If the seat & grips are wired, can they be activated, optioned,or is it only accessible through an ecu remap ?? Also thought it sad that we can't get the front 'dash-cam' for the UK market.

Great feedback on the 525 Dave and glad it's cemented your original buying purchase! As you say, the 500x does everything well and the difference in fuel usage really adds up doesn't it on a bigger bike. I know travelling on the 300 voge seemed to cost buttons compared to travelling on the Morini. Not tempted by the NX?

I have a 2021 cb500x and I love the bike, but when I have a passanger and luggages it's hard to overtake.. But the quality is awesome and I love how it looks after I've made a lot of mods on it...

Thanks Mr hobo

I got my heart set on one in early 2025

me the same, its a big heavy road bike, and I will never buy another.

I think it'll be perfect up around the NC500 Max. Have a great trip and enjoy the new bike

Cheers Graham

10/10

I did hear that about parts for the 502. Hopefully this is one has better supply

and this of course is the traditional issue with many Chinese sourced bikes because the lower ticket price means somethings been cut somewhere. The trick is to make the customer think it hasn't until after they've handed over the money.

Hi Colin. Yes, liners included.

Hope you enjoy the new bike rob. Let us know how you get on

I've just been on the trk owners forum and there's people on there who have gone from 502 to 702 who are saying the bigger bike actually feels less too heavy. It's a while since I rode a 502 but I can imagine that could well be the case as the 702 didn't feel overly top heavy. Obviously the engine must carry it's weight differently

I have had EXACTLY the same experience. with the 502 I bought to return to motorcycling after 20 years away. Yes, I agree with you right down to the last letter of your comment! I now have an Aprilia 660 Tuareg and that was "WELL, worth" the extra asking price, given the quantum leap up in capabilities. In it's purest terms, the Aprilia is a one man operation to pick up when it falls over, the Benelli was not quite so easy. Benelli will I'm sure, continue to keep their value for money and reliability at it's exceptional level, but they will need to shave 30 to 40 kilos off of these things if they are wanting to challenge the established top manufacturers.

@@speedfinder1 I spent 5 days riding around Scotland. Loved every second of it, but realised like yourself after a spell away from bikes that you need more power when carrying full luggage. It just didn’t deliver. I now have a NT1100 that covers all bases.

Thank you

How are you finding it compared to the v85tt?

Hi Robert. Sorry for the late reply. Its a while since I rode a VStrom 650 but from memory I think I'd prefer the Benelli. It's a good bike the VStrom, but the Benelli just seems to offer more for less. But whether there's any point in switching I'm not sure. Probably not different enough to justify. What do you think?

​@@nathanthepostman TBH I'm not sure.Price is tempting and wondering if the lights are better and of course its a new bike. Gonna go and book a test ride though. Cheers Nathan!

Yes it feels like a different engine to be honest. Somebody's done a good job on it.

I disagree. The Japanese came along and 60 years ago, initially copied the British bikes then produced some far more technically advanced bikes, at a much higher engineering quality, for a lower price. The Chinese take is to produce something that looks and feels as close as possible to a Japanese brand but built to a much lower cost. The inference always seems to be that the Japanese brands are making massive profits on their bikes and the Chinese just make a far smaller profit. I call BS on that. The Chinese brands are cheaper for a reason, if you don't care what that reason is then expect the Japanese brands to lower their quality ever further to compete.

@@BikingChap The early Japanese bikes I recall, were 125s and 250s, technologically superior to the then Brit bikes , but far from cheap for their capacities. IIRC a Honda Dream 250 was priced in the realms of a Brit 650. The Chinese have been and still are copyists, but for many years now have been manufacturing parts, engines and in some cases whole motorcycles for the Japanese marques. Manufacturing costs in China are for the moment still lower than japan and similar Asian countries so are part of the reason for price differences. Quality at present may be somewhat lower, but is rapidly improving. I make no implication of massive or indeed lower profits in the countries of origin, but form your own price judgement from say Royal Enfield RETAIL prices in India and UK, both freely available on the net. With the offshoreing of "premium" marques within the Asian region, there is ample room to compete on price with the Chinese. At present, the big names have their cake and are eating it too.

@@derekm6236 I agree with much of what you say, after all where the market is very price sensitive, the japanese brands are keen to reduce prices by any means. Honda's 125 is now made in Italy but before that China and before that India. What's telling of course is that generally the finish is relatively poor, certainly compared to the original japanese CG125 of decades ago. So as the era of really cheap chinese bikes ends and prices increase, japanese prices in real terms are down and so is quality. I guess i for one preferred it when the choice was more marked, you could buy top quality Japanese bikes or disposable Chinese bikes for pennies.

