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**xBhp** · 02-19-2020, 05:30 PM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

Thread approved.

**sagarzzz** · 02-19-2020, 07:47 PM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

I dont think u will get lot of options in naked versions of bikes in that price range,apart from dominar,duke,and ther is honda cbr 300r.and yes u can give a try to interceptor650.

Originally posted by rudrah View Post

Hi All,

I currently own a 2015 RE Bullet 500 and been a occasional long trip rider. I'm in my 40s and have a family with daughter. As of now my most of the ride has been in city, although i love to ride out on highways and visit places accordingly however i blame myself for not taking time out to follow my passion to visit places with my rides. I'm also not a high speed rider like going beyond 120s speeds as our Indian roads are not absolutely safe to go anything beyond 100km/hr speeds IMO

Its been now almost 5yrs, I feel i need to move to a good capable bike that not only translate true power but gives equal confidence, peace of mind and comfort all the way. I've a budge of max 3-3.5.

I'm not a fan of sports bike with fairings hence ruling out the likes of TVS RR310, Yamahas etc. Also not a big fan of KTMs, not that I don't like it, but that sheer power at one flick of the throttle is not my kind of likeness. I prefer linear power delivery (probably being in 40s has not settled me down in a linear fashion

). So that leaves me to the naked bikes in my budget, there is:
1. Bajaj Dominar - (within budget but somehow not feeling attracted towards it, keeping low priority)
2. Benelli TNT 300 (within budget but service maintenance is expensive)
3. BMW G310R (Out of budget so ruled out)

Just to give a background, I started my ride with the first generation Pulsar 150 2002 model and used it for 12 yrs without any critical failure. It served me fantastically and hence sold it to a known friend who takes much better care than i used to do

I moved to RE 500 for the looks and power however over the years somehow i'm not able to connect with this bike like i was with my Pulsar. I experience this more during my ghat rides or when maneuvering in traffic. On empty straightline roads cruising at 80km/hr speeds its fantastic, beyond that its like taking its breath away slowly slowly. Plus the quality levels of RE you all know. From rusting to fuse holder burning, water leaking in tank and battery area during rains have ruined the fun of a peaceful ownership. I strongly feel to upgrade to a international brand for quality purpose and a experience once in a lifetime.

So from the list of available bikes in my budget and being a international brand is Benelli TNT 300. I did went through a ownership thread here as I understand it was launched in 2015 and some people have faced issues with expensive parts replacements along with short intervals of services costing bomb over a year. Right now I see they have extended the service intervals to 6 months/6000 kms. A friend of mine says the service costs anywhere around 5-6k apart from any parts if needed to replace. Not a cheap one. Its almost at par of a hatchback car service costs.

Secondly now due to the BS6 implementation, the current TNT 300 will be going out, not sure when the upgraded one will come.

1. Do you think guys is it worth to go for the Benelli TNT 300 at this moment?
2. Even If I buy the BS4 Benelli TNT 300, will there be any issues with spare parts availability and high costs going ahead?
3. The new TNT 300 whenever it will come, it will be expensive so would be out of budget too
4. Any other recommendations apart from the Benelli TNT 300?

Sorry for the long posts, but have lot of queries before I pump 3 and a half lakhs on a bike

Kindly advise

Thanks & cheers~

**yashasvi** · 02-20-2020, 08:52 AM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

I think the best option for you in your budget would be interceptor,
*The quality is better than the old re bikes
*Mature and handsome looks
*Big 650 cc engine which is vibe free and revv happy
*Linear acceleration throughout the revv range
*Perfect for touring, bike is mile muncher
*You will not feel the lack of power, top end 170 kmph
*With some mods like handlebar raisers and seat modification it gets very comfortable
*In your budget

Lastly i would tell you to take many test drives in various conditions like traffic, bad roads, open roads, and your regular commute roads , take the bike on rent if you want a proper experience. Everyone is going to give his opinion so you have to decide for your self at the end of the day.

**dhawz29** · 02-20-2020, 12:00 PM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

Originally posted by rudrah View Post

1. Do you think guys is it worth to go for the Benelli TNT 300 at this moment?
2. Even If I buy the BS4 Benelli TNT 300, will there be any issues with spare parts availability and high costs going ahead?
3. The new TNT 300 whenever it will come, it will be expensive so would be out of budget too
4. Any other recommendations apart from the Benelli TNT 300?

