Benelli TNT300s

[taninthai]

Not angry just don't like seeing g false information spread about ,so you have no links to all these Honda that blow up and no one else on the forum agrees with you,so it is in fact lies and bullshit.

[andrewrooney]

Frankly, when you purchase ANY bike you are taking some chance. If you go searching the internet, you can find stories of people having problems with Kawasakis, Ducatis, BMW's, and Honda is certainly not exempt. However by and large Japanese bikes are recognized as being the most reliable for a reason. Also, as we are in Thailand you can save yourself a lot of hassle in the event something goes wrong by going with a brand that has a good service network. So, yes, I will definitely consider buying another Honda for my next bike, or possibly a Kawasaki as they are also very reliable and have good service. What happens when something goes wrong with a Benelli? Where do you go to have it serviced? It's certainly something to consider. If someone wants to take that chance, it's their choice, but it certainly seems the riskier choice.

[taninthai]

Frankly, when you purchase ANY bike you are taking some chance. If you go searching the internet, you can find stories of people having problems with Kawasakis, Ducatis, BMW's, and Honda is certainly not exempt. However by and large Japanese bikes are recognized as being the most reliable for a reason. Also, as we are in Thailand you can save yourself a lot of hassle in the event something goes wrong by going with a brand that has a good service network. So, yes, I will definitely consider buying another Honda for my next bike, or possibly a Kawasaki as they are also very reliable and have good service. What happens when something goes wrong with a Benelli? Where do you go to have it serviced? It's certainly something to consider. If someone wants to take that chance, it's their choice, but it certainly seems the riskier choice.

now that is a sensible and realistic views and opinions,nice post.

[ktm jeff]

Honda was recognized as up there with the top companys . Some people believe that is long in the past . We each , respectfully , disagree on that mute point . I dont consider the Japs are any more reliable than the Italians . Servicing is no problem as i do that myself , and supervise it 100 % , while under warranty . Of course , thats not the same for everyone . I own some rare bikes , and you are correct , spares can be an issue . Depends on what "inconvieniences" one is prepared for . Everyone is different , and buys different things , including bikes , for different reasons . That makes this world what it is . Both good and bad , i guess . Bottom line - buy a bike that excites you , then enjoy it .

[AllanB]

Been following this thread for a while now, waiting for someone who regrets buying one, so far nothing at that has to be good. Pretty sure I would be bored by now on a CB300, even if it hadn't fallen apart.

The longer this goes the better the Benelli sounds.

Correct me if I'm wrong but there is a lot of talking going on here about how good this bike is but I can only find 1 person in this thread that has bought one.

Exactly. How can anybody regret buying a Benelli if nobody ever bought one in the first place?

This thread is full of tire-kickers talking about how amazing the Benelli looks and how awful and boring Honda is, but at the end of the day people that actually, you know, buy bikes and ride them overwhelmingly go for established brands like Honda, Kawa, Yamaha, or Ducati.

Funny, that.

But Allan, if you want to buy one to have something different and unique by all means buy it. That way everyone could finally hear some reliable first-hand experiences about this bike.

er...this is a forum and the whole point of a forum is to discuss, so has this "tyre kicking" and not buying suddenly become an illegal activity here? Are we being forced to actually buy a bike in order to have an opinion? Do you guys own all the models you express an opinion on, somehow I doubt it?

I do like the sound and looks of the Benelli, I like Triumphs more but they are outside my price bracket. I have actually ridden a CBR250 and it was really boring, the CB300 (at around the price of a TNT300) has a couple of extra ccs and different handlebars, so must be just as boring....IMO.

That leaves reliability as the only plus point for the CB300, but there are now some thing that put that into question.

1. We read on TV about the blown up new CB300 and that puts a small dent in the reliability argument.

2. We read about problems and recalls for other Hondas.

3. I had a Phantom which had a very flimsy engine, also built down to a price by Thais and that blew up on me as a direct result of it's inherent weakness.

4. It is clear that in all areas of engineering, other countries are catching the Japs up, especially the Chinese and Italians, both involved in the TNT.

