 400 Review: Ride Quality

I made this a separate topic altogether because it’s the next most important thing after ergonomics for tourers, and as important as engine performance and refinement (read: “lack of vibrations”). On smooth roads, this Benelli just wafts and you do not feel the roads’ minor imperfections at all. The front suspension is as caring as your mother. It will ensure that no harm comes you way, come what may! Okay, that rhymed.

But the rear is unnecessarily harsh like your dad. It says that I’ve protected you all along (read: “the aforementioned minor road-imperfections”), son, but now you will have to handle the bigger bumps yourself. As such, it really gets rough on the, er, rough stretches. Standing on the pegs helps.

The factory setting of the preload is set at 3, like on almost all bikes. I got it adjusted to its softest setting by the Benelli technician upon returning to the showroom (would have done it myself on the return leg if I had the spanner), but it didn’t make much difference. It would help Benelli to make the rear soft by a couple of notches. The ground clearance of 165 mm is high enough anyway (RE’s is 135 mm), so you won’t be scraping its underbelly even if the rear is made softer.

I must also add that bounciness subsides to a large extent with a pillion. Also, a co-rider, who said he weighs over 100 kg, did not face any such issue. It can be deduced that it won’t be an irritant while touring as your bike will be loaded by a pillion or luggage, or both. And you won’t have an issue in the city too, even if you’re a 60 kg rider like me, because, like I said, the rear shock absorbers are as absorbing as your dad.

Benelli Imperiale 400 Review: Handling

I don’t think this section would matter much to the prospective owners, but it has to be talked about. The Imperiale 400 has the longest wheelbase in the segment. Yes, longer than the RE’s. The Jawa’s is the shortest. The Benelli is also the heaviest. These traits come with their own set of pros and cons. But before I tell you about them, let me quickly make the all important distinction between ‘handling’ and ‘maneuverability’ because non-enthusiasts generally mistake the latter for the former, despite me using both the words, wherever applicable, in my reviews.

See, a motorcycle may excel in both the departments, but excellence in one does not necessarily guarantee that it will be as good, or bad, in the other. But let me explain what handling and maneuverability mean.

Handling essentially means how good a motorcycle is at taking corners at high speeds, and ‘how good’ is a measure of how quickly it turns into a corner; how stable it remains there, and how easy it is to get it back up and repeat. The Yamaha YZF-R15 should come to your mind. How stable it is in a straight line at high speeds is also a part of handling. Steering geometry (rake & trail angles), wheelbase, suspension, chassis, weight, aerodynamics, and tyre grip determine the bike’s handling characteristics.

Maneuverability, as the word suggests, simply means how easy it is to perform the maneuvers expected in the daily grind. The maneuvers include the push and pull required to squeeze into and out of a tight parking lot, pedalling back behind an adamant cager to make full use of the steering lock available, tight U-turns, etc. Weight, steering lock-to-lock range, and—to a certain extent—wheelbase and steering geometry as well, determine how easy or difficult it will be for you in traffic.

If these definitions were two straight lines, the only time they meet each other would be at instances that require riding quicker than other forms of traffic in dense but moving traffic, say, while filtering. Or when you need to pee. That’s when you need a motorcycle that should not require much effort in directional changes, whether under motor’s power or your own.

Now, the kind of riding a Benelli Imperiale 400’s owner would do, straight line stability (which comes under ‘handling’ as we discussed) would be his only requirement from the things we discussed under “handling”, whereas he certainly would require the bike to check all the points we mentioned under maneuverability. Plus, he would also need the bike to be adept at things we discussed in the last paragraph. So how does the Imperiale 400 fare?

Excellent, when it comes to high speed stability. Honestly, being the heaviest and longest in the segment, it would have been a shame if it didn’t achieve this. It’s easy, so no pats on Benelli’s back. Even with a light rider like me aboard, the bike remains beautifully planted even at 120-125 km/h. Even post that it doesn’t get unnerving as you’ll see in the videos below shortly. But what’s really commendable is that it doesn’t feel that it’s heavier than the RE! For example, if you have to move an RE, any RE, in tight spaces using your own musclepower, it’d be a proper workout. With the Benelli, it’s like a warmup session.

You also don’t feel the weight much in traffic, which, coming from a five-foot rider, says everything about it. A pat on Benelli’s back definitely this time! The lack of heft also makes filtering through dense traffic a cinch on this motorcycle. We all did that a lot on our way back because crossing Ghaziabad to enter Delhi is still a nightmare. Even in broad daylight. It checks all the required boxes, then.

But if you must know how it corners, then let me tell you that you won’t be disappointed. The stiff rear helps here, while the considerate front doesn’t wallow around either. I had thought that I would keep it for the verdict, but let me divulge here that this rides and handles like a mini-Bonneville! Well, a mini-Bonnie with a hard rear suspension.

