LAUNCH TEST – 2022 BENELLI LEONCINO 800 AND 800 TRAILV - JUST BIKES

LAUNCH TEST – 2022 Benelli Leoncino 800 and 800 Trailv

Words: Phil Suriano

Photos: Jeff Crow, Tom Fossati - courtesy of UMI
Does bigger equal better? Depends on what you’re talking about and who you ask. In terms of motorcycles, bigger engine capacity is usually always better – unless you’re in the LAMS market. LAMS, by its very nature, is restrictive, so to break out of those confines opens up new possibilities. Case in point being the Leoncino and Leoncino Trail siblings from Benelli, which are now bigger at 800cc capacity – but are they better?

LAUNCH TEST – 2022 Benelli Leoncino 800 and 800 Trail

I make no bones about my admiration for the previous, 500cc version of the Leoncino. I thought it was one of the best-looking motorcycles from any brand in the past decade. My ride on it during the Australian media launch confirmed it had the ‘go’ to match ‘show’, too, with impressive acceleration, braking and overall handling – better than anything you’d expect from a half-litre LAMS bike. I’m sure anyone who’s ridden one would agree.

So, almost five years on from the Leoncino and Leoncino Trail arriving on our shores (after originally being presented in concept form at EICMA in 2015), I’m in Melbourne to check out the “enlarged” versions of both models, which started arriving here in late September.

When I say ‘enlarged’, I refer back to my original comment about bigger being better. In this instance, Benelli have retained the same basic formula for the Leoncino and Leoncino Trail, but upped the engine capacity from 500cc to 754cc. Obviously, that moves it out of the LAMS category but opens it up to full licence holders who may hold some prejudices about using a “learner bike” as their regular ride.

Old v New

At first glance, it doesn’t look like Benelli have changed much in transferring the Leoncino name from a 500 to an 800, but the changes are extensive, from styling to overall dimensions, electronics and more.

On that name, Leoncino translates from Italian as ‘lion cub’ and has history with Benelli dating to the 1950s. Back then, the name was applied to pint-sized commuters of 98cc and 125cc capacity, so it was appropriate. Attaching the same name to a 500 twin probably stretches the association, but is a 754cc twin really a “cub”? Probably not, but it’s a cool name and going with just “Leon” probably makes it sound too much like a certain '90s action flick starring Jean Reno!

Of the two Leoncinos (and related Leoncino Trails), the frame is still a steel tube trellis, but the 800’s configuration is more in the mould of a Ducati Monster. Wheelbase increases from 1433mm to 1460mm, but the 2140mm overall length on the Leoncino 800 is only 1mm longer than the 500.

Height increases from 1120mm to 1160mm, seat height goes from 785mm to 805mm and weight goes from 170kg to 222kg dry, which is substantial, but not having to cater to the LAMS market means that won’t be a deal breaker to most potential customers.

To achieve 754cc, bore and stroke goes from 69 x 66.8mm to 88 x 62mm, with related engine alterations including larger throttle bodies (43mm vs 37mm) and Euro5 compliance (which the 500 didn’t have), but the basic DOHC 8-valve parallel twin configuration is unchanged.

Those extra 254cc see maximum power rise from 35.8kW to 56kW and torque from 45Nm to 67Nm– significant rises in each instance. Notably, max power comes on at the same 8,500rpm, while torque peaks at 6500rpm for the 800, compared to 4500rpm for the 500.

The six-speed transmission is unchanged, as is most of the suspension and braking. The latter is a little surprising, but the 500 was arguably overbraked, with its dual 320mm front discs and 4-piston calipers, a 260mm rear disc with single-piston caliper and standard ABS the sort of thing you see on litre-class bikes, not 500s.

Wheels remain at 17 inches and the front tyre is unchanged at 120/70-ZR17, but the rear hoop swells from 160/70-ZR17 to 180/55-ZR17. There’s also an increase in fuel capacity form 12.7 litres to 15 and an instrument cluster that’s been upgraded to a very funky TFT display.

I should clarify that all this comparative data refers to the Leoncino, with the Leoncino Trail offering further differences in things like the seat height, suspension travel, front wheel size and standard tyres.

Two Days, Two Bikes

The Australian media launch allowed us to sample both flavours of the Leoncino 800 and included long B-road stretches, some epic twisties and off-road work through fire trails, muddy inclines and river crossings. The Trail isn’t really an adventure bike, but it proved surprisingly capable away from the tarmac, which would make it ideal for those looking to mix dirt and asphalt in their weekend riding.

