Benelli Tnt 600 Inline-Four

[taninthai]

im not comparing them it would be stupid to compare a benelli with 84bhp to a proper supersport with 120 bhp im just saying id rather take the 2nd hand option.parts are available in thailand for the jap bikes and so is servicing as long as you live near bkk

Edited May 16, 2013 by taninthai

[JonnyF]

So there is currently a gsxr 600 k7 for sale at 295k or this benelli for 296k no choice for me and the bennelli doesnt seem such a bargain anymore,rather take a 2 nd hand tried and tested machine than an un known unproven bike,still someone has to buy the bennili so we can get reviews ,look forward to hearing some user commments about this bike

A K7 for 295k either has no book, a lot of km's or other major problems. But I agree, we need some reviews to see how reliable this Benelli is and what kind of dealer support it will get here.

Some seem determined to condemn it as Chinese crap not knowing nothing about it, even with the number of positive reports from Chinese bike owners increasing. Is a Chinese made bike with Italian and European bloodlines going to for certain be so much worse than Thai built Japanese or a Thai built Italian bike? Because we have those for a while already and people seem pretty happy with them despite all the moaning on forums about quality when they were announced. I am on my 4th Thai built Jap bike and I don't have a single complaint, except perhaps chain longevity.

Why would you assume the gsxr has no book or problems? In 2010 I paid 250k for a 2005 GSXR600 (legal with book) which included a pair of Alpine Stars riding boots, a mesh jacket, one night paid for in a hotel in Chiang Mai and a free night out on the Loi Kroh Road with the previous owner. Granted I had to fly up from BKK and ride it back but I'll have owned it 3 years in August with no major problems, just replacing easily sourced consumables.

Bargains are out there, but people seem terrified of them. They'd rather buy a new CBR500 from Honda because it makes them "feel" safe and then have to wait a month for a service. Or even worse, pay almost 300k for this "Benelli". Mystifying.

You're comparing one example of a 5+ year old grey import bike (which you got a great deal on) but can't get dealer serviced or find parts for, with high km's, to a brand new, dealer supported with warranty bike. "Mystifying" is right.

Really? I think you're making a few incorrect assumptions.

High kms? My bike had 9000 kms on it when I bought it.

Can't get parts? I can find all the parts I need locally. Chains, oil, oil filters, tyres, plugs all within 10 kms of my place. I had chose to bring in a K&N air filter which took about a week off Ebay. Took about 5 minutes to order it and it was delivered to my workplace, not exactly stress inducing. You think Benelli dealers are going to carry stock for every spare part on this bike? For anything other than consumables I suspect they'll order what you need from overseas and you'll wait for it to turn up and then pay a mark up on the cost, same as Honda, Yamaha etc. do for their big bikes.

Can't get dealer serviced? Well Suzuki don't service it, but 59Bike is 3 kms from my condo and they service it for me, I had to travel a whopping 10kms to get the valve clearances checked. Took less than a week from dropping it off without an appointment to picking it up. Not sure who Benelli are employing as mechanics in Thailand (scary thought) but I'll take my chances with K.Boy of Chicane motorsports.

As for the "dealer supported with warranty" on the Benelli, we'll see how that turns out. Other Chinese companies like GPX have sold bikes and then shut their shops. I think there was another one in Phuket recently. Hopefully this won't happen again but I wouldn't put my house on it.

[pokerkid]

im not comparing them it would be stupid to compare a benelli with 84bhp to a proper supersport with 120 bhp im just saying id rather take the 2nd hand option.parts are available in thailand for the jap bikes and so is servicing as long as you live near bkk

You are not classifying it as a supersports, but many poster here see r6 engine and start to compare the benelli to an r6 while they should compare it to a fazer or something similar

Edited May 16, 2013 by pokerkid

[Richard-BKK]

I agree, you should not compare the Benelli BN600 with a Yamaha YZF-R6. The Yamaha FZ6 (from 2007 up to 2009), which also uses an de-tuned Yamaha YZF-R6 engine, only produces 76 horsepower.