Coming to the braking performance, the word ‘adequate’ describes it truthfully. The bite isn’t something that you would call strong, and the feel also is not something you’ll boast about to your friends. But they stopped the bike in time, every time, and that’s all I expect from my bike. I mean, I didn’t encounter a situation in the entire ride where I felt that I should have stopped quicker. Do keep in mind that the bikes were brand new, and the brakes weren’t bedded in properly.

An owner’s bike, I feel, will perform better in this area. The ABS is surprisingly non-intrusive, which tells me that the usually bad-mouthed TVS Remora tyres don’t do a bad job on this one on dry tarmac. And since none of us fell while negotiating the aforementioned off-road stretches, I’d say that they don’t disappoint on loose stuff too.

Benelli Imperiale 400 Review: Performance

The Imperiale 400 is actually a 374 cc motor. If this was a Facebook post, the first heart reactions would come from the KTM 390s. The Benelli’s motor is much simpler though, like it should be on a modern-retro. So it’s an air-cooled unit developing 21 PS at 5,500 rpm and 29 Nm at 4,500 rpm. But simpler doesn’t mean outdated, so fuel is injected electronically, while a single overhead camshaft operates the four valves to start and complete the combustion process. A Delphi ECU oversees everything.

But how does all of that come together, you ask? Like whipped cream, sir! This is again where it feels like a mini-Bonneville. The motor’s smooth & refined; the power delivery is linear, and the soundtrack is throaty but with a low decibel count. It’s like that handsome well-built man who will handle everything with elan but would never resort to violence, irrespective of the level of provocation.

It’s quick for the segment it plays in, but doesn’t feel hurried. It crosses 100 km/h, but does that with grace. It’s not lazy by any stretch of imagination; it just has a calm demeanour like the Bonneville. And like I had mentioned in that Triumph’s review, even this Benelli can bring down instances of road rage, especially in Delhi. But if you must know how quick and fast it is, then you may watch the clips below:

The avid tourers would also want to know the cruising speed in top (5th) gear. So here they are:
62 km/h at 3,000 rpm
82 km/h at 4,000 rpm
102 km/h at 5,000 rpm
110 km/h at 5,500 rpm
122 km/h 6,000 rpm
130 km/h at around 6,300 rpm

The redline starts at 6,000 rpm but the limiter cuts in at just below 7,000 rpm. It’s a pretty tractable motor as well that doesn’t require you to work the 5-speeder much in traffic. Third and fourth gears are good enough to trundle around in the city, and you don’t always have to drop a gear to disappear (I hate that cliche).

Most importantly, there are almost zero vibrations, especially between 80-120 km/h. I know, that’s indeed the best news for those of you contemplating a buy to go touring on it!

Benelli Imperiale 400 Review: Fuel Efficiency

Normally, no journo can tell you about the fuel efficiency after the first media rides. Simply because you can’t do a tankful-to-tankful test, unless the tank capacity of the unit is under four liters. That said, thanks to the wonderful 240 km ride, I can at least you give you an approximate figure, which should be not much off the mark, give or take 4-5 km/l. The fuel gauge had two bars still left after my ride, and it hadn’t hit reserve, which I am assuming could be anywhere between two to three liters in a 12-liter fuel tank.

So considering that the bike used around eight liters of fuel for this ride, the fuel efficiency comes to 30 km/l. It must be reiterated that we were gunning the bikes most of the time during this ride, and no owner will ride like this. I reckon that your Benelli Imperiale 400’s average fuel efficiency figure will be 35 km/l, or more with a careful right hand.

Benelli Imperiale 400 Review: Verdict

We had reached earlier than other media houses, and got to choose our test bike in the colour we liked the most. Faraz chose the bike you see here and I was pleasantly surprised to hear from Benelli that it’s the one cheaper than the other two colour options by 10 thousand rupees! It’s the one that allows them to write “price starting at INR 1.69 lakh”. The Jawa’s price is listed on the company’s website as INR 1.64 lakh, while the cheapest Classic 350 ABS is priced at 1.54 lakh by RE. RE’s pricing also changes by the colour options though, with the costliest Classic 350 ABS being those sand and blue variants at INR 1.64 lakh each. All prices mentioned here are ex-showroom, Delhi.

At the outset, you just cannot go wrong with any of these three bikes if words like nostalgia, retro, reminisce, classic, iron, metal, etc., appear in your social media bio. Of course, these are and would be bought by those as well who aren’t on social media. However, all buyers will invariably compare these three bikes, to varying degrees, and that is where we come in. And we’ll achieve that by temporarily disconnecting the heart, and using only the brain. Don’t worry, we’d let the heart rule eventually.