Yes I failed to mention that point on the video but why haven't Kawasaki done a 19 inch wheeled versys? Would have seemed a no brainer. Interesting about dealers not taking benellis in px. Definitely relevant.

@@nathanthepostman I can't answer your question. Instead they gave the rest of the world another klr, which was going backwards, for me. A Tenere or Transalp it is not.

Versys 650 is the 17” answer to this 17”-er If I was Kawasaki I would put 19”ers on the 650 and 1000 and stir the pot a bit…🤘🤘

@@BlazinBlades definitely on the 650. It's all there. 21litre tank. Proven reliability. Carries luggage well. 19/17 tubeless spokes. Job done? I think the 1000 is a different animal.

Hi Es. Benelli have been pretty serious for the last ten years, so there's a well established parts network. I have heard of a few people having problems getting parts for the 502, but hopefully the 702 is well catered for. The 502 was best selling bike in italy and has done well in mainland Europe, so I suspect the back up is there.

@@nathanthepostman Good to know, I have heard horror stories about some Chinese firms not following through with parts. A friend of mine is going with you on your US adventure ride next month.

regulator / stator is a regular issue on all bikes including Triumphs. I own a 1st gen Street and stators are weak, maybe it's better on the Tiger 800 but this one has starter issues. Anyway, all very nice bikes, so are those new chinese bikes nowadays, the CF Moto 800 is a good contender against the Tiger. TRK 702 is less powerful but also a lot cheaper

I did ride one briefly at the sweet lamb off road centre in Wales. Cracking engine. Loads of power. Taller and softer long travel suspension than this Benelli. A different bike for a different purpose really but owners seem to like their aprilias and there's some great deals on new bikes

@@nathanthepostman Thanks for the reply.

Thanks David. Appreciate the comment. Yes I hear some bike shops won't take Chinese bikes in at all. It really does seem to be the last sticking point to them. Hope you carry on enjoying the bike

Hi John. I would go for the 702 as from memory it feels a bit lighter than the 502 and just comes across as a more modern, polished machine. Happy riding!

Thanks Charlie. Won't be buying this one tho. A bit too big for my needs and I need to get rid of some others first!

That's a cracking price on the voge 900 paul. No word on prices here but I suspect it'll be on the nose of the cf moto 800 mt. And that kove looks pretty tempting as well!

@@nathanthepostman not sure if BMW will license the engine in the UK. Have a look on my page I've put a video of specs up from the Spanish Voge page. We have 20 bike range in the dealerships here. It seems Spain, Italy and Portugal will get the 525DSX and the 900DSX the 900 is pretty much the same bike as the 2024 BMW f900gs the 525DSX has some amazing reviews

​@@motechRevolutionthe 525 has been confirmed here. Due any day I think. But yes interesting if they do bring the 900. It'll be the ultimate showcase of paying much less for the same bike. I'm amazed BMW sanctioned it to begin with. Being allowed to build their own version must have been in the contract with BMW from the get go

@@nathanthepostman yes I'm surprised that BMW allowed it, it's one thing designing an engine then getting Loncin to manufacture, but a direct bike clone, all I can guess is the huge licence revenue BMW are likely to make. We often forget every European bike brand plus HD etc don't have the amount of produced bikes as Loncin or even Bajaj in India. The DSX 525 would be a great bike for your stable, light and powerful enough, plus more dual sport than the 650DS and maybe more comfortable than the 300 rally. Interesting times, even RE have upped the ante. ✌️

That's a very good point and one I'd overlooked. Less power but it seems good value for a Honda at £8000. That's be an interesting comparison.

Honda will have less power but similar torque / weight. They are crazy economical (over 110mpg possible if determined) and utterly bombproof with examples doing over 200k miles, and dead easy to service.. Think of a modern CX650 / NTV650, tough, practical, dependable.

Sorry for the late reply. I'm actually riding a cfmoto tomorrow so will let you know ASAP!

@@nathanthepostman that will be great, thanks

I guess it depends what you value. I was chatting to guys on a group for scooter delivery riders and asked if the Chinese scooters were worth considering and the experience was consistent. They're cheap but simply don't last. Simply look at what delivery guys ride, universally Yamaha and Honda because they simply have to rely on them.

