Benelli Imperiale 400

The new Benelli Imperiale 400 measures 2170 mm in length, it has a width of 820 mm and a height of 1120 mm. This retro motorcycle has a wheelbase of 1440 mm, which is one of the longest in its segment. That adds to the high stability of the motorcycle out there on the highways, but while taking U-turns, it turns out to be quite problematic as it takes a lot of space. The Imperiale 400 is quite heavy too as it weighs 205 kgs and gets a fuel tank capacity of 12-litres. It has a seat height of just 780 mm and so it can be ridden easily even by short riders. The Benelli Imperiale 400 gets a 165 mm ground clearance and so you need to be a bit careful on big speed breakers.

The new Benelli Imperiale 400 is powered by a BS6 compliant 374cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, fuel-injected engine. This BS6 motor churns out 21 PS of maximum power at 6000 RPM and 29 Nm of peak torque at 3500 RPM. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The Imperiale 400 offers more power and torque than its arch-rival, the Royal Enfield Classic 350. In real-world performance too, the Imperiale 400 feels quicker than the Classic 350. This new retro classic motorcycle offers good low-end and mid-range performance and a decent top-end.

The Benelli Imperiale 400 is quite a heavy motorcycle but it can easily clock triple-digit speeds. However, it feels most comfortable and effortless to ride at speeds between 70-90 kmph on the highways. Also, the Benelli Imperiale 400‘s engine is very refined and one can hardly feel any vibrations while riding at lower RPMs. It is only when you twist the throttle completely that the motorcycle starts to vibrate a bit. The Imperiale 400 is quite fuel-efficient too. This retro bike delivers around 30-40 kmpl of mileage in real-world riding conditions which is quite decent.

The new Benelli Imperiale 400 is based on a double cradle with steel tubes and plates. The suspension duties on the motorcycle are performed by 41 mm telescopic forks at the front and it gets preload adjustable gas-charged shock absorbers at the rear. The Benelli Imperiale 400 offers good ride quality. The suspension is on the softer side and it feels comfortable even on broken patches of roads. The braking duties on the motorcycle are handled by a 300 mm disc at the front and a 240 mm disc brake at the rear. The new Benelli Imperiale 400 also gets dual-channel ABS as standard as an additional safety feature.

The Benelli Imperiale 400 rides on a 19-inch front and an 18-inch rear tyre. The front tyre of the motorcycle is a 100/90 section 19-inch unit while the rear one is a 130/80 section 18-inch unit. It gets spoke wheels and so the tyres aren’t tubeless units. If we talk about features, the Benelli Imperiale 400 gets an analogue instrument cluster with a MID (multi-information display) in between that displays a ton of information including a gear-position indicator. The Benelli Imperiale 400 is also the only motorcycle in its segment to get an analogue tachometer.