5. On other websites they sing the praises of the Benelli and no where do they describe the CB300 in such glowing terms.

So to me the Benelli makes much more sense than the Honda, but whether I buy one depends on whether I can get my old torquey NV400 running 100%..... and not whether I feel ashamed of being described as a tyre kicker on this forum.

Biking (touring) for me is a pleasure and the looks and sound of a bike is a crucial part of the decision making process when I am thinking about shelling out a few grand of my cash.

Oh by the way I never said it was unique and have no intentions of buying one to satisfy anyone's curiosity. So let us carry on discussing this interesting bike until someone else decides to buy one because they want to.

..oh I am also keeping my powder dry until a nice cruiser/chopper comes along.

[andrewrooney]

^Of course, it's your money and you certainly don't need to buy one to have an opinion. Just responding to your point that "nobody regrets buying one"; it's very difficult for someone to regret buying one when only one person has purchased one.

I don't think I'm going to talk about Honda vs. Benelli any more in this thread, as it's only serving to derail it. I can talk about service, price point, power/weight ratio, ABS brakes etc. until I'm blue in the face, but at the end of the day if people find the looks of this Benelli exciting, well, fine. Maybe eventually some people will test ride/rent/or maybe even buy one. I'll watch with interest.

[bobbin]

K

[bobbin]

^^ Where did that come from?

ktm jeff you have had some interesting posts but you are boring the crap out of me with this blown up Honda obsession. The vast vast majority have not blown up. Give it a rest already.

[bobbin]

On topic: Benelli tnt300s is a nice looking bike. I'll take it more seriously when their dealer network is more established.

Off topic: I'm happy with the cbr300ra. And it's not 18hp. Honda doesn't release hp figures but various publication report 27-30hp.

Mine...

[bobbin]

TV is acting up today. Attachment didn't post.

[bobbin]

Again..

[wantan]

Agree with bobbin, just because some Honda bikes blew up, it doesnt make the Benelli 302 any better. But on the other hand, just because there were chinese bikes that blew up in the past, this doesnt make the Benelli 302 any worser.

And maybe it is better if the Benelli dealer network is growing not too fast. There sure isnt any use to have unrelieable service at every corner. We already have too much of these low quality shops from all kind of brands.

[GARYZX6R]

Only done 3000 kms now on my 300,and it is still going strong as ever. No complaints what so ever.. From the facebook page of my dealer at least 4 farangs have bought one in my town and many Thais. In fact they have become common more so than the Honda or Kawasakis 300. The dealer puts himself about with shows in the Central Plaza and all the shopping centers nearby and surrounding towns which must add to his sales.The dealers it seems are chosen with care unlike the Honda shops with pop up everywhere ,latest being Hua Hin..

Reading some reports on here makes me laugh ,oh the suspension is excellent by the way,much better than the stock Honda one ,yes my last bike was a CBR 250 which I had for 3 yrs so I do have some idea.

Only problem i have so far is still waiting for the green book after five months !

Looking forward to the coming dry months when a trip to Chaing Mai is planned.

Cant update on neighbours 300 as hes only just come back from Aus but will update with any issues.

So far a happy bunny..

[pokerkid]

Only done 3000 kms now on my 300,and it is still going strong as ever. No complaints what so ever.. From the facebook page of my dealer at least 4 farangs have bought one in my town and many Thais. In fact they have become common more so than the Honda or Kawasakis 300. The dealer puts himself about with shows in the Central Plaza and all the shopping centers nearby and surrounding towns which must add to his sales.The dealers it seems are chosen with care unlike the Honda shops with pop up everywhere ,latest being Hua Hin..

Reading some reports on here makes me laugh ,oh the suspension is excellent by the way,much better than the stock Honda one ,yes my last bike was a CBR 250 which I had for 3 yrs so I do have some idea.

Only problem i have so far is still waiting for the green book after five months !

Looking forward to the coming dry months when a trip to Chaing Mai is planned.

