Benelli Tre1130k Amazonas

BENELLI TRE1130K AMAZONAS

Dual-sport & Triple play

BLAKE CONNER

LEAVE IT TO THE ITALIANS TO TAKE THE CONCEPT OF A heavyweight adventure bike to new levels of power and performance. It's as though Benelli's Pesaro, Italy-based engineers took one part Triumph Speed Triple and one part BMW R1200GS, then threw them into a blender, with the Trel 130K Amazonas the resulting concoction.

Based on the company's standard street-oriented TreK, the Amazonas is easily distinguished by its tall stature (35-inchhigh seat) and off-road-oriented wheel and tire package.

As with all of Benelli’s motorcycles, the TreK shares many of the family platform’s traits: Triple power, hybrid tubular chrome-moly/cast-aluminum frame and tubular swingarm featuring eccentric chain adjusters-which, by the way, aren’t as easy to adjust as they look, we discovered.

What sets this bike apart from its main adventure-bike competition is the engine. While the two leading bikes in the category are lOOOcc Twins, the Amazonas is an 1130cc inline-Three. And on the Cycle World dyno, the liquid-cooled, dohc, four-valve-per-cylinder Triple pumped out 104 horsepower at 9200 rpm and 70.5 ft.-lb. of torque at 4800 rpm.

As on the previous TnT 1130 we tested (October, 2007), the Amazonas has a dash-mounted Power Controller button (similar to Suzuki’s SDMS), but it is not nearly as effective

this time around. Road Test Editor Don Canet commented that he couldn’t feel any difference between the two maps when doing quarter-mile times in either mode. After running the Amazonas back-to-back on the dyno in both modes, the results were negligible, with only a 3-hp and 2-ft.-lb. difference between them. The TnT, on the other hand, varied by a whopping 16 hp and 7 ft.-lb. The downside is that if you decide to take to the dirt, a mellower power curve would be a welcome attribute.

Despite the Power Controller’s shortcomings, you won’t find a more potent adventure bike on the market. The Amazonas streaked to an 11.23-second, 119.33-mph quartermile time, hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and reached a measured top speed of 137 mph. Not bad considering it weighs a portly 511 pounds dry.

Around town, the TreK leaps from stoplights with smooth clutch engagement and ample low-end torque, easily surprising unsuspecting Ferraris around our Newport Beach home base. Same can be said on a curvy road, where midrange power yanks you out of corners in any number of its six gears. The transmission likes to be shifted quickly and deliberately to get precise gear changes, but short throws and only a hint of driveline lash earned the unit positive remarks.

Interestingly, the Amazonas isn’t equipped with a slipper clutch like its fully faired sibling, the Tornado, which shares the same engine in slightly hotter tune. A low level of flywheel inertia and three big 88mm high-compression pistons create a lot of engine braking, allowing the TreK to easily chirp the rear wheel when downshifting. We’re not talking about full-boogieMark-Cernicky-backing-it-in hackers; normal backshifts from second to first approaching a stop will routinely emit a yowl from the rear tire.

As previously mentioned, the hybrid frame is unique to Benelli, with the cast-aluminum head tube and swingarm pivots bolted and bonded to the steel spars. The fully adjustable, 50mm inverted Marzocchi fork (25 degrees of rake/4.2 inches of trail) and Sachs shock are more asphalt oriented than the bike’s image conveys. In light off-road conditions, the Amazonas simply doesn’t have enough travel to be a serious contender against bikes like the KTM 990 Adventure or BMW R1200GS. The TreK’s 6 inches of wheel movement front and rear come up short to the KTM by almost 3 inches and the Beemer by around 2 at each end, so it blows through its travel way too easily to be taken seriously off the pavement.

On a twisty ribbon of asphalt, though, the suspension works very well, allowing the rider to maintain a quick, controlled pace. Handling is highlighted by very good stability (59.6-inch wheelbase) and nice turning characteristics, aided no doubt by the wide MX-style bars. Black-anodized,

spoked Excel rims are mounted with 110/80-19 and 150/70-17 Metzeier Tourance tires, which provide good traction on about every surface imaginable. Excellent brakes also add to sport-riding competence. Twin 320mm wave discs with a pair of four-piston Brembo calipers provide an instant and powerful bite, but the rear two-piston unit is a bit touchy on-road or off. Anyone shorter than 6 feet tall who throws a leg over the high seat will find that only his toes touch the blacktop. The seat itself appears to be thinly padded but the shape is actually good and offers decent comfort unless you plan on spending long days in the saddle. But that shouldn’t be an issue, since you’ll be taking a break about every 150 miles: Despite the large, 6-plusgallon fuel tank, we never got more than 30 mpg and only averaged a pathetic 24.4.

At least the riding position is well-laid-out. The footpeg and handlebar placements are comfortable, and a threeposition adjustable windscreen offers good protection from the elements. The hybrid LCD/analog dash looks clean, but you need to learn its near-secret sequence of short, medium and long clicks on the selection button to access all the functions.

So, don’t let the Trel 130K Amazonas fool you, as its Dakar-inspired image is just that, an image. Sure, it’s capable of light off-road duty, but where this $15,699 bike excels is attacking the urban battleground and partaking in weekend adventures. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. □