1. I owned the Tnt 300 when it came out in 2015. I love the bike. There's nothing much wrong with the bike itself. The usual niggles. But at this time and moment I don't think it's wise to buy a Benelli. There are more reliable bikes out there which are also cheaper to maintain. TNT is more expensive to maintain than a hatchback car or about the same I suppose.

2. Once you jump into owning a CKD bike you have to bear in mind that the costs are definitely going to be high. Sure you can get the spare parts however the time taken to acquire a spare part will increase drastically. It may take a minimum of 1,2 or 3 weeks to get a part. Depending upon what part it is.

3. All the bikes in any cc segment have had price increase due to the BS6 norms. So definitely expect 10-15% hike.

4. CKD - Honda CB300R. Non CKD - Interceptor. Honda has the best torque-to-weight ratio in it's class. It will be blast to ride in city or twisties. Interceptor is well above 200 kilos but I see a lot commuting on it to offices daily. Definitely not the most agile and flickable. See if you can get discounts on BMW G310R.

All the best!

**rudrah** · 02-20-2020, 08:25 PM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

Thanks guys for your response.

After a 5yr experience with RE, i'm not happy with its reliability and quality of parts. Service quality has been intermittently good/bad both from authorised dealer as well as local mechanics. Thats one factor why I'm not keen on owning another RE. Although have heard praises for this new Interceptor model but knowing RE can't trust their quality levels in long term. I'l ladd this though in my list but in lower priority.

Honda CBR300R - didn't liked the specs and quality as raised in the video reviews. And never a fan of Honda bikes

And like i said above, KTMs are a big no for me. We both are incompatible

Yes, I do agree when moving to a bigger capacity engines especially international branded ones, they are expensive to maintain. I've been reading about Benelli, Kawasaki, BMW. Leave alone the post 5L+ bikes. That's something we should be prepared to accept thats how it is. They don't sell like hot cakes and hence they charge heavy on service and parts.

Damn, i've got a liking on the Benelli TNT 300 but the maintanence cost of like 10-12k a year is pretty high

There is so much praise for the ride and performance of this bike that you just want it to get riding over it.

So as you say, I've to test ride the listed bikes under the budget, thats when I'll have good clarity what would actually suit me. So it would be:

1. Benelli TNT 300
2. Bajaj Dominar
3. RE Interceptor 650

The other BMW G310R is out of the budget plus more expensive than the Benelli I've heard to maintain.

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Originally posted by dhawz29 View Post

1. I owned the Tnt 300 when it came out in 2015. I love the bike. There's nothing much wrong with the bike itself. The usual niggles. But at this time and moment I don't think it's wise to buy a Benelli. There are more reliable bikes out there which are also cheaper to maintain. TNT is more expensive to maintain than a hatchback car or about the same I suppose.

Thanks for your reply, dhawz29, I would really like to know the issues you faced during your ownership with Benelli TNT 300 and the cost of spares if you could mention.

What made you sell it and what did you settled for?

**sagarzzz** · 02-20-2020, 08:35 PM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

Sir u can consider some good second hand bike

Originally posted by rudrah View Post

Thanks guys for your response.

After a 5yr experience with RE, i'm not happy with its reliability and quality of parts. Service quality has been intermittently good/bad both from authorised dealer as well as local mechanics. Thats one factor why I'm not keen on owning another RE. Although have heard praises for this new Interceptor model but knowing RE can't trust their quality levels in long term. I'l ladd this though in my list but in lower priority.

Honda CBR300R - didn't liked the specs and quality as raised in the video reviews. And never a fan of Honda bikes

And like i said above, KTMs are a big no for me. We both are incompatible

Yes, I do agree when moving to a bigger capacity engines especially international branded ones, they are expensive to maintain. I've been reading about Benelli, Kawasaki, BMW. Leave alone the post 5L+ bikes. That's something we should be prepared to accept thats how it is. They don't sell like hot cakes and hence they charge heavy on service and parts.

Damn, i've got a liking on the Benelli TNT 300 but the maintanence cost of like 10-12k a year is pretty high

There is so much praise for the ride and performance of this bike that you just want it to get riding over it.

So as you say, I've to test ride the listed bikes under the budget, thats when I'll have good clarity what would actually suit me. So it would be:

1. Benelli TNT 300
2. Bajaj Dominar
3. RE Interceptor 650

The other BMW G310R is out of the budget plus more expensive than the Benelli I've heard to maintain.