Cant update on neighbours 300 as hes only just come back from Aus but will update with any issues.

So far a happy bunny..

how is the handling compared to the cbr250 ? I guess its not so flickable as the honda.

[Nickymaster]

Been following this thread for a while now, waiting for someone who regrets buying one, so far nothing at that has to be good. Pretty sure I would be bored by now on a CB300, even if it hadn't fallen apart.

The longer this goes the better the Benelli sounds.

Correct me if I'm wrong but there is a lot of talking going on here about how good this bike is but I can only find 1 person in this thread that has bought one.

Exactly. How can anybody regret buying a Benelli if nobody ever bought one in the first place?

This thread is full of tire-kickers talking about how amazing the Benelli looks and how awful and boring Honda is, but at the end of the day people that actually, you know, buy bikes and ride them overwhelmingly go for established brands like Honda, Kawa, Yamaha, or Ducati.

Funny, that.

But Allan, if you want to buy one to have something different and unique by all means buy it. That way everyone could finally hear some reliable first-hand experiences about this bike.

er...this is a forum and the whole point of a forum is to discuss, so has this "tyre kicking" and not buying suddenly become an illegal activity here? Are we being forced to actually buy a bike in order to have an opinion? Do you guys own all the models you express an opinion on, somehow I doubt it?

I do like the sound and looks of the Benelli, I like Triumphs more but they are outside my price bracket. I have actually ridden a CBR250 and it was really boring, the CB300 (at around the price of a TNT300) has a couple of extra ccs and different handlebars, so must be just as boring....IMO.

That leaves reliability as the only plus point for the CB300, but there are now some thing that put that into question.

1. We read on TV about the blown up new CB300 and that puts a small dent in the reliability argument.

2. We read about problems and recalls for other Hondas.

3. I had a Phantom which had a very flimsy engine, also built down to a price by Thais and that blew up on me as a direct result of it's inherent weakness.

4. It is clear that in all areas of engineering, other countries are catching the Japs up, especially the Chinese and Italians, both involved in the TNT.

5. On other websites they sing the praises of the Benelli and no where do they describe the CB300 in such glowing terms.

So to me the Benelli makes much more sense than the Honda, but whether I buy one depends on whether I can get my old torquey NV400 running 100%..... and not whether I feel ashamed of being described as a tyre kicker on this forum.

Biking (touring) for me is a pleasure and the looks and sound of a bike is a crucial part of the decision making process when I am thinking about shelling out a few grand of my cash.

Oh by the way I never said it was unique and have no intentions of buying one to satisfy anyone's curiosity. So let us carry on discussing this interesting bike until someone else decides to buy one because they want to.

..oh I am also keeping my powder dry until a nice cruiser/chopper comes along.

99.9% of all Hondas sold in Thailand have no issues. Difficult to say if buying a Benelli makes more sense because nobody really buys them. In fact, that might be the answer.... A recall is no big deal, happens to ALL brands. As long as they have a proper and quick fix.

By the way, I am sure you are not going to buy a Benelli. IMO, you just use the Benelli card to bash Honda. Which in fact doesn't makes sense but ok...

[GARYZX6R]

For me its a much more stable bike than the CBR ,due to the extra weight and better suspension,front and back. Same poor tyres as the Honda but have yet to get round and change them.The Indian model is now fitted with the larger Pirellis Angels 120/160 which by all accounts are superb,so much as they are not offering the smaller tyres fitted on the Thai models anymore. The difference for me is I want to get on and ride the Benelli where as the CBR I didnt. I did soften the rear suspension damping by a couple of clicks which I prefer,again something you cant do on a Kawasaki or Honda.

I guess time may change some peoples view towards Benellis ,good thing is now you have a choice.

[DILLIGAD]

Talked to a happy owner today. To be brutally honest, it actually looked better than the larger c.c. Bikes in the range. It sounded good too.