​​@@BikingChapI think the Chinese scooters are a completely different proposition to these bigger bikes coming through. As I said in the video, the Morini I have has 10,000 miles on it. Stainless spokes, no corrosion, no wear and tear. No mechanical issues. Brembo brakes, pirelli tyres, Bosch sensors. It's not a poor quality product from my experience but yes, I think the cheap back street scooters have definitely left a bad taste in people's mouths

@@nathanthepostman yep, again i agree. What i see is the Chinese understanding that there's more profit to be made in making a slightly better bike than previously and charging significantly more. Sinnis for example did a 125 based loosely on a GS125 for under a grand not that many years ago. Mechanically tough but it was incredibly rough. Now Sinnis 125 are much, much posers to appeal to the kids but then they're more expensive than Honda's budget 125. From another perspective you can see how Yamaha went from really high quality bikes with alloy everywhere to the current MT range which are not that well finished, where stell is invariably used in stead of alloy, but the fundamental engineering of the motors etc is still sound. Interesting times.

The dash has a light sensor so it will be dark in low light and light in bright light. I believe you can turn it off so you can have whichever you prefer.

@@Crossers76 gotcha..

I mentioned that it tingles through the pegs at about 6k rpm. I wouldn't say vibrations tho

@nathanthepostman just noticed it's the one in my avatar! No, that thing vibrated like a b'tard!!!

Hi Dave. Haven't ridden a new Himalayan yet but I think it would definitely better those other bikes for manageability and capability, especially off road or on back roads. I'd probably go for the Himalayan out of that lot

Thanks very much Nathan. Over here in France there are no bikes arriving at dealers until the back end of March/early April so I'm left twiddling my thumbs.

Yeah I believe all are for the next 6 months. Check the main website

Not sure. Haven't ridden one. But good timing. I've got one coming on loan next week. A DE

Mate has a T7, we ride off road a lot but the T7 is too tall for me, was thinking the DE might be a better choice

It was only on loan Peter so it's gone back a few weeks back. Would be keen to put more miles on some of these bikes on a tour

Hey minky. Yeah I saw your comment on the Morini vid where you said you'd been disappointed in the Benelli. I had it in the back of my mind when I rode the Benelli. I know in the video I said it's same bike with different engine but when I watched it back I thought well that can't be exactly the case as the brakes felt good on the 702, better than the brembos on that Morini. And I dont remember them being that good on the 502, although it is a while since I rode one. I don't think the 702 feels as tall and bulky as the 502 either. Others on the owners forum have said the same. and just overall refinement felt better. So I did think it was a step change from the 502 (from memory of riding one at least). Totally agree the issue is the resale and how hard they are to shift. Same with this morini. You can buy a new one at the minute for £5.5k! What's mine worth with 10k miles on the clock? Absolute bobbins. But I did enjoy the 702. Especially with the price tag in mind. ps. Got some new trails to explore down this way

Thanks @san. Parity in the way it rides is what I feel it has,, but definitely it needs to have the same service intervals as the Japanese bikes to properly compete

Same in UK re the 650. Currently lists on the road at £8,200 not "Nine grand"

I would still change the oil around 3 ,000 miles no matter if it did say every 6 ,000 miles . I would also only put it in for the first service ,then once realised it’s not a Friday afternoon lemon ,junk the warranty & service it my self valves & all . That’s the way a well built budget bike stays a bargain . I would deffo consider one ,if I hadn’t needed to downsize due to health & age as it is my 250 V strom Chinese built ultra reliable ,yet still not much lighter at around 200 kgs ,fitted with centre stand ,givi top case & hand guards & deflector screen . Weight does have some advantage ,in that it makes a bike more planted & stable on the road . 👍

Just checked on the owners forum and people do confirm the X is tubed not tubeless. The early press releases said they'd be tubeless but that didn't happen. It'll say tubeless on the tyre which they might point to but It definitely would seem there's a tube in there, which would make sense looking at the lacing pattern of the spokes. Non X is tubeless.

It's what they supplied. No choice

Equally, I wouldn't personally buy the X model for off road. it's a bit heavy for my liking off road.

It's a very good point Roger and I think as you say it's the one last sticking point. From a logical standpoint it does still make better financial sense to go Japanese, although I think it'll level up eventually

I really do believe they're tubed rims. Worth checking on the owners forums but pretty certain.