Let’s keep it simple then. If you’re opting for the Benelli, you’re paying five thousand over the Jawa, and anywhere between five to twenty-five thousand, depending upon the colours you fancy, over the Classic 350 ABS. What extra do you get for that amount? When compared to the RE, the Imperiale 400 gets you a modern engine with fuel injection and four valves, more power and torque, better acceleration and top speed, best in segment instrument cluster and equipment, best in segment build quality, an unmatched three-year unlimited km warranty and two-year complimentary service, and most importantly—REFINEMENT.

When compared to the Jawa, Benelli is again giving you the best in segment build quality, the unmatched three-year unlimited km warranty and two-year complimentary service again stand out, better ergonomics for taller folks while still being in reach of shorter riders, way better seats for the rider and pillion, and the bike’s delivery before you get old.

But the knockout punch comes in the form of way this Benelli feels. At this price, no motorcycle should have the right to feel like a small capacity Bonneville, but this one does! In fact, Triumph should have made such a motorcycle, but I am glad that someone did. And I am not at all referring to the design when I say that, despite there being a good resemblance between the Bonnie and this Benelli when viewed head on. I am talking about the way the Imperiale rides, the way it handles, the way its engine behaves, the way it makes you feel; everything about this Benelli shouts BONNEVILLE!

For those of you who haven’t ridden a Bonneville, the following line will elucidate it in a better manner. Simply put, the Imperiale 400 feels way too classy and premium for any Jawa and RE (except the 650s, of course) to be able to even come close as of now.

2019 Gixxer 250 Race Bike Media Endurance Race – Experience

Suzuki invited us for a media endurance race on its new Gixxer SF 250 race bike which has been tuned to offer better performance. Let us discuss its experience…

Suzuki is late, very late to the quarter liter party. Though you may argue that it did offer us the ‘brilliant’ Inazuma few years back, in reality, those were not the specs India would ever settle with after paying such a price. Eventually, only a massive slash could dissolve the marked inventory for India.

Cut to 2019 and after a long wait it has given us not one but two single cylinder brilliant quarter liters – the naked Gixxer and the faired Gixxer SF, replicating its 150cc segment success. Why have I used the word ‘brilliant’ is because our road test editor, Shiraz had already tested the roadgoing SF and the review is already live on BikeAdvice.

This is the commercial Gixxer SF 250 MotoGP Edition…

Upon Suzuki’s invitation, I wanted him to test the race spec Gixxer as well because that would have provided a deeper insight on what difference has the changes done to the motorcycle. But because he had to attend Young Media Racer Program from another manufacturer on the same dates, I packed my kit and was away to Kari, Coimbatore – my first time on this track!

And this is the Gixxer SF 250 race spec motorcycle

Like last time Suzuki had divided the event in two parts – one was a practice session on the motorcycle and the other day was kept for the eventual race.

Kari is a completely different experience for almost everyone. It is a smaller (2.1 km vs 3.7 km MMRT and 5.14 km long BIC), very technical track and has some very sharp corners. So, the task was not only to get acquainted with a race-prepped motorcycle but to also master/understand the track, all in a matter of a few minutes we were given for practice. Also, to let you know it was the first time the Gixxer SF 250 Race bike was being ridden for races; not even Suzuki’s official riders had tried it till then.

The Distribution

We were 26 journalists and all of us were paired with a rider from another publication, forming 13 teams in all. This was based on a random chit system and my partner was Suraj Sawant from Motor World India. The fastest lap from the practice session was to be considered for next day’s standings before the actual race. I clocked a best time of around 1:31 which was just about decent in the overall scheme of things but I did get a fairly good hang of things.

While we are at it, let us quickly talk about the motorcycle and the changes it had gone through before finishing it up with the actual race.

Gixxer SF 250 Race Bike

Suzuki works with an independent tuning team for its race-spec Gixxers. It must be highlighted that the race-prep Gixxer SF 250 which we were riding had a bone stock engine and the ECU was also not touched! However, the motorcycle went through massive load shedding and Suzuki stripped off everything unwanted – like the headlamp, rear number plate assembly, rear view mirrors, saree guard, etc. This meant whopping savings of about 25 kilograms against the commercial version. It had a custom made free flow exhaust which itself shaved off over 5 kgs – it weighs just 1.4 kg against 6.9 kg of the dual-barrel exhaust of the stock motorcycle.

The race bike was shod with low set clip-on handlebars and rearset footpegs to provide that crouched riding posture. The steering and brake play was very minimal and Suzuki had stripped the motorcycle off that dual channel ABS system also, along with the fan for that oil cooler.

Against the MRF tyres of the production SF, the race-spec Gixxer was equipped with Metzeler tyres which were leech like grippy and instilled a world of confidence specially during late corner brakings.

As a result of all the changes, Suzuki informed that the motorcycle produced roughly 30 hp of power, about 3-4 hp more than the stock version.