[andrewrooney]

For me its a much more stable bike than the CBR ,due to the extra weight and better suspension,front and back. Same poor tyres as the Honda but have yet to get round and change them.The Indian model is now fitted with the larger Pirellis Angels 120/160 which by all accounts are superb,so much as they are not offering the smaller tyres fitted on the Thai models anymore. The difference for me is I want to get on and ride the Benelli where as the CBR I didnt. I did soften the rear suspension damping by a couple of clicks which I prefer,again something you cant do on a Kawasaki or Honda.

I guess time may change some peoples view towards Benellis ,good thing is now you have a choice.

Good to hear you're enjoying it.

I agree those IRC's are terrible, do something nice for your bike and change them! Michelin Pilot Street are only about 3500 for the pair, or if you want to spend a little more get some Pirellis.

Keep updating us on the bike, honestly it's good to get reports from someone who's actually riding one.

[AllanB]

In my last posting I declared that the only plus for the CB300 was reliability and that perhaps that was a diminishing asset, when actually Honda do have a bigger and better dealer and spares network.

At the moment, were I to buy a Benelli, my local dealership is 120km away, a bit of a run. Surely Khon Kaen being the 3rd largest city in Thailand is due for it's own a dealership very soon (population source http://www.livingthai.org/census-populations-for-cities-in-thailand.html), that will help.

With this size of engine these bikes are not really about performance, in any case power to weight ratios change dramatically when a rider gets on board, even more so if the rider is heavy and 2 up, the payload can almost double the weight of the bike. Power curves matter more than peak bhp and the torque curve is perhaps even more important.

[taninthai]

allan you aren't about to buy any bike at any moment.........you sure do like talking about it though.

seriously who gives a <deleted> about power curve peak hp and all that crap when your buying a 300cc bike,bennelli,honda,yamaha 300cc bikes are all entry level bikes for most people would use them to get experience on and than move up to whatever style engine size suits them, the 150cc-300cc is not a bike you are gonna love and cherish for 30 years.

[casualbiker]

allan you aren't about to buy any bike at any moment.........you sure do like talking about it though.

seriously who gives a <deleted> about power curve peak hp and all that crap when your buying a 300cc bike,bennelli,honda,yamaha 300cc bikes are all entry level bikes for most people would use them to get experience on and than move up to whatever style engine size suits them, the 150cc-300cc is not a bike you are gonna love and cherish for 30 years.

Why? If it's well built and reliable and suits the riders purpose!

[pokerkid]

allan you aren't about to buy any bike at any moment.........you sure do like talking about it though.

seriously who gives a <deleted> about power curve peak hp and all that crap when your buying a 300cc bike,bennelli,honda,yamaha 300cc bikes are all entry level bikes for most people would use them to get experience on and than move up to whatever style engine size suits them, the 150cc-300cc is not a bike you are gonna love and cherish for 30 years.

Why? If it's well built and reliable and suits the riders purpose!

In the end Allan will most likely settle for a second hand cb300f . But its always nice to dream isn't it....

[BSJ]

I think the real issue is the price of the Benelli. For a bike made in China it is way way over priced! And we all know their made in China even if there was some design work in Italy. But it hasn't got Italian street cred....and probably never will despite what the company owners may wish for!

[MartinL]

allan you aren't about to buy any bike at any moment.........you sure do like talking about it though.

seriously who gives a <deleted> about power curve peak hp and all that crap when your buying a 300cc bike,bennelli,honda,yamaha 300cc bikes are all entry level bikes for most people would use them to get experience on and than move up to whatever style engine size suits them, the 150cc-300cc is not a bike you are gonna love and cherish for 30 years.

Cr*p -- it's horses for courses. I've been a biker in UK for 40+ years - exclusively a biker since I never owned a car until coming to Thailand. Big bikes, small bikes, Jap, German, UK & especially Italian bikes, up to 900cc - 20 in total. I have UK advanced riding qualifications.

