Benelli preview Tornado 500
Benelli Australia have announced an upcoming addition to the local range, with the ‘Tornado 500’ set to join the Leoncino naked, 502C cruiser, TRK adventure bikes and TnT125 compact commuter. Recycling a name previously applied to both Benelli’s 900cc triple and 125cc TnT125, the new Tornado 500 was unveiled at EICMA 2023 and is due for release in the first half of this year.
The Tornado 500 (also referred to as the T500) appears to have cribbed a lot from the Leoncino 500 and related 502C that we’re familiar with, but is more closely related to the Tornado Naked Twin 500 that’s already been released but is not offered in Australia. Using the Naked’s engine, frame and many of its cycle parts, the Tornado 500 adds a sportier skin and several spec changes.
That sportier skin includes a full fairing, reconfigured headlight treatment, clip-on handlebars and a more prominent, upswept exhaust, but underneath all that is a steel trellis frame and a 500cc liquid-cooled DOHC parallel twin engine that produces the same maximums of 35kW at 8,500rpm and 46Nm at 6,000rpm as the Leoncino 500. The gearbox is a six-speed and there’s chain final drive.
At 1420mm, the Tornado 500’s wheelbase is shorter compared to the 1443mm on the Leoncino 500, but the weight is substantially more, with the upcoming model listed at 186kg dry, while the Leoncino is just 170kg dry. The extra weight is, in part, down to the fairing, as well as standard features that include a 5.0-inch TFT instrument screen, a tyre pressure monitoring system and bigger fuel tank – 16.5lt versus 12.7lt. At 810mm, the Tornado 500’s seat height is only marginally taller than the Leoncino’s 785mm.
Other spec features include 41mm Marzocchi USD front suspension with full compression, rebound and preload adjustability and a monoshock rear with rebound and preload adjustment. Travel is listed at 115mm front and 125mm rear. The braking package is the same as the Leoncino – ABS-equipped dual 320mm front discs and a single 260mm rear disc – but the 4-piston front and single-piston rear calipers are upgraded to Brembos.
Seventeen-inch alloy wheels are carried over from the Tornado Naked Twin 500, fitted with 120/70 and 160/60 section tyres. Lighting elements aren’t listed, but they appear to be LEDs, like the Tornado Naked Twin 500. USB and USB-C ports are included, along with Bluetooth connectivity and navigation functionality.
The fairing, designed by the Benelli Styling Centre, is highly sculpted and aggressive, with the Tornado 500’s profile emphasising the rider-forward stance. At the front, there’s a pair of vertically-stacked small headlights, flanked by large DRLs, whose shape is said to have been inspired by the teeth of a lion. The tail is sharply tapered, aided by the fact the tail light is incorporated into the indicators. How – or if – these meet our ADRs is unknown at this stage.
Australian pricing and a release date for the Tornado 500 had not been announced at time of writing, but something in the $12,000 range is expected (the Leoncino 500 is priced from $9,890 and the 502C from $10,590), while arrival will be sometime “in the coming months,” according to Benelli Australia. As engine outputs are the same as the Leoncino 500, the Tornado 500 should be LAMS-compliant. For updates, go to Benelli Australia’s social media channels.