If you are in the market for a sport cruiser that isn’t a Ducati, then you may want to check out Benda. Not going to lie. I have not heard of Benda until now, but man, the muscle bike look had me at hello. Billed as the pinnacle of sport-cruiser engineering, this new kid in the motorcycle space is a chunky sports bike powered by a beefy inline-four engine with 80 horses on tap, and it has got the widest rear tire on any production motorcycle to date, coming in at a cool 310/35-18 (!?). Holy sh…. I almost thought it was a drag bike!
The Benda LFC700 is every bit the sport-cruiser hybrid its makers claim it to be. Underneath the sculpted metal sits a liquid-cooled, inline four-cylinder engine displacing 676 cc, churning out 84.48 horsepower (58 kW) at 9,000 rpm and 60 Nm of torque at 8,000 rpm. That power runs through a 6-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch and chain drive—basically, all the right words you’d want to hear if you enjoy throttling out of corners with a grin that won’t quit.
But power is only half the equation. The LFC700 is also about control, with a KYB 43 mm upside-down telescopic fork up front offering 100 mm of travel, and an adjustable KYB shock absorber with 35 mm of travel at the rear. Stopping duties are handled by Brembo—twin 320 mm floating discs with four-piston calipers at the front and a single 260 mm disc with a two-piston caliper at the back, both backed by ABS. It rides on a 130/70-19 front tire and the aforementioned outrageous 310/35-18 rear tire—mounted on a single-sided swingarm, no less.
That rear tire alone looks like it belongs on a small car, but it does give the LFC700 the kind of stance that screams “Throttle Up, Rule Down,” which also happens to be Benda’s slogan. The whole setup sits low at a seat height of 700 mm (27.6 in), with a 1,720 mm (67.7 in) wheelbase and 160 mm (6.3 in) of ground clearance. At 287 kg (633 lbs), it’s not light—but you weren’t buying this to shave milliseconds; you’re buying it to look like you could crush them.
Comfort hasn’t been overlooked either. The riding position strikes a balance between sporty and relaxed, making it just as happy carving mountain roads as cruising long distances. You get a 5-inch full-color TFT display, multiple riding modes, and even a USB charging port because smartphones need juice too.
The LFC700’s aluminum-alloy wheels, futuristic bodywork, and bold proportions make it look every bit as aggressive as it rides. The fuel tank holds 17 liters (4.5 gal), and the top speed is listed at 160 km/h (99 mph).
It has not been announced for the U.S. market yet, but in Italy, the Benda LFC700 is being sold for €11,990 [IT] (about US$12,900).
Images: Benda.
Story via New Atlas.
