Benelli, a Chinese owned motorcycle brand with Italian roots, has been selling its entry-level adventure bike, the TRK 502, for quite some time now. Back when it debuted in 2017, it was pretty impressive, packing features that were ahead of its time.
However, now, it’s clear to see that the TRK 502X has grown a little long in the tooth. The 400cc to 500cc class of adventure-touring machines has evolved rapidly in recent years, with new offerings from both new and established players shaking up the market. Bikes like the KTM 390 Adventure, as well as the newly released Royal Enfield Himalayan and CFMoto Ibex 450 put a strong focus on off-road performance. Meanwhile, machines like the Honda NX500 focus on long-distance touring capability.
So, where does this leave the old Benelli TRK? Well, as it would turn out, Benelli has reinvented the bike, introducing it as the TRK 552X for the 2024 model-year. And judging from the bike’s specs and features, it seems that Benelli has taken what was good about the TRK 502X and made it even better.
Gone are the halogen headlights, and in their place is a new dual-pod LED headlight assembly. The front fascia has been sharpened with a more aggressive beak and larger windscreen, too. And the fairings are wider, blending in with the large fuel tank.
Over on the cockpit, the dated analog-digital display has been replaced by a full-color TFT screen, just like all the other bikes in the segment. The display even comes with features like smartphone pairing and a built-in tire pressure monitoring system.
Marketed as an entry-level adventure tourer, the new TRK 552X has quite a lot of grunt for its class. Its 550cc parallel-twin pumps out a respectable 60 horsepower and 40.5 pound-feet of torque, blurring the lines between the entry-level and middleweight ADV segments. Even better still, Benelli has ditched the old model’s 360-degree crank for a 270-degree crank like those we find in Yamaha and Suzuki middleweight twins.
On the tech side, however, it appears that Benelli’s kept things rather simple, as the TRK just gets dual-channel ABS—no ride modes, no fancy electronics.
With that said, judging from the bike’s underpinnings, it’s clear that Benelli doesn’t want to lock horns with the rally-inspired ADVs of the segment, but rather, bridge the gap between on-road performance and go-anywhere capability. So while the TRK does get fancy Marzocchi suspension with a range of adjustability front and back, it rolls on a 19-17 spoked wheel combo shod in Metzeler Tourance rubber.
As is the case with most of Benelli’s bikes, the TRK 552X has been released in China first. Should it prove to be a success, chances are it’ll be shipped over to other markets where it’ll compete with some of the bikes we talked about above.
Competition in the global ADV segment is now fiercer than ever before. And it goes without saying that Benelli’s got its work cut out if it wants to stay relevant in the segment. It’s clearly going in a different direction than the crop of new bikes from Royal Enfield and CFMoto, but will more power and a restyle be enough to put the TRK nameplate on ADV enthusiasts’ radars?
Only time will tell.
