Benelli patents the design for its new 150cc bike that will rival the Yamaha R15.

Benelli 150cc Bike Design Patented
The vertically-split headlamp will remind you of recent KTM bikes

The images of the new Benelli 150cc bike for which the design has been patented show an early prototype. The motorcycle has been currently named as ‘BJ150-31’ but will surely carry a more appealing name when it reaches production.

The number 150 in the name ‘BJ150-31’ suggests that this is a 150cc bike and 31 indicates that this is the 31st design. Last year Benelli had patented a faired bike named as BJ150-30 and it is expected that Benelli will introduce both the faired and street-fighter forms of this 150cc motorcycle. The faired version will rival the Yamaha R15.

Benelli’s main target audience for this 150cc bike is the Asian markets. The bike gets a beam chassis (which is probably made of steel) and a newly designed single-cylinder water-cooled engine. The paintwork makes this Italian-Chinese machine look kind of finished but there is still of development to be done on it.

The 150cc bike with the vertically-split headlamp at the front, bears resemblances to KTM’s design and does not carry any Benelli stickers except for the Benelli branding on the front brake caliper. With upside forks at the front, petal disc brakes at both ends, this motorcycle does look promising and a worthy rival to the Yamaha R15.

Benelli 150cc Bike

– The ‘BJ’ part shows that the bike will be sold under the Benelli brand
– The production version will probably appear in both street-fighter and full-faired forms
– The single-cylinder, water-cooled engine on this bike is a new design

Benelli 150cc Bike Side Profile
The bike is still under development and a launch might be still be some time away
Benelli 150cc Bike Design Scooped
The frame on the motorcycle appears to be hand-made

Source – Motorcycle-Magazine.com