Dirt-biased version of new TRK902 adventure bike adds 19-inch front wheel and longer-travel suspension, plus fully-adjustable front fork, wire-spoked tubeless rims and off-road electronics – all for a pound under £8k
It’s a truism that most adventure touring bikes sold don’t spend very much time off-road at all. As with four-wheel drive SUVs in the car world, they’ve become popular for a mix of practical and fashion reasons: a modern big-bore adventure tourer makes for a comfy, useful, efficient continent-crosser, while also having a dash of cool, hardcore off-road styling.
And the bike makers have spotted this: they’re more than happy to build you a bike which is, in truth, completely focussed on road use, with only a hint of dirt ability.
There are those who insist on a modicum of off-road skillz though: the sort of rider who doesn’t blink at the notion of heading out on a green lane of a weekend, or who’s happy to plan a tour into wilder parts of the globe, where firm asphalt is a rare treat.
And they want the proper setup on their adventure bikes: a bigger front wheel, with tyre sizes that allow chunkier knobbly rubber, extra ground clearance and longer-travel suspension.
Add in some more specific electronic settings, and a healthy set of crash bars, and you have the typical ‘Adventure’ or ‘Rally’ variant of a big tourer. You pays your money and you takes your choice.
Chinese-owned Italian brand Benelli has just launched a fairly road-biased version of its new TRK902 adventure range: the aptly-named Stradale. And now there’s a more dirt-capable variant, the Xplorer.
Both bikes use the same basic engine and frame package: the QJMotors-built 904cc DOHC parallel twin making around 93bhp, in a steel tube trellis housing, with plenty of high-tech add-ons.
But it’s had a mild off-road tweak. There’s now a 19-inch front wheel rather than a 17-incher, and those hoops are wire cross-spoked aluminium-rimmed tubeless items, shod with chunky Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres in 110/80 and 160/70 sizes.
There’s an extra 40mm suspension travel at both ends, and the Marzocchi kit is fully adjustable up front, with preload/rebound adjustment on the rear shock and a remote rear preload adjuster too.
Add in a manual windscreen adjuster rather than an electric one, switchable ABS, integrated spotlights, crash bars and a solid sump guard, and you have a more dirt-friendly iteration, for an extra £300. All-up weight is a bit higher thanks to the crash bars, up 10kg to 240kg dry from 230kg, and that is perhaps the most stand-out downside on the spec list.
Nearly a quarter-tonne for a 93bhp 900cc machine is a bit on the fat side – but then that cheap purchase price of £7,999 will pay for plenty of hardcore gym sessions to lose the beer gut and build up your biceps to pick it up on a dirt trail…
The Xplorer won’t quite be ready to take on the Dakar Rally of course: with a 19” front rim rather than a 21-incher, still-modest suspension travel of 170mm and that all-up mass, it very much remains a road bike first and foremost. But it has far more potential than the Stradale, and for most buyers in this sector, that could be more than enough to sway the purchasing decision.
As an aside, it also looks really smart, with stylish colourways, high-end running gear from top brands, and sharp bodywork lines befitting an Italian-designed machine (albeit produced in China by the QJ Motors factory).
The new Benelli TRK902 Xplorer is in shops now for £7,999 plus otr charges, more info at www.benellli.co.uk.