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Thanks for your reply, dhawz29, I would really like to know the issues you faced during your ownership with Benelli TNT 300 and the cost of spares if you could mention.

What made you sell it and what did you settled for?

**dhawz29** · 02-21-2020, 04:30 PM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

Originally posted by rudrah View Post

Thanks for your reply, dhawz29, I would really like to know the issues you faced during your ownership with Benelli TNT 300 and the cost of spares if you could mention.

What made you sell it and what did you settled for?

Well, I can see you have a liking for the Benelli. I fell in love with the bike after I took a test ride. It helped me to seal the deal. It's a special bike in my opinion.

So I strongly suggest that you first take a test ride of all the bikes into consideration. Even if you already don't like a bike on paper with it's specs, I suggest that you still take a test ride. Your decision making will become so much more easier. You will also know what you do not want or need.

I owned the bike for 1 year and rode around 10 K kms on it. The biggest issue is the service costs. 6K/service was way too much for me for 4000 kms intervals. Benelli offered only 1 free service. My bike's magneto stator failed for some reason. Took 3 weeks to get a new part and fix. Horn keeps failing which is actually a known issue but Benelli hasn't done much to fix this. Nothing else. I didn't own the bike long enough to go through change of tyres, sprocket, chain, brake pads etc etc. Just read the TNT300 ownership thread for details.

I'm a huge naked bike fan but I got the R3 after selling my TNT.

- I realised ABS is a MUST.
- I wanted a light weight bike. 173 kgs R3 vs 194 kgs of TNT. I'm light weight myself so this was critical for me.
- 3 free service. Yamaha's service costs are around 3 K at 5000 kms intervals. And in a metro city you have like 4-5 authorized centers where you can get the bike serviced. I had a fall on one of my rides down south and I could even find a center in Salem and got my bike fixed. These things matter. You may not need it daily but it will be helpful when the time comes.

Anyway, these are my reasons. If you really love this bike, go for it. And you are already aware of the costs involved so it is not a surprise for you.

The exhaust note alone will make you forget all the worries of your life.

All the best! Cheers!

**rachitkdogra** · 02-21-2020, 09:27 PM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

Originally posted by rudrah View Post

Thanks guys for your response.

Honda CBR300R - didn't liked the specs and quality as raised in the video reviews. And never a fan of Honda bikes

1. Benelli TNT 300
2. Bajaj Dominar
3. RE Interceptor 650

What is it that you don't like about the specs?
I am not aware of any quality concerns in the CBR300. You might not like the looks of the bike and that is completely understandable, but I think anybody looking for a bike in this segment should atleast try the CBR.

Cant comment about the quality of servicing available in your area for RE, but interceptor as a product is atleast 2 generations better than regular REs. This is from what I am hearing from friends who own the bike. I would put a lot of weight age to the Interceptor.

Best of Luck!!

Rachit

**sagarzzz** · 02-21-2020, 09:39 PM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

Rachit,he is not a fan of honda bikes,thats y cbr is out of equation.Dominaar and interceptor are the best choice 1 can make now.dominar is a vfm product.and bajaj has improved alot from old days.

Originally posted by rachitkdogra View Post

What is it that you don't like about the specs?
I am not aware of any quality concerns in the CBR300. You might not like the looks of the bike and that is completely understandable, but I think anybody looking for a bike in this segment should atleast try the CBR.

Cant comment about the quality of servicing available in your area for RE, but interceptor as a product is atleast 2 generations better than regular REs. This is from what I am hearing from friends who own the bike. I would put a lot of weight age to the Interceptor.

Best of Luck!!

Rachit

**Arjun2019** · 02-22-2020, 08:31 AM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

[QUOTE=rudrah;1387482]Hi All,

I currently own a 2015 RE Bullet 500 and been a occasional long trip rider. I'm in my 40s and have a family with daughter. As of now my most of the ride has been in city, although i love to ride out on highways and visit places accordingly however i blame myself for not taking time out to follow my passion to visit places with my rides. I'm also not a high speed rider like going beyond 120s speeds as our Indian roads are not absolutely safe to go anything beyond 100km/hr speeds IMO

Its been now almost 5yrs, I feel i need to move to a good capable bike that not only translate true power but gives equal confidence, peace of mind and comfort all the way. I've a budge of max 3-3.5.