The two-day affair saw us depart from Melbourne, taking back roads to Geelong (about an hour’s ride), hit the famous Great Ocean Road from Airey’s Inlet to Lorne, then head inland on the aforementioned fire trails and dirt tracks before returning to Torquay.

Day 2 took us across Port Phillip Bay from Queenscliff to Sorrento, with more road riding around the Mornington Peninsula before returning to Melbourne.

The off-tarmac parts of this launch were better suited to the Leoncino 800 Trail, which features wire spoke wheels and a larger (19 inch) front rim, as well as Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres instead of Pirelli MT60RS hoops at each end as standard.

The Trail also offers more suspension travel – 140mm vs 130mm – and a taller 834mm seat height, as well as wave-pattern brake discs, an upgraded clutch and a 46-tooth rear sprocket.

Separate styling touches set the two variants apart, too, with the key difference being a high-mount exhaust exit on the 800 Trail that’s covered by a race-style side plate bearing bold ‘800’ identification. The Trail also gets a larger headlight fairing and bobbed front mudguard, but the tank, seat, tail, handlebars and mirrors are all the same as the standard version.

As already mentioned, engine spec, transmission and braking are unchanged across both models.

Style King

Benelli always seems to nail the styling of their bikes and the new Leoncino siblings are no exception, with a modern urban naked look for the roadgoing 800 and a bold scrambler appearance for the 800 Trail. Available colours are very conservative, but in a really positive way. Rock Grey, Forest Green and Terrain Brown options are applied across both variants, but arguably suit the 800 Trail better. I would have liked to see some bolder colours on the regular 800, like red or blue, but maybe they’re coming.

It’s different strokes for different folks, but I much preferred the look of the Trail, primarily because I’ve always liked a scrambler with a set of 50/50 tyres, elevated exhausts, side number panel and all those other traditional styling cues.

The chunky upside-down forks were a real stand out on both models and added to the Leoncino's solid appearance. I also appreciated the effort taken to black out the bike’s catalytic convertor, which can look ugly when manufacturers make no effort to hide it.

Benelli have certainly spent time to make sure that the final product ticks both the design and finish boxes. Nothing on either bike looked ugly and nothing looked cheap, with clean welds on the frame and well-fitted plastics and garnish, although I was questioning Benelli’s retention of the little lion on the front mudguard (as mentioned, this ain’t a “little” bike anymore) and the routing of the front brake cable via the rear of the mudguard, which just looked messy and is something I could see snagging off-road with the 800 Trail.

All lighting is LED and looked very neat and tidy. Modern, too, with the switch from a circular headlight to a rounded-off rectangle and pill-shaped indicators that were well positioned. Riding at night, I found the headlight produced an effective spread of light on low beam and a very good high beam for highway riding.

Some of the journos on the launch criticised the tyres, particularly the grip levels from the MT60s, but I thought both types were excellent and a great choice for the Leoncino 800.

Highs and Lows

Moving from the 800 to the 800 Trail at various points of the media launch, I certainly noticed the difference in seat height; hardly surprising given the difference of 29cm.

There’s a different stance and different perspective when astride the 834mm 800 Trail versus the 805mm 800, but I could plant my feet comfortably on the ground with both and actually preferred the higher seat of the Trail.

The seat design, which is common to both Leoncino 800s, was very appealing, and while it gave the impression of being minimalistic, it certainly had enough padding to feel supportive and comfortable.

The 800 Trail’s additional height led to the impression that the handlebars were higher and wider, but they’re unchanged from the 800 and, thanks to their adjustability, offer good reach from the upright riding position and easy operation of the switchgear.

That switchgear included a couple of buttons for menu modes on the left and one on the right side. The left one controls menu up and down and the right is simply used for going back in the menu. There was also an AUX button that I assumed was for add-ons like additional lighting.

The new TFT display is a major step up from the gauge cluster on the Leoncino 500, being bigger, brighter and easily visible, even in direct sunlight.

A huge digital speed display dominates the screen, with the revcounter readout both above and below, which I fail to see the benefit of, but it wasn’t distracting. In the ‘curve’ of these revcounters on the left-hand side, the temp gauge sat in the upper section and a fuel gauge in the lower. A gear position indicator sits on the far right, with smaller readouts for odometer and tripmeters below.

Another quirk of the TFT display is that the gear position is repeated in the warning lights that surround the screen.