Benelli TRK902 Xplorer specification
Price: £7,999
ENGINE
ENGINE TYPE: parallel twin, four valves per cylinder four-stroke, DOHC
DISPLACEMENT: 904cc
BORE X STROKE: 92x68mm
COMPRESSION RATIO: 11.5:1
CLAIMED PEAK POWER: 93bhp@9,000rpm
CLAIMED PEAK TORQUE: 90Nm@6,500rpm
LUBRICATION: forced lubrication with wet sump
FUELLING: EFI with double electronic throttle body
EXHAUST SYSTEM: catalytic converter with triple Oxygen sensor
CERTIFICATION: Euro 5+
CLUTCH: multi disc servo assisted slipper clutch
GEARBOX: six-speed
FINAL DRIVE: chain
IGNITION: Bosch Motronic
COOLING SYSTEM: Liquid cooled
SPARK PLUG: NGK CR9E
STARTING: Electric
PRIMARY DRIVE: Chain
CHASSIS
MAIN FRAME: steel tube trellis
FRONT SUSPENSION: 43mm Marzocchi fully adjustable USD forks
FRONT SUSPENSION TRAVEL: 170mm
REAR SUSPENSION: aluminium rear swing arm, Marzocchi monoshock with adjustable preload and rebound. Remote preload adjuster
REAR SUSPENSION TRAVEL: 170mm
FRONT BRAKE: dual 320mm discs, Brembo monobloc radial calipers with Bosch cornering ABS
REAR BRAKE: Brembo twin piston caliper, 260mm disc with Bosch cornering ABS
WHEELS: wire cross-spoked tubeless rims
TYRES: 110/80 19 (f), 150/70 17 (r)
Dimensions
LENGTH: 2,260mm
WIDTH: 945mm
HEIGHT: 1,350mm
GROUND CLEARANCE: 215mm
UNLADEN WEIGHT: 240kg
PERMITTED TOTAL WEIGHT: 464kg
USABLE FUEL TANK VOLUME: 21L
RESERVE: 3L
WHEELBASE: 1,545mm
SEAT HEIGHT: 840mm
Benelli TRK902 Xplorer tech highlights
The new 904cc forward facing twin-cylinder unit with four valves per cylinder is optimised for long journeys and developed to deliver the best performance at low and medium revs – the ranges most frequently used in everyday riding. Torque is high right from the start, peaking at 90Nm at 6,500rpm, whilst maximum power of 93bhp is reached at 9,000rpm.
Benelli TRK 902 Xplorer Bosch ECU with slipper clutch – The intake system is new, featuring a dual 46mm electronic throttle body operated by a ride by wire system controlled by a Bosch Motronic ECU.
A slipper clutch comes as standard.
Main frame, developed by the R&D department in Pesaro, Italy, consists of a tubular trellis frame with steel reinforcement plates designed to ensure the correct torsional stiffness for a satisfying riding experience in all conditions.
43mm upside-down Marzocchi forks, adjustable for rebound, compression, and preload, and rear monoshock with remote adjuster allowing convenient adjustment of the hydraulic rebound damping and spring preload.
Brembo monobloc calipers: dual 320mm semi-floating discs at the front, with radial-mount four-piston calipers and radial-mount master cylinder. At the rear there is a 260mm disc, with a two-piston caliper.
19″ inch front wheel aimed at off-road riding. Aluminium hubs and rims with tangential wire spokes for tubeless tyres.
Pirelli tyres – Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres, 110/80 R19 on the front, with 150/70 R17 on the rear.
Traction control and three Riding modes – TRK 902 Xplorer offers three riding modes, Normal, Rain and Sport, which allow the rider to customise the bike’s behaviour according to different riding conditions. The bike features a traction control system that can also be deactivated.
Bosch cornering ABS, switchable at both ends for off-road use
Cruise control
Tyre pressure monitoring system
Standard up/down quickshifter
Pillion grabrail made from a single piece of reinforced nylon integrated into the overall design of the tail section.
21-litre fuel tank capacity
Manually adjustable windscreen
Hand guards with built-in indicators
Integrated LED spot lights are fitted as standard
Seven inch TFT dashboard, with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, integrates with telephone functions, turn-by-turn navigation and maps, using the dedicated app.
ADAS Radar system: Advanced ADAS system featuring radar technology that integrates Blind Spot Detection (BSD), Lane Change Assist (LCA) and Rear Collision Warning (RCW). The system monitors the area behind the bike and the blind spots, alerting the rider to the presence of vehicles via indicator lights on the dashboard, LED’s integrated into the rear view mirrors and an audible warning. Each function can be managed individually, allowing the rider to customise the level of assistance.
Three-level heated seat as standard
Three-level heated grips as standard
USB charger as standard
Centre stand
Steel tube crash bars
Aluminium sump guard
Factory luggage option: a full set of three metal luggage cases are available for just £499 when ordered with the new Xplorer