Benda Chinchilla 500 V2 Review: Introduction, Positioning and Rivals of the Benda Chinchilla 500 V2
The Chinese motorcycle industry has changed a lot in the last 5 years. The impact of the pandemic meant a change in the habits and customs of the Chinese population, finding in the motorcycle a way to avoid public transport. The Chinese market now has three times as many brands as five years ago. As the Chinese market has matured, the displacement of new models and innovative brands that focus on specific niches has also increased. Benda is one of them and belongs to the Chinese market.
At the presentation of Benda in Spain we had the presence of one of its founding members, Li Bo, who is currently Design Director of Benda. Coming from the world of industrial design in Europe, he has a Master’s degree in Design in Italy and has worked for brands such as Audi, KTM and Kiska. Benda is made up of young people who, since 2016, want to design products that are different from the usual ones in the custom and cruiser segment, instead of replicating designs from other manufacturers.
We were also joined by Jingyu Wang, CEO of Keeway Group, known for brands such as Benelli and Morbidelli. Benda is coming to Spain through its platform, which distributes in 105 countries and has sold 500,000 units of internal combustion and electric vehicles.
Both showed us the three models that you can see in the pictures. The Benda Chinchilla 500 V2 (47 hp, € 5,990) shares the engine and many elements with the Benda Napoleon Bob 500, although the latter is a single-seater version that we will soon test for you. You may be surprised that both use such different names as Chinchilla and Napoleon. The reason is beyond the laws of marketing: they are the breeds of two cats that live in the Benda factory. You may like them or not, but they are original.
We also got to see (and briefly test) the spectacular LFC 700, a 700 cc four-cylinder cruiser with a 310 mm rear tyre and groundbreaking aesthetics that has won the Red Dot Design Award 2024. It will be on these pages soon.
Let’s go back to the Benda Chinchilla 500 V2. It enters one of the most competitive segments: medium-capacity custom and cruiser bikes for the A2 category. It has some serious rivals, such as the best-selling Honda CMX 500 Rebel (46.2 hp, €7,000). Kawasaki is perhaps the one that brings the most models to the fray. On the one hand, there is the Kawasaki Eliminator 500 (48 hp, €7,125), which has just arrived. The Akashi firm also offers the Kawasaki W 800 (48 hp, €11,099), which is perhaps more of a roadster, as well as the Kawasaki Vulcan 500 S (61 hp, €8,600), which is more of a custom bike, and which, like the Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer (65 hp, €10,799), represents the Italian industry, which can be limited, together with the Moto Morini Calibro 650 (69 hp, €7,090).
Less Italian but equally limitable is the Mitt 808 Big Foot (56 hp, €9,295). Benelli 502 C (47.6 hp, €5,890), Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 (47 hp, €7,247) and its sister the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 (47 hp, €7,587) are other possible options. As you can read, there are many references in the sector, but none of them – except the Benelli 502 C – costs less than €6,000, a great starting point for a bike with a personal and graceful design (in my opinion). If you keep reading, you will see that it also works very well.
Benda Chinchilla 500 V2 Test: Technical characteristics of the Benda Chinchilla 500 V2
The design of the Benda Chinchilla is striking for its proportions. It is not an imitation of any specific model, but it is undoubtedly inspired by the American custom aesthetic, whether due to the layout of the V2 or the two parallel exhausts that run along the right side of the bike. The front optics may look like the classic round headlight, but its internal diodes (the entire bike is full LED) remind us of the look of a feline. The tank has a teardrop on both sides, which is a Benda hallmark and which we also see on the Napoleon Bob 500. On a bike where the details are taken care of to the maximum, I was surprised to see the brand logo appear in two different fonts.
The engine is a 475.6 cc V2. It is water-cooled and has 4 valves per cylinder. It produces 47 hp at 8,800 rpm and a maximum torque of 42 Nm at 6,600 rpm. It delivers its best at low and medium revs. It is capable of stretching, but you soon notice that it is not its comfort zone and you naturally go through the good zone. The gearbox is a 6-speed, anti-rebound clutch and belt drive. Although we do not know the approved consumption figure, it does not seem very thirsty. The tank holds 16 liters of fuel, which surely allows a range of close to 300 kilometers.
The chassis is a traditional double steel cradle, as is the swingarm, to which two shock absorbers are attached with preload adjustment and only 65 mm of travel. At the front it mounts an inverted fork with 128 mm of travel without possible adjustment.
