Dealers suggest that Benelli India is likely to launch the Leoncino 250 on October 5, 2019. The Leoncino 250 is the company’s new entrant in the quarter-litre segment after the Benelli TNT25 was discontinued in 2018. The baby Leoncino could go on sale within weeks of Benelli launching the Leoncino 500 (Rs 4.79 lakh ex-showroom) in India.

The Leoncino 250 is the entry-level scrambler in Benelli's portfolio. As the name suggests, its styling is similar to the recently launched Leoncino 500 (except for the oval headlamp and the fluorescent graphics), down to the Lion cub motif on the front fender. However, it’s a completely new motorcycle underneath. The steel-trellis chassis, swingarm and suspension is specific to the Leoncino 250 and so is the all-digital instrument cluster. The bike also gets a petal-shaped, single disc at the front with axially mounted calipers. Dual-channel ABS is standard. The Benelli Leoncino 250 rides on smaller tyres – a 110/70-R17 at the front and a 150/60-R17 at the rear.

Powering the Leoncino 250 is a 249cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled motor based on the Benelli TNT 25’s mill, mated to a 6-speed gearbox. However, the engine on the Leoncino 250 produces 25.8hp (slightly higher than the TNT 25) and 21.2Nm of torque (slightly lower than the street-naked motorcycle).

Currently, there are no 250cc, scrambler-style motorcycles on sale in the country – which makes the Leoncino 250 quite a unique proposition. That said, Benelli India is expected to price the motorcycle competitively. It could be the most affordable Benelli bike in our market with an estimated price at around Rs 1.8-2 lakh (ex-showroom). However, this could drop in the future as Benelli has plans to localise components for its motorcycles in India.