Benelli Tornado 302
Benelli Tornado 302Benelli

Italian motorcycle brand Benelli's Indian arm DSK Benelli is reportedly planning to launch the 300cc motorcycle -- the Tornado 302 -- in the country in early 2017. If the emerging reports are to be believed, the Tornado 302, the fully-faired sibling of TNT 300 will join the company's India portfolio in the first week of January.

The Benelli Tornado 302, which is likely to be launched in India as 302R, was initially expected in December. However, the company is said to have pushed the launch to a later date to equip the model with safety features such as ABS, reports Zigwheels. Benelli Tornado 302 was spotted on test on the Indian roads a few times after its debut at the Auto Expo 2016.

Benelli Tornado 302 measures 2,175mm in length, 746mm in width, 1,146mm in height, and weighs 180kg. Built on a trestle frame, the fully-faired version of the TNT 300 gets power from an in-line two-cylinder four-stroke four-valve DOHC engine that can dish out 36bhp at 12,000rpm and 27Nm at 9,000 rpm.

The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission and can reportedly attain a top speed of over 170kmph. The Benelli Tornado 302 features 41mm upside down forks at front and mono suspension at the rear. It comes with a fuel tank capacity of 14 litres and uses twin 260mm floating discs with a four-piston caliper brake at the front and a single 240mm disc with a single piston caliper brake for the rear.

While it has been confirmed that the Tornado 302 will be launched in India with ABS, it is yet to be known whether the safety feature ABS will come as optional or standard. Once it hits the market, Tornado 302 (302R) will take on the likes of Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Yamaha YZF-R3.