The diameter of the front brake is almost the same as the rim size: the 320 mm disc almost eclipses the 16-inch front rim on the port side, which is fitted with a 150/80-16 tyre. The caliper is a 4-piston radial caliper. The rear brake is spectacular. It is a 260 mm disc with a single caliper, which helps a lot in the handling of the bike, to the point of using it as much or more than the front one.
The seat is comfortable and only 705 mm high, making the dry weight of the bike light at 208 kg. As the footpegs are also set forward, it is really easy to move the bike from a standstill by paddling with your legs. The footpegs are very nice looking, as is the rear brake operation, which I found easy to operate and adjust.
The backlit pinecones work very well, but they have that air of having been seen on other Chinese brands. It’s not intrinsically bad, because they work and look very good, but they take away (or rather, if you change them, add) a layer of customization to the Chinchilla. The mirrors are very nice and supposedly can be placed above or below the handlebars (since their debuts), but in the raised position it is easy for them to touch the knuckle protection of your gloves, which is a bit annoying. With 1 cm of extra height it will solve this.
The instrumentation is nice, but lacking in information and difficult to read in the sun. It also lacks connectivity, but look at it from another perspective: for a really competitive price, the Benda Chinchilla saves on equipment, but what it has is of quality. In addition, it has a practical USB socket under the ignition (near the pipe), to which you can connect your Smartphone. As the handlebars are tubular, it is easy to install any support on the market and enjoy the same connectivity as more expensive bikes that have it as standard, but which also require a connection to a Smartphone and an intercom in the helmet.
In the end, analysing the relationship between equipment, essence and enjoyment, you detect a well thought-out idea behind it, which undoubtedly comes from someone who likes motorcycles and who has therefore focused on the aspects that matter, in this case, on a cruiser/bobber. A different and also intelligent starting point that shows the maturity of the Chinese market, where things well done, at an adequate price, stand out on their own.
Benda Chinchilla 500 V2 Test: How does the Benda Chinchilla 500 V2 go?
Among the many good things about this profession, one stands out that I don’t usually brag about. It is the ability of reality to put me in my place when my preconceived ideas appear on the horizon. I went to the foothills of Montseny to the presentation of the Benda brand and its Chinchilla 500 V2 model. As indicated at the beginning of this review, in recent years there has been a proliferation of Chinese motorcycle brands, some good, others not so good. Honestly, I was expecting a motorcycle copied from any other model and assembled in that way.
Things got better when I found out that Keeway Group was behind it. I woke up as soon as I arrived at the parking lot of the Hotel San Bernat and saw the three models mentioned: Chinchilla, Napoleon and LFC 700. “…wow, this is something else,” I thought to myself. The (worldwide) nomenclature of both V2s read in Spanish is a bit strange and that may have confused me. After the analysis and the riding while stationary, I realized that I was in front of a different brand that follows its own path, an analysis that was confirmed in the technical talk with the brand’s managers, Li Bo included.
There was still the route through Montseny: an endless succession of curves. Apparently it is not ideal for a cruiser, but I was hasty again. It must be clarified that, as a good cruiser/bobber, its vocation is the pleasant ride or route, alone or in pairs. It is not designed to go fast and yet, it can also be ridden fast. Of course, within certain limits. We are looking at a bike that strictly complies with the long & low postulate. With 1,550 mm between axles, a seat 705 mm from the ground, 65 mm of travel in the rear springs and 16-inch wheels with a profile of 80 at the front and 65 at the rear, I expected a clumsy bike with little feeling in the front wheel.
I have found a really easy bike. Not only does it not intimidate, but rather invites you to go for a ride at your own pace. Part of the ease is given by the short development. The Chinchilla responds very well to low and medium revs. It is true that the price to pay is a top speed of 145 km/h, but with your feet forward and without any screen, going fast is like wanting to suffer. The engine is capable of stretching, but the vibrations show you that it is not the way. The bike likes to lengthen the turns, the passage through curves. The moment you brake hard or mark the supports, the footrests of the Chinchilla begin to rub, in a progressive and controlled way, as a hydroplane would do when landing.
The lever arm of the wide (and slightly extended) handlebars helps a lot in changing direction. But what really surprised me was the feedback and precision of the front end. At no point did I remember that I was riding with wide-ball tires; the sensations were very natural and normal, undoubtedly the result of very well-studied geometry.
