Mahindra Mojo Vs Benelli TNT 25 comparison

Some years ago, premium commuter bikes in India were the 150s. With time though, rising performance bars and aspirations mean engine capacity has had to steadily creep higher to meet the market. And today, premium commuter bike space stretches even up to a 250. We’ve brought together here, two latest newcomers, Mahindra’s Mojo and the Benelli TNT 25. Both Mahindra and Benelli bikes claim to offer just what users are looking for, striving to put their best foot forward. Can either outdo the other? Let’s see.

The Mojo and TNT 25 are pretty distinctive looking bikes. The Mahindra Mojo has more flowing, curvy lines, while the Benelli sports more aggressive, sporty lines. The Mojo headlamp is rounder, with a neat design touch being ‘eyebrows’, almost resembling a face. On the other hand, the TNT 25 has a more muscular headlamp. The fuel-tanks on the two follow diverse themes too, beneath which an exposed chassis conveys this same story.

The Mojo comes with love-em, or-hate-em tubular ‘ribs’ beneath its tank. Overall, the Mahindra bike look muscular, with styling feeling a shade too front-heavy, as too much mass is concentrated forward. The Benelli TNT 25 on the contrary is a compact, more balanced looking motorcycle. The trellis frame exposed below the TNT 25 tank looks nice, and the tail doesn’t look like it ended abruptly, as does the rear of the Mahindra.

What you have to like on the Mojo, is the new engine. The Mahindra has a 295cc, liquid-cooled, four-stroke powerplant, capable of 26.8bhp. However, it isn’t only the figures that please, but the manner in which the new engine delivers refined performance. The engine is smoother than its Benelli rival, with only the slightest vibes at the top-end, accompanied by a nice soundtrack. Mahindra has curiously chosen to give their single-cylinder bike a pair of silencers, which makes little sense, adding weight instead of helping the deserving weight loss cause. A bugbear experienced by us on the Mojo was a tendency for the bike to overheat easily.

The Benelli, on the other hand comes with a smaller capacity, 249cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, four-stroke engine, that is good for 28.2bhp. The engine on the Italian bike delivers ample torque early on in its rev range, power building strongly thereafter, as the TNT lives up to its name and pulls hard, all the way to a heady top-end. A long ride on the highway on the Benelli can leave your arms feeling a touch tingly with vibes.

The clutch and gearbox on each bike has a story to tell. Mahindra has weighted their clutch well, unlike the Benelli. The Mojo gearbox too, is smooth shifting. On the Benelli though, the clutch feels heavy and your left arm is in for a thorough, and really quite unwanted workout when crawling through traffic. The gearbox though, is smooth shifting and works well enough.

The Mojo is more a sports tourer, and one would expect it to track steady as a rock. However, the Mojo struggles to hold a steady line, a major flaw, and there’s a noticeable and unsettling weave that sets in from as early as 30kph, going on to get more pronounced as speeds rise. You don’t feel safe, or one with the bike once riding at speeds of over 100kph. The Benelli on the other hand shoots off down the road easily holding its line to track true as an arrow. It is also the more effortless bike to ride, always agile and light on its feet, with a chassis that feels so much better balanced. Turning into corners on the TNT is light, with neutral steering feel. While on the Mojo, turn in calls for much effort, as the Mahindra motorcycle isn’t too happy changing lines once on the go.

Both new motorcycles are equipped with upside down forks in front, and a monoshock at the rear. The setup on the Mojo felt stiffer, and sportier. The TNT’s suspension is closer to plush, a little more pliant, and yet allowing the bike to handle well when pushing over bad roads.

Mahindra and Benelli have not held back when it comes to grippy tyres. The test Benelli came with Metzeller M5s, which we hope make it to the final production motorcycles, where the Mojo is equipped with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIs. These worked perfectly, as expected, providing excellent grip even when pushing in wet conditions.

The TNT front brake lacks the bite offered by the Mojo. The Mojo front brakes, by J. Juan have progressive feedback at the lever, with strong stopping power, and confidence inspiring feel. The Mojo rear brake though, frighteningly locks up the rear wheel to start a slide far too easily. This becomes more of a problem because there’s no ABS. One has to be careful and aware of the sharp rear brake when riding the new Mahindra, or you can easily find yourself in serious trouble.

In the end, the Mojo offers a good engine and gearbox, while the Benelli brings to the table a superior chassis and more capable handling. Where things even out though are the suspension and tyres.

However, the Benelli TNT 25 is a superior package, with better riding dynamics and more able handling. No, the Italian isn’t quite quirk free, but you can peg its shortcomings to being a matter of fine tuning, whereas the Mahindra motorcycle has what are basic flaws, like the lack of straight line stability, over exuberant rear brake and tendency to overheat.

Added up, the Mojo has to move over and allow the TNT 25 to step onto the top step of the podium here.
 

Mahindra Mojo
Price                         Rs 1.58 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
On sale                      Now
L/W/H                      2100/800/1165mm
Wheelbase                1460mm
Fuel tank capacity    21 litres
Kerb weight             165kg
Engine layout           Single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, four-stroke
Displacement           295cc
Power                       26.8bhp at 8000rpm
Torque                      3kgm at 6000rpm
Specific output         90.8bhp per litre
Power to weight       162.4bhp per tonne
Gearbox                    6-speed, 1-down, 5-up
Front suspension      Upside down forks
Rear suspension       Monoshock, box-section swingarm
Front brake               320mm disc
Rear brake                240mm disc
Wheels                    10-spoke alloy
Rim size (f-r)            17 inches
Tyre size (f-r)          110/70 x 17- 150/60 x 17 inches

Acceleration from rest (dry surface)
Speed(kph)  Time(sec)
0-10   0.48
0-20   0.90
0-30   1.35
0-40   1.95
0-50   2.71
0-60   3.59
0-70   4.71
0-80   6.03
0-90   7.71
0-100   9.55
………………………….
Top speed   143kph
City economy  28kpl
Highway economy 33.4kpl

Benelli TNT 25
Price                         Rs 1.7 lakh (estimated)
On sale                      2016
L/W/H                      2080/805/1090mm
Wheelbase                1385mm
Fuel tank capacity    16.5 litres
Kerb weight             150kg
Engine layout           Single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, four-stroke
Displacement           249.2cc
Power                       28.2bhp at 9000rpm
Torque                      2.1kgm at 7000rpm
Specific output         96.7bhp per litre
Power to weight       160.7bhp per tonne
Gearbox                    6-speed, 1-down, 5-up
Front suspension      Upside down forks
Rear suspension       Monoshock, box-section swingarm
Front brake               280mm disc
Rear brake                240mm disc
Wheels                    12-spoke alloy
Rim size (f-r)            17 inches
Tyre size (f-r)          110/70 x 17- 140/60 x 17 inches

Acceleration from rest (dry surface)
Speed(kph)  Time(sec)
0-10         0.55
0-20         0.97
0-30         1.48
0-40         2.16
0-50         2.86
0-60         3.83
0-70         4.93
0-80         6.39
0-90         8.05
0-100       10.73
………………………….
Top speed   129kph
City economy   31.6kpl
Highway economy 34.4kpl