BHPian ITZ_Zeta recently shared this with other enthusiasts: Hello Readers, It’s Zeta here, and welcome to yet another ownership review. This time, I’ll be sharing my thoughts and experiences about my latest acquisition, the 2017 Benelli TNT 600 GT. At the time of writing this, I have covered almost 10,000 km in 7 months. Things I like about the 600GTSweet-sounding and smooth Inline 4 engineRoad presence and looksComfortable ergonomics and suspensionHandles well for a heavy bikeOverall build qualityPart analog, part digital dashThings I don’t like about the 600GTWeak stock brakesNo ABSWeight and top-heavy natureWeak low-beam output on headlightsSpare Parts availabilityHeat managementPreludeWith my quarter-litre upgrade to Suzuki Gixxer SF250 from my Yamaha FZ back in 2020, I was in the mental state that this was enough for me and it sort of was for touring around in Kerala. You can read about my SF250 here.. But once I started exploring the open highways outside Kerala, the SF250 was no longer that fulfilling. I wanted better refinement, more power and better cruising speeds. An upgrade was imminent and these were the things I had in mind regarding the next one.CriteriaPre-ownedMulti CylinderMiddleweight segmentFully faired or semi-faired motorcycleOn a budget of 5 lakhAlternative ConsideredHonda CBR650FWhen the plan for the upgrade came around, my first preference was the Honda CBR650F. The ideal candidate for middleweight sports touring. Honda reliability, coupled with easy maintenance and cheap spares, was the thing I was gunning for. But the same scenario happened to me when I was going around looking for a CBR250R during my hunt for a 250cc motorcycle. Overpriced! Every 2015 – 16 CBR650F I encountered had a higher ODO reading (more than 40k), more than 3 owners and questionable service records. However, the asking price did not reflect these facts. Some of them were even quoting prices higher than the ex-showroom prices of the bike. The only reasonable one that I found was a Tbhpians ad here, but the bike was in UP and I was not exactly in the mood for long travel and NOC transfer works. I couldn’t find any KL-registered ones. The itch for 650F was so bad that I even tracked down a 650F that used to be in my riding circle and attempted introverted persuasive techniques to make them sell it. I think the current owner might be a Tbhpian. If you got a call out of the blue from previous owners, the chances are, I might’ve triggered it. