Benelli Leoncino 800 Trail (2023 - ) review

Like many others of its type the Leoncino Trail is, on the face of it, a scramblerised version of an existing retro roadster, in this case the Benelli Leoncino 800. For the most part that’s no bad thing. There are smart 19-inch/17-inch wire wheels clad with semi-knobbly tyres in place of the roadster Leonicino’s 17-inch alloys, an upswept, twin-exit exhaust and taller, wider, trail style bars. And that’s about your lot, with the overall result making the bike higher and somehow more substantial, which may appeal to taller riders. Benelli also claims it’s a genuine off-roader, although we’d err on the side of caution taking up that challenge. While distinctive and reasonable quality the styling may be a little gaudy for some, particularly things like the lion motif on the front mudguard. Overall, while unproven and a little unrefined in ride quality, there’s no denying there’s a lot of bike for the money, especially if you like the style.

The bigger front wheel gives the Trail a 13mm higher seat height than the standard Leoncino, but it’s still not an excessive stretch. The trail style bars are also higher and wider. But the result feels like a substantial, full-sized roadster with a comfortable, natural upright riding position. In short, if you parked it next to, say, Triumph’s Scrambler 1200 the Benelli wouldn’t look at all out of place – but for half the price. That tall, relatively comfortable and nimble riding position also makes the Benelli easy to ride and gives a great view around town or on short-ish commutes. But it’s also fairly exposed, making motorways or long-distance touring a windswept chore. For a mid-range scrambler, though, it’s better and more substantial than most.

The popularity of the scrambler class is largely down to them combining all the style of a trendy retro with the natural upright ease of a roadster. All with slightly more substantial proportions, and at least a suggestion of off-road ability into the bargain. The new Leoncino Trail scores on all counts, here. Adding to its practicality is reasonable, middleweight performance, accessible proportions and price, great manners around town or on short-hop commutes.

The Benelli Leoncino 800 uses an enlarged, updated version of Kawasaki’s old 649cc parallel twin from the ER6n. The result is a 754cc, DOHC, four-vale per cylinder unit that produces a lusty 80 horsepower at 9,000rpm. It’s a little raw and unrefined compared to modern Japanese parallel twins such as Honda’s new CB750 Hornet and Suzuki’s new GSX-8S, there are no riding modes and it doesn’t inspire the reassurance or confidence about its likely reliability of those machines, either. That said, it’s perky and flexible enough and most will be satisfied. Braking is similar. There are twin ‘wavy’ discs up front grasped by radially mounted four-piston brakes. But they’re not premium Brembos and, although powerful and sufficient, lack a little finesse and refinement.

When it comes to scrambler-style bikes’ ride and handling, there’s always a question of some compromises. With the Leoncino Trail the bigger front wheel and semi-knobbly tyres mean its steering is lighter and faster than the street model but less secure and assured, too. The higher riding position and tall bars exacerbate this feeling. But it’s certainly not bad, and if sportier, more secured handling is important to you just go for the standard Leoncino 800 instead. The ride from the beefy 50mm inverted front forks and single rear monoshock is decent but, again a little basic given the rear preload is your only possible adjustment.

This is where Chinese-built bikes like the Leoncino start making most sense. The price makes a mockery of bigger, European alternatives like Triumph’s Scrambler 900, which also only produces 65 horsepower. The payback, to a degree, is quality, refinement, proven reliability and residuals, but it’s still enough of a difference to make you think twice. The Benelli also returns around 45mpg, which is fairly typical, depending how it’s ridden. The middling power output means consumables such as tyres, chain, brake pads and the rest isn’t going to be excessive, either. All in all it’s pretty damn affordable for a stylish 800cc machine.

We have to be a little cautious here. The new Leoncino 800 Trail is not only a new bike from a relatively unproven, budget manufacturer, it’s also one using an enlarged, more powerful version of an older engine. That said, quality is generally more than acceptable, the Kawasaki engine’s age should work in its favour in terms of reliability (if not refinement) and reborn Benelli has now been delivering bikes such as the similarly Kawasaki-powered TrK502 now for many years, so we have few reasons for genuine concern.

Again, given its youthful, Chinese parentage, you have to be a little wary of the Benelli Leoncino 800 Trail in terms of reliability and servicing costs but, from what we know so far, these should be minor. Service intervals aren’t as broad as some more modern, European rivals, in being every 6,000 miles, but costs should be comparatively cheaper, too. The standard warranty, meanwhile, is the usual, manufacturer-backed, two-year, unlimited mileage warranty covering all parts and labour.

Not perfect, but certainly impressive for such a budget-priced machine. Although not branded the brakes are radial four-piston types, wheels are alloy-rimmed cross-spokes, the forks may be non-adjustable but are beefy 50mm USD types, there’s a neatly laid-out TFT dash, decent switchgear, good mirrors and lots of nice tactile touches everywhere. On the slight downside some of it is a little gaudy and the electronics are very basic, with only ABS and no rider modes.

If the scrambler style appeals – and it increasingly does for many as a fun, good-looking and easy style of bike for Sundays in the saddle - the Benelli Leoncino Trail offers an awful lot for not very much money at all. It’s an 80 horsepower twin, with lots of nice touches and a heritage brand name on the tank for at least £2,000 less than the comparable Triumph. The pay-off for that is a smaller dealer network, less proven reliability, weaker refinement and poorer residual values. But it’s still a tempting proposition.