Benelli 600RR Photos Leaked

[Hugh Janus]

Qianjiang has promised this 600cc sport model would appear sometime in 2020, and leaked pictures suggest development is still on track. (Benelli/)

Benelli might no longer be the Ducati-rivaling, all-Italian brand that Andrea Merloni envisaged when he revived the name in the late 1990s but under its Chinese ownership the name is starting to return to prominence—and later this year a new 600cc sport model promises to continue that trend.

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Although the bikes are built in China now, the latest generation of Benelli-branded machines made under the control of current owner Qianjiang has been a vast improvement on those made just a few years ago, to the extent that the TRK 502 ended last year as Italy’s third best-selling motorcycle. With increasingly impressive build quality and fast-improving technology, the firm is one to keep an eye on.

A planned introduction for the 600RR was scheduled for May or June, though pandemic issues may have thrown the timeline somewhat into question. (Benelli/)

The new 600cc sport model seen above was first hinted at in a leaked planning document early this year. It showed the planned introduction dates for several new models during 2020, including one called the 600RR that was due to take a bow in May or June. It’s not clear whether that reveal date has been pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic, but this picture comes to us via official Chinese type-approval documents that show the machine’s development is still on schedule.

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The 600RR’s foundation goes back more than a decade, when it might have seen production as the hub-center-steering Quattro. (Benelli/)

Although the styling is completely new, the 600RR’s roots can be traced to before the firm was bought by Qianjiang in 2005. At that time, Benelli was just completing the development of its new four-cylinder, 600cc engine with plans to put it into a sportbike that was intended to be called the Quattro. Sketches at the time envisaged it as a cutting-edge machine with Bimota Tesi-style, hub-center steering. The Quattro was canned, but the engine reached production in the TNT600 in 2012, and that bike forms the basis of the new 600RR.

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In Benelli’s current lineup is the TNT600 model, upon which the forthcoming 600RR is based. (Benelli/)

In fact, Benelli is launching at least three new 600s this year. First will be a naked version of this bike, based on the existing TNT600’s chassis but with new styling and a reworked, emissions-friendly version of the four-cylinder engine. The naked model has already been spied in China, with videos on social media showing that its technology includes keyless ignition, a color TFT instrument pack and bar controls with RGB LED backlighting. On the Chinese market the naked bike is expected to be sold under the “QJiang” brand name as the 600 SRK, but spy videos show that the Benelli name and logo appear on the dash when the ignition is turned on. Benelli’s planning document shows its name as “600N.”

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One of the new 600s being launched by Benelli this year will be a naked model, expected to be sold under the QJiang brand in China. (Benelli/)

The 600RR is mechanically identical but gains full bodywork and a racier riding position. It’s not a rival for Japanese supersport 600 bikes; the engine’s peak power is only 80 hp, putting it instead directly between the Kawasaki Ninja 650 and Honda CBR650R in the performance stakes. Ready to ride, the faired Benelli comes in at 215 kilograms (474 pounds, claimed). As befits Benelli’s Italian roots, the 600 features Brembo brakes, and the documents confirm they’re backed by a Bosch 9.1 ABS system. Like the naked 600cc bike, the Chinese RR version will be sold as a QJiang, and that’s the branding seen on the bike here. Logos on the belly pan suggest it will be called the QJiang 600 SRG. The Benelli version sold in the rest of the world will look identical apart from the paintwork and is expected to go under the name “600RR.”

Although the pandemic may have pushed the bike’s launch schedule back, the original plan was to have production start in November. At the end of the year, yet another derivative—a sport-touring 600GT model—is also due to be launched.

benelli.ssrmotorsports.com

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