[taninthai]

im not comparing them it would be stupid to compare a benelli with 84bhp to a proper supersport with 120 bhp im just saying id rather take the 2nd hand option.parts are available in thailand for the jap bikes and so is servicing as long as you live near bkk

You are not classifying it as a supersports, but many poster here see r6 engine and start to compare the benelli to an r6 while they should compare it to a fazer or something similar

you can't even compare it to a fazer the fazer is nearly double the price ,r6 engine it certainly ain't ,really it's only the er6 which is in the same price bracket ,why do all these Chinese bike threads end up talking about or people trying to put down the jap bikes,people here are trying to slag of the Honda well at least the people have the guts to put there money where their mouth is which is alot more than can be said for the people supporting this benelli here

[pokerkid]

im not comparing them it would be stupid to compare a benelli with 84bhp to a proper supersport with 120 bhp im just saying id rather take the 2nd hand option.parts are available in thailand for the jap bikes and so is servicing as long as you live near bkk

You are not classifying it as a supersports, but many poster here see r6 engine and start to compare the benelli to an r6 while they should compare it to a fazer or something similar

you can't even compare it to a fazer the fazer is nearly double the price ,r6 engine it certainly ain't ,really it's only the er6 which is in the same price bracket ,why do all these Chinese bike threads end up talking about or people trying to put down the jap bikes,people here are trying to slag of the Honda well at least the people have the guts to put there money where their mouth is which is alot more than can be said for the people supporting this benelli here

The fazer is double the price...............................................

Now when we know that we should be happy that at least on manufacturer decides to offer us a 4 inline bike for the price (almost) of a japanese (thai made) 2 cylinder bike.

Edited May 16, 2013 by pokerkid

[Richard-BKK]

Really? I think you're making a few incorrect assumptions.

High kms? My bike had 9000 kms on it when I bought it.

Can't get parts? I can find all the parts I need locally. Chains, oil, oil filters, tyres, plugs all within 10 kms of my place. I had chose to bring in a K&N air filter which took about a week off Ebay. Took about 5 minutes to order it and it was delivered to my workplace, not exactly stress inducing. You think Benelli dealers are going to carry stock for every spare part on this bike? For anything other than consumables I suspect they'll order what you need from overseas and you'll wait for it to turn up and then pay a mark up on the cost, same as Honda, Yamaha etc. do for their big bikes.

Can't get dealer serviced? Well Suzuki don't service it, but 59Bike is 3 kms from my condo and they service it for me, I had to travel a whopping 10kms to get the valve clearances checked. Took less than a week from dropping it off without an appointment to picking it up. Not sure who Benelli are employing as mechanics in Thailand (scary thought) but I'll take my chances with K.Boy of Chicane motorsports.

As for the "dealer supported with warranty" on the Benelli, we'll see how that turns out. Other Chinese companies like GPX have sold bikes and then shut their shops. I think there was another one in Phuket recently. Hopefully this won't happen again but I wouldn't put my house on it.

Since when did GPX closed the shop? GPX is still very active in the Thai market.

Over the last 5 years the only Chinese manufacturer who redraw from the Thai market was Jonway. Jonway was/is a partnership of a Chinese, Korean and a Thai business (as all partners have equal share I'm not sure we should call it a Chinese manufacturer).

Jonway opened an office in Pattaya (off all places) and only sold scooters which looked a bit outdated...

Edited May 16, 2013 by Richard-BKK

[JonnyF]

Hi Richard, my apologies I got the name wrong. Didn't GPX discontinue some of their models though? Genuine question.

[Kf6vci]

Found 3 reviews of another Benelli Big Bike. And I looked at their UK range and the list price.

The bigger TNT tripple's engine sometimes shuts off, blocking the rear wheel. The rider gets thrown off.

At these prices, one could get tried and tested bikes from Triumph, BMW, or the Japanese Four.

Cheap can turn out very expensive when there is no secondary market for rare Chinese bikes.

Has anyone tried to sell a used LADA car?

[pokerkid]

Found 3 reviews of another Benelli Big Bike. And I looked at their UK range and the list price.

The bigger TNT tripple's engine sometimes shuts off, blocking the rear wheel. The rider gets thrown off.

At these prices, one could get tried and tested bikes from Triumph, BMW, or the Japanese Four.

Cheap can turn out very expensive when there is no secondary market for rare Chinese bikes.

Has anyone tried to sell a used LADA car?

links ?

[Salapoo]

Just typing 'Benelli TNT problems' into google gets some interesting reviews.