Right now, I ride a 300 simply because I can't justify buying anything bigger. I tend to ride what we'd call in UK 'country lanes' - 3 or 4 digit roads - and almost never go on the local highway. I only do about 3000 km a year and never less than 300 or so km at a time. I don't ride in company - because I don't know any other bikers in my locality - and don't take a passenger. A bigger bike wouldn't mean I'd travel any faster than I do on my 300 - I travel at up to the maximum speed I consider safe, bearing in mind the hazards we all know exist on Thai country roads. The 300 does that admirably.

You might say that my riding style, nowadays, means I'm no longer a 'real' biker, whatever that is. My reply would be "B*ll**ks".

A bigger bike would be a complete waste of money and potential performance. Why buy 150 hp when 40 hp will do what you want?

Incidentally, my favourite bike of all those I've ever owned is the lovely 250cc bike in my avatar. Yes, small bikes can most certainly be loved & cherished.

Ignore this bloke's advice, AllanB - keep asking your questions. There's not much better than idle chat about bikes.

[Happy Grumpy]

I just got back from a weekend ride to Phitsanulok.

Around town during the Saturday night and Sundday and I saw 4 or 5 TNT 300's.

I might have seen one CB300 and not one Kawasaki.

All the TNT's looked absolutely fantastic.

[wantan]

Yep, already lots of Benelli bikes on the streets in Bangkok too. Thai people buy them, made in china is no problem. Same same as made in thailand if proper QC.

[AllanB]

allan you aren't about to buy any bike at any moment.........you sure do like talking about it though.

seriously who gives a <deleted> about power curve peak hp and all that crap when your buying a 300cc bike,bennelli,honda,yamaha 300cc bikes are all entry level bikes for most people would use them to get experience on and than move up to whatever style engine size suits them, the 150cc-300cc is not a bike you are gonna love and cherish for 30 years.

Why? If it's well built and reliable and suits the riders purpose!

In the end Allan will most likely settle for a second hand cb300f . But its always nice to dream isn't it....

No, not a chance, the ONLY reason I would buy either of these bikes is if it is brand new and yes a lot of what goes on in this forum is about dreaming. However, these are hardly dream bikes, unless I consider where such a bike would take me.

As I have mentioned before if I am able to trust my old NV400, I won't be buying either, my existing bike has more room, more power, more torque and a lower C of G. But... this bike has already cost me a year of touring sorting out problems, I can't afford another dormant year, so that is why I am thinking/tanking about a new bike.

With either of these little 300's performance is important for me, if the little bugga is pulling more than it's own weight around the countryside.

[Happy Grumpy]

For the sake of Lord Buddha... just go out and buy a d@mned bike.

For you, and your small displacement and 2 up fetish, go for a used CBR500 for 150k or so, and leave us in peace.

[speedtripler]

I like the Yamaha as well but a close look shows a lot of corner cutting too finish wise

Agree.

People are on about buying budget, low spec, beginner bikes, and honestly expect top-end specs and finish, etc?

Look at the little chopstick forks and swing arm on the 286cc Thai manufactured Honda (One that hasn't blown up.)

But then you just need to go to any Honda dealership and look at the level of the employees they hire, and it is quite amazing that people give them any sort of credit.

That's not just honda, crap staff is endemic to Thai companies

At least they can manage maintain a presence in every town, as soon as you have a problem with the benelli , you will wish you bought the honda or yamaha....

[DILLIGAD]

I like the Yamaha as well but a close look shows a lot of corner cutting too finish wise

Agree.

People are on about buying budget, low spec, beginner bikes, and honestly expect top-end specs and finish, etc?

Look at the little chopstick forks and swing arm on the 286cc Thai manufactured Honda (One that hasn't blown up.)

But then you just need to go to any Honda dealership and look at the level of the employees they hire, and it is quite amazing that people give them any sort of credit.

That's not just honda, crap staff is endemic to Thai companies

At least they can manage maintain a presence in every town, as soon as you have a problem with the benelli , you will wish you bought the honda or yamaha....

I would actually say Honda or Kawasaki. Yamaha (big bike) dealers are as rare as Benelli dealers ( I would suggest).

My local biggish city has one Benelli dealer but no Yamaha (just as an example)