The first image of the India-spec Benelli Imperiale cruiser motorcycle has surfaced online. The photo was clicked when the motorcycle was parked near the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) in Pune. As per the recent details, the launch of the 400cc bike in India has been postponed to early 2020.
The bike was first showcased at EICMA 2017 and it drew a lot of attention, especially from the Indian market. The reason behind the delay is that at present the Imperiale 400 has a BSIV engine, and the company wants to launch BSVI-ready model of Imperiale in India as BSVI emission norms will come into effect from April 1, 2020.
The Imperiale 400 as seen in the image appears almost identical to the international-spec model. It features the same colour scheme that is gloss black with golden-coloured highlights which gives it a premium look. Equipment on the bike like the body panels, seats, headlight, tail light, and even the wheels appear the same as the global Imperiale 400 model. The only noticeable difference on the India-spec model is the addition of the mandatory saree guard.
The Imperiale 400 was earlier unveiled with a BSIV/Euro 4 compliant engine but as the emission norms are going to be BSVI from April 2020, Benelli then started developing a Euro 5/BSVI compliant version of the engine. Mechanically, the bike would come powered by a 373.5cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine which would produce 20.4 HP of maximum power at 5500 rpm and 28 Nm of peak torque at 3500 rpm.
The suspension duties of the bike would be handled by 41mm telescopic forks at the front and twin shock absorbers at the rear. The braking performance of the bike comes from a 300mm front disc and 240mm rear disc. The Benelli Imperiale 400 is expected to get a much higher price tag than the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and the Jawa Classic 300. It is expected to get an ex-showroom price tag of around INR 2 lakh.
Leaked Image Source: ACI