Wheelies come easy on the 899 in first gear. Second gear is not so easy.
When starting to abuse the Benelli TNT 899 in such a way, I start
doubting its durability. I don’t trust the clutch 100%, and during my
test the rev counter didn’t always work correctly. Several times I
watched the rev counter indicate roughly 7,000rpm whilst the rev limiter
kicked in (at 10,500rpm). There is some sort of fundamental problem
somewhere between the engine and the electronics. Whether the TNT 899
components are designed well enough remains to see.

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2008/04/15april08_2008benelli_tnt899899s/

Right after our last update, a problem arose when the engine would
repeatedly stall after a cold start. That required us to replace the
stepper motor (under warranty) that controls idle speed. In the process,
we found that the clamps that secure the airbox boots to the throttle
bodies had been left completely loose at the factory, permitting dirty
air to seep into the engine. We also discovered that the foam air-filter
element had been improperly installed, allowing even bigger pieces of
contamination to find their way into the airbox.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2009/01/07/long-term-test-update-2007-benelli-tnt-1130/

And a follow up of that one year later:

Despite our installation of a new idle-speed-regulating stepper motor
last summer, the aforementioned cold-stalling issue still occasionally
resurfaces. If that malady continues, the TnT will no doubt find its way
back to its favorite place of residence: the workstand. Once again,
we’ll see.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2009/05/04/long-term-test-update-2007-benelli-tnt-1130-2/

Presumably older models, but not exactly confidence building of the brand.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Salapoo

[Richard-BKK]

Found 3 reviews of another Benelli Big Bike. And I looked at their UK range and the list price.

The bigger TNT tripple's engine sometimes shuts off, blocking the rear wheel. The rider gets thrown off.

At these prices, one could get tried and tested bikes from Triumph, BMW, or the Japanese Four.

Cheap can turn out very expensive when there is no secondary market for rare Chinese bikes.

Has anyone tried to sell a used LADA car?

Actual I agree that Benelli had some problems with it engines in the past, but the problems are before the Chinese bought them. Basically before the Chinese bought them Benelli was in a bad shape and quality was low…

Now-a-day with the Chinese having pumped many millions of US Dollar in the Italian manufacturer, Benelli is getting back on track with a good quality product. One of the positive effects of the Chinese involvement is that in Pesaro, Italy the company is hiring workers again…

[pokerkid]

to quote MCN:

The Benelli TNT super naked has been with us now, almost unchanged since 2004. Early 1130cc models were snarling, brutal, wheelie-prone monsters with a savage-sounding wail from its three into one underseat exhaust. But these very early models could be temperamental things, but since Benelli was bought by the Chinese Qiangiang Group (they produce over 1.2-million two-wheelers a year over there), money has been poured into making the Benelli TNT more refined and reliable.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/bikereviews/searchresults/Bike-Reviews/Benelli/Benelli-TNT-899S-2008-current/

but this topic is not about the TNT .......

[Salapoo]

The Chinese bringing better quality to the product as it was previously low.

I think I'll leave this brand alone for a while.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Salapoo

[loserlazer]

The Chinese bringing better quality to the product as it was previously low.

 

I think I'll leave this brand alone for a while.

Hahahss. Exactly. First time i heard Chinese bringing quality over something/someone:D

If they bought benelli, it is just bc of the sticker or cutting the corners more:lol:

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[pokerkid]

The Chinese bringing better quality to the product as it was previously low.

I think I'll leave this brand alone for a while.

Hahahss. Exactly. First time i heard Chinese bringing quality over something/someone:D

If they bought benelli, it is just bc of the sticker or cutting the corners more:lol:

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

If you don't mind I respect the opinions of MCN more then the ones of a thai visa member

[loserlazer]

The Chinese bringing better quality to the product as it was previously low.

 

I think I'll leave this brand alone for a while.

Hahahss. Exactly. First time i heard Chinese bringing quality over something/someone:D

If they bought benelli, it is just bc of the sticker or cutting the corners more:lol:

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

If you don't mind I respect the opinions of MCN more then the ones of a thai visa member

Pokerkid, just bringing here some criticism man nothing else. Not trying to offend anyone. The more we discuss, it gets easier to reach the truth.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[BSJ]

The Chinese bringing better quality to the product as it was previously low.

I think I'll leave this brand alone for a while.

Hahahss. Exactly. First time i heard Chinese bringing quality over something/someone:D

If they bought benelli, it is just bc of the sticker or cutting the corners more:lol:

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Judge, jury and executioner all rolled into one.