Will check again nathan but was assured it was on tubeless thats why i bought it will go back to the dealer again tomoz

They run tyres rated for a tubeless rim but the rims on the benelli require a tube. Let me know if I'm wrong and there are solutions if I'm right​@@brianholland8290

That's about my conclusion with it as well

Yeah I don't think you'd lose that much in a year on the Benelli as they seem in strong demand and limited supply. But you're right, what would you be gaining bike wise other than it being newer. I liked the 800 tiger but never gelled with the 900.

I agree, they may be cheap to buy but when it comes to selling them you will lose your arm. I’m still a believer you get what you pay for.

I paid 4k for a 2021 benelli trk 502x with 200 miles 2 and a half years ago...has 14k miles now and I've just been offered today 3k by the dealer to upgrade to a 702x.....1k depreciation in 2.5k years .....what's wrong with that ...BTW the bike has been bullet proof compared to my 10k yamaha which has had loads of issues

​@@peter58murrayI imagine the guy you bought it off didn't think he'd done so well on the depreciation front

@nathanthepostman it was an ex demo from the dealer but at the time they were around £4700 to £5000 new on the road..the prices have risen since I bought mine so I saved 1k to start cos the bike was still brand new

Yes agreed, an easy bike to self service and not a lot to go wrong. the Morini I've self serviced and will do until the valves need doing at 16k. That I can't do

It will say tubeless on the tyres but it's the rim that's important and I don't believe the Benelli has sealed spokes. Hence it'll need a tube. And I can't find anything in the literature which would be a big selling point if it was tubeless. Happy to stand corrected if it does proved to be tubeless, which would be excellent.

Just install.slime tubes....never worry about a puncture ever again..

Thanks Matthew. Just trying to dissect your point. I'm not sure it's that clear cut about ethical and non ethical these days. KTM and CF Moto have entered a partnership where the Chinese brand build the bikes for the Austrian brand. Is a KTM790 Adventure then any more ethical than a CF Moto 800 MT which is practically the same bike but £2000 less? And yes, if all they did was copy, I get it, but as I said in the video, with bikes like the 450MT they're innovating with new engines and pitching them at markets that have been abandoned by the Japanese/Europeans. So not sure. I think it's too complicated for us to get our heads around because we don't really know what's going on in the background. But ultimately, if morally you don't want to buy Chinese, then I think that's perfectly understandable, although I don't think it's entirely possible these days to not put money in China's pocket. The only real way is to buy second hand.

This is rather the point. My mantra, they're cheap for a reason. If they had no Japanese engines to buy their R&D costs would be way up there. A moot point i guess as electric bikes are coming but i find these rather rough, soulless copies and that doesn't really work for me. I'd rather have an NX500.

I totally understand why someone would buy a NX500, a decent bike, but it entirely reinforces my point about the Japanese. It's a rebadged CB500X that's gone up in price? Progress. I don't think so. Versus the new CF Moto 450 Mt which will be similarly priced but give everything a lot us have been asking for; ie, spoked 21/18 wheels, long travel suspension with a powerful enough twin cylinder engine that doesn't seem to be a copy of anything. Now that to me feels like progress. On the point about costs, how much would the Versys be if Kawasaki wasn't selling the rights to the engine to the Chinese, or as I suspect the case, having their engines built in Chinese factories as well. You see lower quality, I see greed. But I think we're clearly at different viewpoints on this, which is all fine and dandy.@@BikingChap

@@nathanthepostman Yep, thanks for replying, it's interesting to discuss. I don't disagree with the Japanese failing to innovate right now, where is the response to the Triumph 400s let along the Sherpa engined Royal Enfields for example? While i wouldn't dismiss the CFMoto 450 I suspect it's more of a niche product than Honda want to compete with. The CB500X / NX500 is little more than an 'adventure styled' road bike whereas the CFMoto looks to be a bike with genuine off road capability. The Honda sells well so i guess they know their market and i doubt if anyone wanting to do some green laning will choose the Honda anyway Where I would respectfully challenge is around the 'greed' accusation of the Japanese manufactures, I maybe completely wrong but they don't seem to make massive profits on their bikes but what they do ensure is a good dealer network, good spares backup over time and solid reliability over the long term. This is simply a different attitude to the Chinese manufactures which seems to revolve around how cheaply can we make something that looks and feels like a Japanese product but that costs two grand less. As i always say, they'll have cut somethings, maybe many things, that the Japanese brands do. In short if customers are happy with unproven long term reliability, dubious spares availability and distant dealers (and dead websites in Benelli's case) then, over time, this is what the japanese manafacturers will do too but when they do, let's not criticise them for not being as good as they used to be if that's exactly what the market decides it wants.