re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

I suggest you talk to the in-charge for Service at both Benelli and Kawasaki. While Kawasaki has good products, their customer friendliness is not at the same level as other major brands like Triumph/Harley/Benelli as per my experience. They don't even give proper test ride - which is a rather unfortunate thing according to me. Surely we can't decide to spend Rs 7 Lakh or higher just for a name?

It is highly possible that Benelli or other brands may actually provide you on-location service by sending their engineer to your home with all the material required. They will charge you some extra money obviously but this is possible and will address your service worries.

E.g. There is no INDIAN showroom in Pune - it is only in Mumbai. But they send a person to owners in Pune for servicing it locally.

Also, please consider the fact that both Benelli 600i and Kawasaki Ninja650/ER6N currently don't offer ABS. So, if you want ABS (which I think is essential) - you either need to go in lower segment and get KTM Duke 390 or go in higher segment and get Kawasaki Versys 650, Triumph Street Triple 675, Kawasaki Z800, Triumph Street Twin (new launch in 2016 - it will be available in next 2-3 months may be), Honda CBR650F....

Rumours say that Ninja650 will have ABS soon - but how soon nobody knows...

Regards,
Jeevan

Re: Benelli TNT 600i - Onwers' Reviews & Experiences

Kawasaki 2016 ninja 650r will efficient hope benelli does too, I just said ninja is a lot more fuel efficient, I've heard figures like 24kmpl in the city and 27-30 in the highway, benelli is comparatively new soo the mileage figures are unclear, but service n customer friendlyness of the benelli people was top knotch. And more ownership experiences should come in long-term then we will have a good picture of the bike and how it fares in these conditions, CBR 650f if it was priced 6.5-7 after tax, but the showroom which sells the bike here has bad reviews and the sales ppl weren't that friendly, I have shortlisted the benelli 600i, ninja 650r, CBR 650f, z800.

re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

Hi guys, thank you for the response. I have two more questions im my mind now. 1. How are the vibrations in 600i? 2. Is it ok to ride the bike for 500kms immediately after delivery (because i live 500kms away from the showroom)?

re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

I don't think the 500 km should be a problem. Just dont go ham on that thing. It would be very tempting to ride her hard since the drive is long. But hold back and drive sane. Plus you will be half way through the break-in period.

re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

It should be a good ride for her. You will run her in in that time. Remember to vary your speeds. Never settle in one constant rpm and speed. Read about breaking in your motorcycle.
Try and get delivery early morning so that you can get out of city with least amount of traffic.

Re: Benelli TNT 600i - Onwers' Reviews & Experiences

I am to understand that none of these vehicles are meant for track but extensive long rides and touring purposes...

Comparing the 600i with z800, ninja 650r, cbr 650f

From a price standpoint the CBR isn't worth the money, so lets set that aside for now.

The Z800 is a beautiful refined machine... the only cons with it are-
1. You can't have a pillion even in the city forget longer trips on it are right off ruled out...
2. Long tours and rides are not possible... they are good for cafe runs (100- kms or in a day ride). because of the exhaust positioning saddle bags aren't possible

Now between the 600i, 600GT and Ninja 650

I would pick the GT as the clear winner if we are talking about touring specifically, as an all rounder it looses out to city manuverability. Its 27 ltr tank is fantastic, specially if you were to plan a ride into the himalayas sometime...

The 600i and Ninja 650 are both extremely practical machine..

Ninja 650 pro's-
The Ninja offers better wind protection which is a big plus
Better break bite force
Good initial pick up
Con's- Nothing really (now pls stop *****ing about the lack of ABS), just not as smooth and comfortable like a quad. Given its twin cylinder nature- it clearly shows

The 600i-
Very relaxed riding position
The low end torque is a bit low, actually works well for indian conditions. Being in tail to tail traffic (in bangalore for example)... This works best, as you can use this bike for everyday purpose, power mode kicks in when you need it and not accidentally.
Long tours are supposed to be even better, specially when going through broken patches of road (trying to carve your way at say 20 km/hr in a steep incline with loose rocks and boulders) you don't want any surprises being thrown at you...

Have you heared it with the IXIL exhaust ? it beats the living crap out of most SBK's

con's- the low end power unavailability in a way is a negative for the upfront acceleration. Although an ecu re-map will do the trick. Remember its a fantastic proven '06 R6 engine... It just needs to be tuned right.
Also requires a aftermarket wind screen

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Adding to what you mentioned, There are FB groups catering to SBK's in India. There are a good number of them who are dodgy. I had been hunting for a specific model in a price range for a while. And have come across super dodgy vehicles...

If you are getting a second hand SBK, any brand do your home work..

1. Verify import records with customs (i was about to finally fix in on a bike, but the customs record came up as negative/ forged documents)
2. Verify authentication (no brokers / mediators selling directly)
3. Get a police / RTO verification done
4. Get vehicle verified by the service center (while at it- look at the sproket, chain, tyre wear and tear), its easily possible to reset the meter to zero for a small fee..

Re: Benelli TNT 600i - Onwers' Reviews & Experiences

Thank you and where can i get this done ?

re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

For most bikes the popular one is dyno jet power commander, unfortunately they don't have units for benelli. There must be other brands too but haven't researched them in detail.
You can also try ecu maps website, they have for the benelli 600 and 899. I will get in touch with them once I get my bike

re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

just now i saw 6 600is for sale in OLX, including a bike that belongs to a member of this thread. most of the bikes are just 6 months old. even though the mentioned reason is "upgrading", why sell a bike in a span of just 6 months? i seriously hope that there is nothing wrong with the bike or with the ownership experience, because i'm gonna book one next month.

re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

I think they many just realized that the bike is more of a 'want' than a 'need' . and then 6lac rupees just starts looking like a dead investment. Thus they sell. . . or they really could be upgrading.

re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

Well I am using 600i from six months and I am happy with the bike. I don't know why they are selling. May be like another guy said, it might have felt like a dead investment to them.

Re: Benelli TNT 600i - Onwers' Reviews & Experiences

Are you sure it has a very relaxed riding position. The last time I rode it, it was quite aggressive not as comfortable as the seating in the 300. I'm 5'8 btw

re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

That is very reassuring. Are there any notable vibrations at any particular rpm ?

re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

At idling, you can feel little tickle in your butt, as the vehicle moves, it vanishes, I haven't crossed 7k rpm (I am scared to go more), But I haven't felt any vibrations within that band.

re: Benelli TNT 600i - Owners' Reviews & Experiences

You can only go above 7000rpm in empty open highway stretch or track... I test the benelli ,I wouldn't go beyond 3000-4000rpm, I am really edging towards this bike as a upgrade from my CBR 250, but I wasn't happy with the handle bars, felt the bike needed chunkier ones and coming from the Honda, I think ABS is a big need for long rides, but again differs in choice, the bike weight is pretty heave, I wanna know are there any weight loss mods? Have u encountered any stalling issues,?