I am sceptical, but at least I will wait for the initial owner reports to come in.

[pokerkid]

True.

Easy to criticize the bike but what NEW alternatives are there for the 4 cylinder Benelli here in Thailand.

Can somebody make a list of NEW 4 inline bikes available here (with the prices) . Grey imports included.

nobody so far

Edited May 19, 2013 by pokerkid

[Richard-BKK]

Hi Richard, my apologies I got the name wrong. Didn't GPX discontinue some of their models though? Genuine question.

Sorry JonnyF, I not read this forum that much..., but yes GPX discontinued 2 models in Thailand – they still sell them worldwide. It sounds for most people weird, but GPX has no interest to produce road legal motorcycles, when they where confronted by import limitations they stopped export to Thailand for the two ZF250 models. The spare parts are widely available in Thailand as the Thai distributor still stocks them...

By the way other manufacturers often discontinue models....

Edited May 21, 2013 by Richard-BKK

[JonnyF]

True.

Easy to criticize the bike but what NEW alternatives are there for the 4 cylinder Benelli here in Thailand.

Can somebody make a list of NEW 4 inline bikes available here (with the prices) . Grey imports included.

nobody so far

I guess nobody reports to you. You know the websites you can make the list yourself if you want to state the obvious. Of course the quality new bikes will be a lot more expensive.

To consider a 'Benelli' 600 an alternative to something like a S1000RR is like considering a Proton Savvy an alternative to a Porsche 911.

[Richard-BKK]

Hmm, you will not hear me saying that the 254,000 THB (in its cheapest trim) Benelli BN600 is an alternative for the 986,000 THB {in cheapest trim) BMW S100RR. Actually I wanted to buy one, but my alter ego didn't like it. So I went for a MV Agusta....

[pokerkid]

True.

Easy to criticize the bike but what NEW alternatives are there for the 4 cylinder Benelli here in Thailand.

Can somebody make a list of NEW 4 inline bikes available here (with the prices) . Grey imports included.

nobody so far

I guess nobody reports to you. You know the websites you can make the list yourself if you want to state the obvious. Of course the quality new bikes will be a lot more expensive.

To consider a 'Benelli' 600 an alternative to something like a S1000RR is like considering a Proton Savvy an alternative to a Porsche 911.

i am not saying that a Benelli could be an alternative for a bike like that, even suggesting that would be nonsense....

Ok, let me rephrase the question, If someone wants to buy a NEW inline 4 bike in Thailand on a small budget, what are his (or her) options ?

Edited May 21, 2013 by pokerkid

[pokerkid]

Hmm, you will not hear me saying that the 254,000 THB (in its cheapest trim) Benelli BN600 is an alternative for the 986,000 THB {in cheapest trim) BMW S100RR. Actually I wanted to buy one, but my alter ego didn't like it. So I went for a MV Agusta....

pics please.....

[Richard-BKK]

Hmm, you will not hear me saying that the 254,000 THB (in its cheapest trim) Benelli BN600 is an alternative for the 986,000 THB {in cheapest trim) BMW S100RR. Actually I wanted to buy one, but my alter ego didn't like it. So I went for a MV Agusta....

pics please.....

Pokerkid, I would love to tell you and show you pictures of my motorcycle. But ThaiVisa Bike forum is not a happy community of bikers sharing information, what means if I tell and share pictures people will try to discredit my motorcycle pit of pure jealousy.

Sure I know I can buy a Honda CBR500R for almost all my workers for the same price, but what Thai boss would I be... sure I could have bought the latest Ducati... but Ducati in regard with Thailand has lately, to my personal feelings, not a perfect investment environment...

You should know that I always bought the latest Ducati, and sold my previous one with only a little write off (loss of money).

I love the criticism in Thailand about Benelli, in Italy the Chinese company who bought Benelli and signed a contract with the Italian labor organization are loved as saviors... In most European countries motorcycles magazines are impressed how much the Chinese company is pumping (money) into the Italian company to get back to high standards...

In Thailand a band of people, who I not even call real bikers... because I never, in all countries I visit see so much hostility between bikers, some people try to compare the take over from Benelli (a company that made motorcycles since 1911) to any other Chinese company...

