Benda Chinchilla 350 CVT NEO twist-and-go cruiser revealed
As many motorcycle makers look to complex alternative transmissions, this Chinese brand is going down a simpler route.
The last few years have been interesting in the two-wheeled world, with seemingly all the big players in the industry exploring alternative motorcycle transmissions.
Be it Honda’s complex but super smooth DCT, or Yamaha’s Y-AMT, it’s clear that bike makers feel that making bikes easier to ride is the key to getting more bums on seats.
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And it’s a quest that the Chinese brand Benda is also on, as a new model has appeared on its global website. But instead of going down the more complex route of mimicking a clutch-pulling hand and a gear-changing foot (as has been done by Yamaha with Y-AMT and Honda with E-Clutch), Benda is going down a simpler, and more familiar road.
The bike in question is the Chinchilla 350 CVT NEO, and as the name suggests, it uses a continuously variable transmission, the same type of system that first appeared in the two-wheeled world way back in 1911- then on Zenith Gradua.
Why put a CVT on a full-size motorcycle?
Adding a CVT to anything other than a scooter or maxi scooter is unlikely to be a move to try and unlock more performance from the bike. Indeed, the Benda website states that “For new riders, this means easier control and greater confidence”, backing up the theory that this is more about choice and less about performance.
And, while adding a CVT to a full-sized bike seems like an odd flex, it could be a smart move. If you were looking to catch riders who might be moving up into riding a ‘proper’ bike after years on a twist-and-go scoot, what better way to lure them in than by offering the very same system they are used to, wrapped up in a cruiser platform.
It’s something that Aprilia tried a few years ago with the Mana 850. It too featured a CVT, and while on that occasion it didn’t totally capture the imagination of riders (despite being on sale just under a decade), it might have been its sporty naked styling that was part of the issue. Putting a CVT in a cruiser seems like a more sensible bet.
Away from the CVT, the bike is pretty much what you’d expect. Power comes from a 343cc V-twin engine, which pumps out an easy-going 32bhp and 16lb ft of torque. Black, grey and yellow options are said to be getting launched, with a European rollout expected before the end of 2025. Pricing is TBC.
You can check out the bike for yourself on the official website.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
