have to admit to some ignorance . When Vege , our esteemed publisher at KR , told me we were getting a Benelli TRK 502X for testing , I had to ask , “ A what now ...?” So , it turns out the TRK 502X is an adventure bike - just my cup of tea . After all , they ’ re usually great , versatile machines . My mind raced ahead ... a 500cc parallel twin – that could make a perfect , midsized adventure bike . Not too big , not too small . Enough power to be quick , but not intimidating or tyre shredding . And the smoothness of a small twin should really aid the all-day comfort and ease of use . This could really work in a bike that ’ s not too heavy or oversized . Then I heard it was a LAMS machine , with 47hp and around 235kg wet with a full 20 litres of fuel . Wait ... what ?! A 235kg

LAMS machine ? It ’ s fair to say that at this point I scaled back my expectations somewhat . And you know what ? I couldn ’ t have been more wrong . The Benelli is a stunner and probably the best bang for buck new bike I ’ ve ridden of late . In fact , it should probably cost more and , bloody hell , that really goes against the grain with Scottish blood running through my veins . It genuinely is a delightful , wellappointed and very competent machine .

FORGET THE SPEC SHEET Some will argue that the 502X is overweight and underpowered , and they would be right to a certain degree . But ... specifications in a bike ’ s handbook often have little relation to how the bike rides . There are many bikes that are awesome on the spec

30 KIWI RIDER