A larger, more powerful version of Benelli’s popular TRK adventure tourer is on the way with a new 693cc engine to take the fight to the Yamaha Tracer 7 and new Triumph Tiger Sport 660.
The Benelli TRK 702 was uncovered in the final production firm while being registered in China, where it will be branded under the name of the Italian firm’s Chinese owners, QianJiang (QJ Motor).
Though the last 12 months have seen a veritable slew of new models emanating from QJ - some of which could come to Europe using Benelli branding - this Benelli TRK 700 could become the rejuvenated historic firm’s most important launch to date.
Based around the theme of the TRK 502, though that model sits in an unconventional marketplace bridging the gap between lower displacement models and adventure tourers with larger engines, it has become a ‘sleeper hit’ for the Italian firm.
Indeed, though it has been on sale since 2017, the TRK 502 has surged ahead at the top of the Italian sales charts, so much so that it was almost entirely responsible for Benelli to exceed its 2020 sales figures in fewer than six months of 2021.
While there has been talk of a larger TRK model for some time, with many expecting it to use the 800cc engine from the Leoncino, this TRK 702 in fact uses the 693cc engine that can be found in the Kawasaki Z650 and CFMoto 700 CL-X.
Using these models as a base, the Benelli TRK 702 should therefore produce around 75hp, plus come with a 19-inch double rim rear wheel and weight around 220kg.
By reducing the ‘802’ into a ‘702’, this could free up space for Benelli to add its in-development 1000cc engine to the TRK, giving it a rival for the likes of the Yamaha Tracer 9 and Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT.
