Benelli 502C Road Test Diavel In Disguise

First test in Italy ridden along the Adriatic coast from its Pesaro factory of Benelli’s latest twin-cylinder 500cc parallel-twin Cruiser, developed in Italy but built in China by owner Qianjiang

- Alan Cathcart

Benelli’s Chinese owner Qianjiang (pronounced ‘Chin-jung’, but called simply QJ by its staff) continues to ramp up expansion of its ever-widening range of models built in China, but badged with the name of Italy’s oldest existing motorcycle brand. It’s been buoyed by the 2016 acquisition of a controlling interest in the company by Geely, China’s huge privately owned car manufacturer which in 2010 purchased Volvo from Ford, and has since then doubled production and tripled profits at the Swedish car manufacturer [see sidebar]. Benelli QJ - as it’s now officially been rebranded - has rolled out an ever greater array in the past year of attractively priced, well-engineered and crisply styled new models, in several different capacities.

Amongst these, Benelli QJ has now introduced its first-ever Cruiser, with the new 502C joining its Leoncino 500 roadster and best-selling TRK502/X (which for the first six months of 2019 was Italy’s fourth most popular motorcycle of any kind, behind the BMW R1250GS, Honda Africa Twin and - by just 11 units - the Yamaha Tracer 900). This is a cheeky attempt to deliver a middleweight power cruiser to the marketplace, whose short-assed styling unashamedly resembles Ducati’s best-selling Diavel V-twin. However, the 502C is powered by the same 500cc parallel-twin eight-valve engine as the TRK duo and Leoncino, and as such it represents a direct competitor to the India-built Harley-Davidson V-twin 500 Street that’s topped the sales charts in countries like Australia. It’s a poignant rivalry in light of the recent revelation that America’s No.1 has commissioned QJ to collaborate in building a 338cc Harley-branded single for sale in its dealerships in China by the end of 2020 [see sidebar] – and, doubtless, in other Asian markets as well as Western ones.