2006-2008 Benelli Tornado Tre 1130 Review

Test Drive

2008 Benelli Tornado Tre 1130

Getting a feel of the Tornado can’t leave you with the best impression on Italian bikes as given to the displacement and the three-cylinder engine type, the sound and performance will be very distinctive.

The liquid-cooled four-stroke inline-triple hasn’t radically been modified and doesn’t even cry for it. Developing an impressive 160 horsepower, the motor is a never ending power source and also has the role of an MP3 player with the powerful beats coming from the exhaust. There is also a lot of torque available (124 Nm) and this makes it even more adequate for road use.

In every day use, the six-speed transmission and the slipper clutch are there to back the engine up and make every rider’s mistake pass unnoticed. Smooth, reliable and easy to action, the gearbox won’t be showing its qualities until the open road or straight line smiles arrogantly at you. This is where the throttle can be widely opened and all the shifts be done. By that time, I was trying to keep my head as down as possible and the eyes on the road, but a quick check on the speedometer indicated 165mph.

What will immediately become bothering when trying to ride the Tornado like it is a simple commuting bike or tourer is the aggressive riding position that determines every single bump on the road to be felt on your wrist first, and then on the elbows, not to mention your lower back if you’ve been missing the gym lately.

The racing suspension equipment has also part of the blame for the suffering rider, but when going through twisty country roads, the 50mm Marzocchi forks and Extreme Tech rear shock will provide confidence and keep the bike on the shown trace. Although it won’t beat a Supermoto bike on the given section of curves, confidence will be inspired and that is among the best things a rider can hear about its bike or future bike.

Equipped with Brembo radial brakes applied on 320mm front and 240mm rear disc, the Tornado will have you instantly covered in an emergency situation or simply prove efficient before every single tight corner that dares determining you to hit the brake levers. After worming up the discs a little bit, efficiency will reach the highest levels, as expected on such a brag-worthy piece of machinery.

Price

No motorcycle coming from Italy will be cheap so we won’t expect the Benelli to be an exception, but more of a decently-priced sports bike. Having an MSRP of no more or less than $17,899, the subject of today’s review manages not to disappoint concerning this matter either.

Conclusion

The Benelli Tornado Tre 1130, at two years after its launch, represents this makers icon, a successful incursion into the wonderful world of super sports which, given to the promising start, we reckon it won’t stop here.

Previous page

1  2  3

Next page