Johnny Tai of Bennche on his companies Megelli 250m

The latest Megelli motorcycles are some of the sharpest looking quarter-liter bikes to hit the beginner bike scene. In 2009 QLINK had all but secured US distribution of the bikes, announced rollout plans and retail price.

Former QLINK VP Johnny Tai left the company last year and started Texas based Bennche, Inc. He and his team put together a business plan and pitched it to UK design firm Megelli and their manufacturing partner Hisun. Obviously they were impressed and now Bennche has been granted exclusive distribution of the 250r, 250s and 250m to the USA market.

The trio of Megelli motorcycles will be built in China by Hisun with Megelli employees overseeing Quality Assurance, production and other day to day processes. Quality is also a very high priority for Bennche. First off, it will allow them to provide the customer a strong 18 month limited warranty. In addition, Johnny Kim explained to OtherMakes.net that he will grow the Bennche dealer base slowly and only sign on dealers with a strong history of customer service and satisfaction. He believes strong customer service is the only way for Bennche to be successful in powersports distribution.

The 248 pound single cylinder 250r, 250s and 250m were on display at the 2010 Indy Dealer Expo last week along side Bennche’s ATV, scooter and UTV offerings. Retail price for the 250r Sportbike will remain the same as QLINK had planned. However, the 250s streetfighter is $100 higher retail and the 250m supermoto is $300 higher than QLINK’s planned retail price.

The prices of the motorcycles are still priced compedative compared to other offerings in the 250cc price range and the style is unmatched. If Hisun and Megelli do well with the quality of the bikes there is no doubt these striking machines will do well for Bennche.

QLINK was not available for comment but the Megelli bikes have been removed from the motorcycle models list on their website.

Megelli 250r Specifications:

2010 Megelli 250R

The market for small displacement street motorcycles is slim pickin’s in the States. Models such as the Honda Rebel, Ninja 250R, Kawasaki Eliminator 250 are somewhat exciting but sometimes go decades without redesign or major updates. They are great, proven bikes but are kind of lacking in the looks department.

About 4 years ago Hyosung showed up in the states under the Alpha Sport badge with a 250cc cruiser and fully faired sportbike. Both bikes looked good but the big story was the GT250R which looked more like a middle weight sportbike than a dated learner bike. A few years later Kawasaki redesigned the Ninja 250R. I personally doubt this was a coincidence. The Hyosung no doubt took a small bite out of the little Ninja’s sales.

For 2010 the bar has been raised by Italian manufacturer Megelli and US importer QLINK. QLINK quietly rolled out 3 liquid cooled 250cc single cylinder street bikes that bring ¼ liter styling to a new level. Steel trellis frame and swingarm, under seat exhaust, 31.4 inch seat height all delivered in a dirtbike light 248 lbs. These bikes look incredibly sexy and on paper sound silly fun to ride. A fully faired sportbike, a naked street fighter and a supermoto version is available.

2010 Megelli 250S

Compared to the 330 lb vTwin powered Hyosung GT250R’s 28 HP and 16.7 lb-ft of torque, the Migelli may be lacking in overall power with 16.2 HP. However, 17.8 lb-ft of torque coming from the SYM built motor combined with it’s light weight should provide for some great launches from the line and serious front wheel lofting. SYM, a powersports company out of Taiwan is known for building powerful engines with durable ceramic coated cylindar walls. The 2 year warranty puts the two bikes on par for coverage.

The price of the Megelli 250R sport bike is $3499 saving you $500 over the solid colored Hyosung models which could buy a good amount of safety gear for a learner rider. The 250S Streetfighter costs $3199 saving $300 compared to the Hyosung GT250 naked which is also a substantial amount of cash.

2010 Megelli 250M

The model that may have the largest sale potential is the 250M supermoto. It comes in at $2899 making it one of the best values in the US motorcycle market today. Comparing it to the Yamaha WR250X you loose some torque and a little HP but your also saving a staggering $3600. It remains to be seen how much you loose in fit and finish and component quality compared to the Yamaha but many flaws can be ironed out with 3 and a half large.

If you want all the details on how these bikes are engineered check out the Megelli Parts site for complete microfiche for the bikes.

This weekend Kymco will unveil the KR Naked 125 sportbike at the Carole Nash NEC Bike Show in the UK. The bike goes by the name Kymco Quannon 125 Naked in other parts of the world.

The KR Naked 125 features an air cooled, 125cc single cylindar engine housed in a lightweight aluminum beam frame. It has aggressive lines and a digital dashboard to give the entry level commuter a modern look that is rare at that displacement level in the UK and US where litre bikes get most of the attention.

If you are at the NEC show this weekend be sure to stop by the Kymco booth and snap some pictures. I would love to hear your comments on the bike.