Benelli tornado 550

Sculpted and aggressive lines, with elaborate and modern surfaces: the Tornado 550 is the flagship model in the Benelli fairing family, dusting off an iconic name. A bike born from the ever-increasing market demand for a product that can combine a sporty suit with the demand for versatility and comfort in everyday use, without distorting its aptitude for projecting itself towards the next apex.

The Tornado 550 is the result of a joint project between R&D and Benelli's Centro Stile in

Pesaro, which, based on the technical basis of the TNT 500 concept-naked, has been able to decline - and evolve - this platform in a sporty key. The design features key elements taken from its naked sister, accompanied by sculpted fairings characterized by strong three dimensionality, which give the Tornado 550 a unique personality. The shapes are compact with volumes underlined by the sharp lines that start from the front, cross the tank and flow to the tail. The DRLs of the front light unit design a luminous shape inspired by the sharp fangs of a lion, the historic symbol of the Benelli brand: these elements are completely separated from the central high and low beam modules. The rear lights, on the other hand, are integrated into the turn signals.

The 554-cc engine is an evolution of the proven 500cc that equips some of the brand's bestsellers. The parallel twin-cylinder facing forward has a double overhead camshaft distribution, 4 valves per cylinder and bore and cubic capacity values of 70.5 mm and 71 mm respectively for a "square" configuration. The result is a smooth and responsive engine that responds well when accelerating and delivers a maximum output of 41.2 kW (56 hp) at 8,250 rpm and maximum torque of 54 Nm at 5,500 rpm. Much of the credit also goes to the crank layout that, from 360°, changes to 270°, thus giving a more biting character to the newborn Tornado. Lubrication is wet sump, and the six-speed gearbox is matched with a chain final drive. The new engine complies with Euro 5+ emission standards.

The Tornado 550 has a steel tube trellis frame with the engine used as a stressed element: an excellent compromise between weight and rigidity, which goes well with the front end with a fully adjustable Ø 41 mm upside-down Marzocchi fork and its 125 mm of stroke. At the rear, however, the swingarm is directly connected to a mainshock absorber adjustable in preload and rebound. The stroke of the rear wheel, in this case, is 125mm.

The 17" aluminium alloy wheels are combined with 120/70 and 160/60 tires, with radially

mounted Brembo front brakes managed upstream by a radial brake pump. The discs are semi floating from Ø 320 mm while, at the rear, the disc is 260 mm with a Ø34 mm double-piston fixed calliper.

The overall length of the Tornado 550 is 2,090, of which 1,420 mm is the wheelbase. What makes Benelli's medium super sports bike accessible is a rider seat placed 800 mm from the ground. A rider’s seat positioned lower than the semi handlebars, whose combination with the footpegs placed not excessively backwards, makes the riding position of the Tornado devoted to sportiness but also ideal for everyday use. For daily commuting, the 16.5-liter tank and a declared consumption of 4L/100 km promise over 400 km of pure fun. In running order, the scales reach 198 kg including all liquids, including the 10W-50 engine oil.

The cluster is a 5" TFT colour display with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection to match the

smartphone and manage incoming calls and notifications. To charge the smartphone, in

addition to the classic USB socket, there is also USB-C for faster charging. But that is not all: through the easy and intuitive menus, you can also deactivate Traction Control but also change the riding modes on two levels (Normal & Sport). On the screen you can see both navigation through the Car bit App and the TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitor System) which reports the pressures of Pirelli Angel GT tyres in real time as well as the temperature. To complete a rich package of original equipment, the rear turn signals integrate both the position lights and the brake lights.

Tornado 550 is available in the colours Midnight Black, Tech Silver and Gres White in the full power and 35 kW version.