Foot pegs on both new Leoncinos had rubber inserts which can be removed (I assume) and were well positioned, as well as being wide enough for me and my 5’10’’ frame to feel extremely comfortable.

On the Road – and Off

From start up, the engine note from the Leoncino 800’s 754cc twin was raspy on the standard version and a little more muted on the 800 Trail, but you were aware of it on both variants. However, one of the first things I noticed was the view from the mirrors - nice and clear with good visibility and minimal vibration.

The same lack of vibration was evident in the handlebars (I had mine set at the neutral or centre position) and TFT screen, with the latter super easy to see, even at speed.

Each bike dropped into first gear smoothly and take off was equally as smooth. The engine proved to be quite forgiving in case gear selection was missed, giving time to adjust without stalling, which was certainly nice around town in traffic. Clutch action was smooth, with a light pull and lever adjustability to shorten or increase the span.

Overall, gear changing was easy and precise, meaning you weren’t left wondering what gear you were in at any stage.

Each bike was easy to get up to speed and didn’t take a lot of throttle work and gear shifting. While each bike was fine in 60km/h urban zones, I found the sweet spot was in the 90-100km range, where it cruised so easily.

The large twin also delivered plenty of torque at low- and mid-revs. Even in sixth gear, there was enough power to comfortably overtake in a quick and timely manner. On the Great Ocean Road section of the launch ride, and when working through the lower gears off road, the availability of all 67Nm was particularly noticeable.

In terms of handling, the wide bars and the upright riding position gave a commanding feel and you didn’t feel like you were manhandling 222kg (234kg on the Leoncino 800 Trail). That weight wasn’t noticeable through corners, either, with the Leoncino 800 being very manoeuvrable and actually really fun to ride around bends, while the Leoncino 800 Trail was equally flickable in loose dirt and rough stuff. Both bikes felt very stable when cornering, tracking smoothly through bends.

The suspension, which offers preload adjustment at the rear, wasn't too firm, so allowed enjoyable riding both on and off the road. In fact, the Leoncino 800 Trail was a lot of fun on the fire trails that we visited.

Brakes proved to be very effective, reinforcing my opinion that the Leoncino 500 was overbraked. On a number of tests that I conducted, the front brakes were very strong, pulling the bike up quickly and smoothly, providing a lot of confidence. This was especially comforting when braking late in twisties on the Great Ocean Road.

Obviously, the ABS helps here, but on the Leoncino 800 Trail, it would be nice if the ABS was switchable, allowing a bit of tail-out fun.

I didn’t keep tabs on fuel consumption, but never drained the 15-litre fuel tank over the course of the launch. That being said, I’d be interested to know the stats, as the Leoncino 800’s larger engine does prompt longer rides, which can mean longer gaps between petrol stations.

After four hours in the saddle, and even at the end of the day, seat comfort was fine and I certainly didn’t have any numb bum issues with either bike. On the whole, the seat had the right amount of comfort/firmness to minimise discomfort.

Choose your Own Adventure

Having ridden the Leoncino 500 back in 2020, I did have some expectations for the Leoncino 800 launch and both variants met them – they’re a major step up in every way.

On the Leoncino 800, I had a lot of fun and found it to be a beautiful bike that you could ride every day. While it's primarily a commuter, it offered plenty of power for the open road, comfortably rolling over 100km/h, so it’ll handle highway stints.

On the Leoncino 800 Trail, it delivers the same benefits as the standard version, with the extra capability to take on gravel roads or dirt tracks, so if your riding takes you off the beaten path, this is the version to choose. It’s not an adventure bike, but for short sections of dirt, it’s capable and a lot of fun.

Each bike offered ample torque (which was a pleasant surprise), and impressive acceleration, while the stability and manoeuvrability of the bike was also something that really stood out.

My choice of the two would be the Trail, due to its styling touches that are different from the road version and the additional ride height, which I prefer generally.

In this bigger (ie. non-LAMS) naked and street scrambler market, Benelli have competitors from the likes of Ducati, KTM and Triumph, but beats them in terms of price. At under $14,000 ride away, the Benelli is up against naked commuters of larger displacement from the Japanese brands and the likes of CF Moto.

In terms of style, quality, performance and value, the Benelli Leoncino 800 gets a big thumbs up from me, so if you’re off your P’s and looking for a bike that can deliver a lot, for not a lot of money, put this bike on your list to test ride - you won’t be disappointed.