Benelli TNT 300 review, road test

The Benelli TNT 300’s fuel-injected engine growls to life without hesitation, immediately settling down into a steady idle; making cold starts no cause for concern throughout our testing. The TNT 300 uses a four-stroke, 300cc, parallel twin-cylinder and shortstroke (bore and stroke, 65mm x 45.2mm) engine. Dual overhead camshafts drive the engine’s eight valves. Liquid-cooling is standard, with injection via twin, 38mm injectors.

The TNT 300 outputs adequate power of 36.2bhp at 11,500rpm, and 2.75kgm of torque at 9,000rpm. The motorcycle’s ample wave of bottom-end torque enables it to power past most traffic in stop-and-go conditions.

The wet clutch pulls in with a slightly heavier feel than expected, yet isn’t too much of a strain, and works with progressive action. The gearbox shifts smoothly with a well-weighted feel in a one-down, five-up, toe-shifted pattern. The TNT 300 is capable of quick performance, yes, and comes into
its element when cruising comfortably on a highway. Once you start unleashing its horses, the character-rich engine outputs brisk acceleration, with a decent mid-range, thereafter flying past 7,000rpm with power still rushing in as the bike delivers screaming performance all the way up to its limiter, around 11,000rpm. Well thought out gear ratios make this a competent bike astride which to tackle city traffic, as well as for cruising on the highways, without any hassle.

The TNT 300’s potent motor took us past 60kph from standstill in 3.41 seconds during performance testing, 100kph in 8.38sec and 130kph in 15.38s. Third gear was good for 99kph, fourth taking over from here to 115kph and fifth bringing you to 130kph. We recorded a true top speed of 154kph on the Benelli in sixth gear.

The Benelli TNT 300’s engine is refined, smooth and performs effortlessly with true Italian character and feel.