Since 2004 Benelli has been run at a loss of several million Euros. With the TNT 899, Benelli hopes to break it even in 2008. The TNT 899 is another dream naked and during our test a sweet dream.

Benelli has restarted their model program several times during the last 15 or so years. Most of us remember the current day Benelli for their Tornado 900 superbike and the TNT 1130. After changing from Italian to Chinese hands in 2005, some fresh capital has paved the way for several new models and engines.

The 1130 triple engine was based on the old 900. The new 899 is based on the new 1130… To achieve this Benelli has developed several new internals for the engine such as new cylinder heads, crankshaft, conrods and pistons. But the cylinder walls stay the same as on the 1130. For those and other reasons, the new Benelli 899 should be one of the most reliable Benelli motorcycles in the line-up. Less stroke makes for a more rev-happy engine and the Benelli 899 sounds ferocious going up the six-speed gear box.

Benelli has made some key changes to make the new 899 more affordable than the more exclusive TNT 1130. A new windshield is of a less complicated design and therefore cheaper to manufacture. The simpler instrument panel is now housed in a cheaper-to-make plastic panel. It is all mounted on a sub-frame of steel rather than aluminum casting. This has reduced the amount of components and cost. The handlebars on the 899 are of steel rather than aluminum, but this is a move to reduce vibration rather than to save cost.

Benelli TNT 899 S

Benelli TNT 899

Then you have the differences between the standard TNT 899 and the 899 S. First Benelli has used a different 43mm fork on the S that is fully adjustable. Then Benelli has used a two-part seat on the S and a standard one-piece seat on the 899. To distinguish the two models, Benelli only offers the 899 in black and the 899 S in orange paint. The 899 S gets a carbon fibre front mudguard and a stylish side panel also in carbon fibre. The difference in price is 500 euro.

The claimed dry weight for both is 199 kilos (438 lbs.), but we suspect the 43mm front fork on the 899 S is slightly lighter than the 50mm on the standard 899.

Both versions have an 899cc triple that produces a claimed 120 horsepower @ 9,500rpm and 88Nm of torque @ 8,000rpm. There is a longer wait for the horsepower to kick in on the 899 compared to the 1130. This and the fact that the 899 produces less torque make it less intimidating for new riders. This is exactly what Benelli wanted as it needs more riders to enter the brand. Soon we will also see the 750 2ue with a twin engine positioning itself as the definitive entry level model.

Right now the Tornado Naked Tre 899 is the entry model and we rode it on some great roads around Pesaro on Italy’s Adriatic coast. The 899 creates a lot of very nice sound even before much happens. Back home in the UK I am riding the new Triumph Speed Triple, which is much more civilised (in its acoustic expression at least). I grab the keys for the standard 899 first and follow the Benelli test rider into the mountains.

First we filter past all the traffic that we meet before the roads free up into sweeping third gear corners. Quickly after that it’s all hair bend mountain roads. Here I find out that even though the spec sheet shows there is less torque available than on the 1130, there’s still enough for good drive even in a gear higher than the optimum. I have to remind myself we are talking about a 900cc triple and not a 600 inline-four. So the 899 is no slug and the aggressive tone of the triple accompanies every impression along the way.

The tubular steel trellis frame feels very stiff through the corners. It is easy to lean the bike on its side, but there is a lack of feel somewhere. I can’t quite judge what the Dunlop D208RRs are up to all the time. They are not my favorite tires anyway, and I witnessed that all the production bikes have Dunlop Qualifiers’ mounted rather than the old D208RRs. A couple of places I had to be careful not to run wide and it took convincing for me to trust the tires on the semi-dusty Italian mountain roads. The four-pot Brembo brakes work well, but they are not as bling as the radial brakes we have gotten used to by now.

After lunch, I swapped the black 899 for the orange TNT 899 S. First I notice the difference in the seat, as it’s a sportier one from the bigger TNT models on the S. It somehow gives better grip and feel moving around when riding in a more active manner. The front feels better on the brakes too, and on the S the suspension is fully adjustable. These are the real differences as the rest is all about styling. For the extra 500 euro you do actually get more than just a cool orange bike with carbon fibre details. The suspension and seat give the S more of an edge and it’s worth it if you consider an 899 in the first place.

Wheelies come easy on the 899 in first gear. Second gear is not so easy. When starting to abuse the Benelli TNT 899 in such a way, I start doubting its durability. I don’t trust the clutch 100%, and during my test the rev counter didn’t always work correctly. Several times I watched the rev counter indicate roughly 7,000rpm whilst the rev limiter kicked in (at 10,500rpm). There is some sort of fundamental problem somewhere between the engine and the electronics. Whether the TNT 899 components are designed well enough remains to see. The 899 worked perfectly throughout the day apart from the rev counter, but there are still issues somewhere that would bug me as an owner. Perhaps Benelli needs a complete redesign of the fundamental architecture of the Tre engines. The walls are running thin in the 1130 and that model can’t be bored or stroked out any further. Despite these concerns, both the 899 and the 1130 are very exciting machines when they are running at optimum performance.

Conclusion:
The Benelli TNT 899 S runs through the corners like a dream and is great fun. It creates some emotions in a motorcyclist’s heart that a Japanese naked can’t. Something like the Honda Hornet is stone reliable, and makes a better every day commuter. The TNT 899 is still very much a bike-number-two sort of thing. The TNT 899 S is a Sunday café racer or the occasional track day bike. For that purpose, it’s special enough, reliable enough, and above all fun enough.

For additional details and specifications, visit Benelli’s web site here.

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Character and styling
Handling
Good performance figures

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Reliability
Rev counter not calibrated?
Not an everyday bike

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