Another week, another update from Benelli as the momentum of its rapid range expansion continues to gather pace, this time with the incoming Benelli TRK702 in focus.
Spurred on by the huge success of the affordable and versatile TRK502 - which has surged clear of rivals to become Italy’s best-selling motorcycle - Benelli is now working hard to capitalise on its success by expanding the TRK line.
Having already revealed the Benelli TRK800 at EICMA last year, the Chinese-owned Italian firm is now developing a more off-road focused TRK702 to join the range.
Indeed, whereas the TRK502 (above) is a rugged tourer with off-roading capabilities and the TRK800 is pitched more towards the sports tourer segment, the Benelli TRK702 will head in the other direction as a more dedicated ADV model.
This is demonstrated in new patent drawings that takes the design language of the TRK800 and tweaks it with more utilitarian features, including panels for holding panniers and body protection bars.
A glance at the drawings also suggest the TRK702 will come with a much larger fuel tank, following the trend set by the new Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid, which ups the capacity from 16 litres to 23 litres.
In addition, one of the more intriguing features revealed in the drawings is the inclusion of two cameras - mounted at the front and rear - which essentially act as built-in ‘dash cams’, a feature that has become increasingly popular for those who enjoy watching their exploits back or to provide evidence of road traffic issues while out riding.
Under the skin, the Benelli TRK702 makes use of the 693cc two-cylinder engine sourced from Kawasaki, a unit that has also found a home recently in CFMoto’s 700CL-X range.
The rapid rise of Benelli in recent years has been motivated by its sale to Chinese firm Qianjiang (QJ Motor) in 2005. Though its input was minimal initially, QJ Motor has gone on to expand the Italian marque’s presence in the vast Asian market, while it also sells a number of the same models under its own nameplate in China.
Even so, it is in Benelli’s native Italian market where it has experienced huge success, with the TRK502 now comfortably out-selling the erstwhile long-time number one seller, the BMW R 1250 GS.
Between 2016 and 2020 alone, Benelli’s global sales soared by 345%. Having enjoyed a record year in 2021, Benelli is reportedly on course to exceed that again in 2022.
