Benelli concept study: Tornado Naked Tre 903 with modular frame

TnT Naked Tre 903 Concept, or TnT 903 for short: it was under this name that Benelli hinted at its return to the full-size mid-range segment at the EICMA show in Italy over the past few days. This is the segment in which the Italian brand recorded the bulk of its sales at the start of the millennium, but which the Pesaro-based brand had long neglected following its takeover by the Chinese two-wheeler and engine conglomerate Qianjiang in 2005. The Chinese parent company – which is itself now owned to just under 30 per cent by Daimler’s partner Geely – has since taken over production for the Italians. As a result, the long-established brand has achieved considerable success in recent years with attractive models at equally attractive prices, and ranks among the market leaders in its home market with the TRK 502 and TRK 702. At present, however, sales figures are trending downwards.

With the development of the Rino 900 by its parent brand, QJ Motor, the Italians are also set to return to their former core segment. Rather than simply applying their own design to QJ models, however, the brand’s designers have opted for a more sophisticated approach, and the TnT 903 concept bike offers a glimpse into the direction the engineers in Pesaro intend to take in future: Benelli describes the show bike in general terms as a ‘platform for exploring advanced technical solutions’, which draws on the ‘brand’s three-cylinder heritage’. Behind this lies a dedicated platform on which the brand’s development studio, located not far from Rimini, is working. The frame of the naked bike consists of three different modules, with the front, centre and rear sections being interchangeable to adapt the frame to different areas of use. This is intended to allow the centre of gravity, geometry and flex to be adjusted, thereby reducing the development and assembly costs for different models.

In the naked bike concept, which Benelli unveiled for the first time at EICMA, the two outer frame modules are made of aluminium. Carbon fibre forms the subframe, onto which the motorcycle’s single seat is mounted. On the exhibition model, the rear wheel is mounted on an aluminium swingarm with a fully adjustable Öhlins shock absorber, whilst the front features a fully adjustable Marzocchi fork. The Rino 900 from parent brand QJ Motor provides the basic framework for the powertrain, although this has been extensively revised. The result of the engineers’ work in Pesaro is a three-cylinder engine which, according to the manufacturer, is said to weigh around 56 kilograms and – unlike the engines from parent brand QJ Motor – is designed with a significantly shorter stroke and a larger bore, enabling it to rev up to 14,000 rpm. The aim is to achieve a distinctly sporty character, and the 119 PS rated power output of the sister engine is also set to be significantly exceeded in a production version.

When this might be expected remains unclear for the time being, as do reliable figures for power or weight. It is also uncertain which details will make it into series production, and there are plenty of them on the concept bike: be it retractable winglets, which do not detract from the bike’s appearance at low speeds, or the TFT instrument cluster integrated into the fork clamp. The ram-air intake at the front, which also acts as a windscreen, is technically sophisticated.

At this stage, the Tornado Naked Tre 903 in its concept form is primarily a showcase through which the developers from Pesaro demonstrate the solutions they intend to use to shape the Benelli brand in the future. A production version of the three-cylinder naked bike stands a good chance of materialising, but it is the frame concept in particular that is likely to give the brand greater flexibility for different model variants in future: SPEEDWEEK.com readers will already know that Benelli has long been developing a touring enduro in this segment, which is likely to draw on this platform in future and target customers of the Triumph Tiger 900. For the Italian manufacturer, the technical platform would be a means of breaking away from its parent company, QJ Motor. This would make it easier to bring higher-end motorbikes of various designs to market, giving Benelli more opportunities to capitalise on its rich corporate history.