Apart from the gearing, which I felt was shorter, it was one lovely, instant-accelerating machine. I also got to learn how brilliantly Suzuki has developed the internals of the engine and other bits through the tuner of the motorcycle – who is a non-Suzuki guy and tunes all types of motorcycles!

Finally the Race

The duration of the Endurance race was decided to be 40 minutes with every team requiring to change partners at least once during the tenure. It was also a pre-requisite for both the riders to be on the track for at least 14 minutes each.

Since Suraj was quicker than me in the practice session, we decided that he should go first for a better start and let him be on the track for a slightly longer duration. We carefully thought out our strategy and ensured we will not commit a mistake.

It was a proper LeMan’s style start to the race – all the riders who were to go first were lined-up on one side with the motorcycles arranged on the other, being held by the second rider. Upon flag off, the first rider had to run towards the bike, start it and get going.

The riders running for their motorcycles

I had kept everything ready for Suraj and seconds before the kick-off signalled him to be calm and not to rush. A few teams gobbled up here at the start line in all the excitement and urgency and finally we were the first team to set off.

We were the first to set-off on our bike number 04

We were up against some people who had been riding on tracks for years, some who were race coaches, etc. So, the idea was to be as quick as possible and make only one rider change to avoid wastage of time. We carefully decided to let Suraj ride for 21-22 minutes and then signal him to come back after that.

That’s Suraj throttling it out…

Last year, Shiraz and his team mate had goofed up during rider changes and one was not ready when the other entered the pit lane causing a big time loss. You can read last year’s experience here.

This is what Shiraz rode last time at the media endurance race – the race-spec Gixxer SF 150

I joined the race at around the 23rd-24th minute and carried on for the remaining period of time.

The rider change…

The top speed I could clock on that straight was about 155 kph with the motorcycle maxxing out each and every time (it was the same story for others as well). A longer gearing would probably have helped here. Eventually, there were only four teams which could complete 27 laps in the stipulated timelines and we were one of them. Suraj’s tenth lap was our fastest at 1:25:686. I would have also shed some significant seconds in my all-out attempt on the second day. In the overall standings, we missed the podium by a whisker and finished fourth in this list of 13 teams.

Suzuki’s MD presented certificates to every participant…

More than the satisfaction of our standings, this endurance race – the overall concept, was fabulous and each and everyone, including the ones who could not be blistering fast on the track, enjoyed it thoroughly.

The winners…

Apart from a lot of track learnings, this could easily be the moto event where I enjoyed the most. And it was the motorcycle and its behavior which made us – highly-unfit-for-track-racing folks, grin from ear to ear! Suzuki deserves a huge round of applause for being one of the makers to push and promote motor racing in India and for creating such a brilliant motorcycle.

All-New 250cc Motorcycle Under Development, Confirms Top Suzuki Official

All the journalists from various portals – Everyone together…

This also means curtains for Shiraz for any of the endurance races in the future  .

Yamaha’s Sales Performance For October 2011

Following an overwhelming response for the Yamaha’s latest offering – The YZF R15 Version 2.0 which was backed up with the seasonal festivities, India Yamaha Motor clocked a growth rate of 26.8 per cent in the motorcycle sales during the month of October 2011 as compared to the corresponding period the previous year.

The company totally sold 47,240 units in October 2011whereas it was able to sell only 37,251 units in October 2010. In the domestic front, the company sold 38,229 units in October 2011 as compared to 31,791 units sold in the same month last year, which accounts for a growth of 20.3 per cent. Talking about the company in the export front, the figures stood at 9,011 units in October 2011 while 5,460 motorcycles were exported in October 2010, accounting for a growth rate of 65per cent.

Commenting about the above mentioned performance, Mr. Jun Nakata, Director-Sales & Marketing, India Yamaha Motor said, “We have established a firm foothold within 150cc+ segment in the Indian motorcycle market with the R15 version 2.0, FZ series & SZ series gaining much traction and getting accolades from our esteemed customers. The new R15 has been very well received in the market with bookings superseding the supply. The festive season has also played a vital role in catapulting sales for Yamaha this month. We are confident that the momentum will sustain in the long run and help us in redefining our sales graph.” So, we get to see how confident the company is about its flagship model R15 V2.0 in the sub continent.

Yamaha continues to reinforce its relationship with the customers and has launched the ‘YES! YAMAHA’ campaign that endeavours to provide the Best 3S Experience so that the customer always appreciates Yamaha”. Yamaha being a company that is synonymous with performance bikes known for high power delivery, the company is making continuous and consistent efforts by conducting consumer-centric marketing initiatives such as Yamaha R15 One Make Race, apart from organizing Yamaha Safe Riding Science (YSRS) for college students & kids. Through this campaign, Yamaha tried to inculcate safe riding techniques by offering exclusive tips for the young riders.