The facts about Benelli, an Italian is running the company, the head office is not relocated... the design team that made the Benelli BN600 was 100% Italian, and production and design director was Italian he worked for Bimoto before as main designer and single sided terminated his contract after the Chinese mother company found the hub-steering and suspension to far from main stream for a step-in Benelli motorcycle.

For that I also like the comparison with BMW... as we all know that most motorcycles from BMW are made in the Berlin manufacturing facility... do you know where most of the engines parts are manufactured...

[BSJ]

"Chinese company is pumping (money) into the Italian company to get back to high standards..." Some posters are overlooking that!

"For that I also like the comparison with BMW... as we all know that most motorcycles from BMW are made in the Berlin manufacturing facility... do you know where most of the engines parts are manufactured..." It's been well reported that the 650 single cylinder engine is Chinese assembled. And shock horror!!! The 450 was being completely made in Taiwan!

[Salapoo]

^^ Oh look, a 'I own the latest Agusta, and always buy the latest Ducati, no I am not showing you any pics because you're all sad losers who know nothing of motorcycles and will try to discredit it' post.

Odd feelings for someone who goes by the mantra:

Edited May 22, 2013 by Salapoo

[bramds]

True.

Easy to criticize the bike but what NEW alternatives are there for the 4 cylinder Benelli here in Thailand.

Can somebody make a list of NEW 4 inline bikes available here (with the prices) . Grey imports included.

nobody so far

I guess nobody reports to you. You know the websites you can make the list yourself if you want to state the obvious. Of course the quality new bikes will be a lot more expensive.

To consider a 'Benelli' 600 an alternative to something like a S1000RR is like considering a Proton Savvy an alternative to a Porsche 911.

i am not saying that a Benelli could be an alternative for a bike like that, even suggesting that would be nonsense....

Ok, let me rephrase the question, If someone wants to buy a NEW inline 4 bike in Thailand on a small budget, what are his (or her) options ?

If you have a small budget, you shouldn't be looking at big bikes.

[pokerkid]

If you have a small budget, you shouldn't be looking at big bikes.

I guess a small budget means something different to everybody. The Benelli is clearly priced to appeal to riders on a budget. It opens the door for many people who otherwise would not have bought an inline 4. so whats wrong with that ?

Maybe everybody should just buy the same kawa 2 pots...

[loserlazer]

Hmm, you will not hear me saying that the 254,000 THB (in its cheapest trim) Benelli BN600 is an alternative for the 986,000 THB {in cheapest trim) BMW S100RR. Actually I wanted to buy one, but my alter ego didn't like it. So I went for a MV Agusta....

pics please.....

Pokerkid, I would love to tell you and show you pictures of my motorcycle. But ThaiVisa Bike forum is not a happy community of bikers sharing information, what means if I tell and share pictures people will try to discredit my motorcycle pit of pure jealousy.

Sure I know I can buy a Honda CBR500R for almost all my workers for the same price, but what Thai boss would I be... sure I could have bought the latest Ducati... but Ducati in regard with Thailand has lately, to my personal feelings, not a perfect investment environment...

You should know that I always bought the latest Ducati, and sold my previous one with only a little write off (loss of money).

I love the criticism in Thailand about Benelli, in Italy the Chinese company who bought Benelli and signed a contract with the Italian labor organization are loved as saviors... In most European countries motorcycles magazines are impressed how much the Chinese company is pumping (money) into the Italian company to get back to high standards...

In Thailand a band of people, who I not even call real bikers... because I never, in all countries I visit see so much hostility between bikers, some people try to compare the take over from Benelli (a company that made motorcycles since 1911) to any other Chinese company...

The facts about Benelli, an Italian is running the company, the head office is not relocated... the design team that made the Benelli BN600 was 100% Italian, and production and design director was Italian he worked for Bimoto before as main designer and single sided terminated his contract after the Chinese mother company found the hub-steering and suspension to far from main stream for a step-in Benelli motorcycle.

For that I also like the comparison with BMW... as we all know that most motorcycles from BMW are made in the Berlin manufacturing facility... do you know where most of the engines parts are manufactured...

there is no reason for anyone to slam you just bc you posted teh pics of your bike. I own a cbr500r and i can post it here which a MV Agusta is much more better bike. Why not?

And hostilities are originated just bc of some immature people cannot handle any criticizm and that is all.

Still i was expecting like you might get a Benelli.