I'm not a fan of sports bike with fairings hence ruling out the likes of TVS RR310, Yamahas etc. Also not a big fan of KTMs, not that I don't like it, but that sheer power at one flick of the throttle is not my kind of likeness. I prefer linear power delivery (probably being in 40s has not settled me down in a linear fashion

). So that leaves me to the naked bikes in my budget, there is:
1. Bajaj Dominar - (within budget but somehow not feeling attracted towards it, keeping low priority)
2. Benelli TNT 300 (within budget but service maintenance is expensive)
3. BMW G310R (Out of budget so ruled out)

1. Do you think guys is it worth to go for the Benelli TNT 300 at this moment?
2. Even If I buy the BS4 Benelli TNT 300, will there be any issues with spare parts availability and high costs going ahead?
3. The new TNT 300 whenever it will come, it will be expensive so would be out of budget too
4. Any other recommendations apart from the Benelli TNT 300?

Why donâ€™t you try the naked gixxer 250.
It has decent amount of power to easily cruise at 100+ all day and cheaper to maintain too. I believe itâ€™s one of the most refined >250 cc single cylinder bike available at the moment.

Benelli is working on the Indian market lately but Iâ€™m not sure how successful they will be. Go for it if you want a naked twin cylinder so badly.

**Zapps** · 02-22-2020, 10:40 AM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

Dominar is a very understated piece of engineering, it has been used well by many fellow members here for its mile-munching abilities. Hyper cruise, like Bajaj calls it, is what this bike is good for. Against, Benelli, it makes a rather sensible option. Also, wasn't there some issue with Benelli dealer last year?

Also, if going for motorcycles manufacturers from out of India, isn't it better to stick with Japs? No disrespect to Europeans, but many YTers say that Japs are mass-manufactuted and sell in really good numbers. So it's easier and cheaper to get parts/repair and aftermarket products.

**drive_angry** · 02-22-2020, 11:22 AM

Re: Moving from RE Bullet 500, is it right time to buy the Benelli TNT 300?

Originally posted by rudrah View Post

Hi All,

Secondly now due to the BS6 implementation, the current TNT 300 will be going out, not sure when the upgraded one will come.

1. Do you think guys is it worth to go for the Benelli TNT 300 at this moment?
2. Even If I buy the BS4 Benelli TNT 300, will there be any issues with spare parts availability and high costs going ahead?
3. The new TNT 300 whenever it will come, it will be expensive so would be out of budget too
4. Any other recommendations apart from the Benelli TNT 300?

Sorry for the long posts, but have lot of queries before I pump 3 and a half lakhs on a bike

Kindly advise

Thanks & cheers~

Hey brother, I think I was in the same boat as you are now and I think you have got the taste of the bike and charm it has over a person. I had the option to chose from continental GT535, TNT 300 and Duke 390. You are right not everyone wants mad acceleration, not everyone wants to zip through traffic, not everyone wants that mad 0-100 acceleration figures. This bike is so much more. I will make you happy and special with its refinement and character. Plus if you have a pillion, he/she would be happy all day long.

I had owned pre worshipped TNT300 for about 2 years and my ownership has nothing but a sort of mixed emotions. The bike is wonderful and makes your smile every time revv crosses 6k. Most people say that it sells mainly for its sound, those people are not completely wrong but it also sells for its composure over the broken roads or in the strong cross winds. You have a feeling that you are still on the ground when you are doing stupid speeds. Man I can go all over the positives all night but I guess you'd known them already.

Well, no bike is perfect, this is also not a perfect bike. I had following problems during my ownership:
1. Radiator Sensor failure-> Replaced under warranty
2. Stator Coil Failure-> Replaced under extended warranty

Other than that there was not much of a problem with this one but yeah like other mentioned, service costs were sky high during DSK times. Chain-sproket set makes you wanna sell your kidney. labour costs were too atrocious as well. Fast selling spares were always in stock so no problem there. I used to stock up some parts at home so that later it could not cause a problem. If you live in a city like Pune, bangalore, Mumbai, you'd never get a problem because there is good benelli presence here and you can easily find reputed mechs who can help you anytime.

One of my friends is also waiting for BS-6 TNT300 although he is inclined towards BS-4 TNT300 but he is only getting 5k discount on the limited inventory left across India. Let me know what you wanna ask more, will try to answer to the best of my knowledge. Cheers!

drive_angry

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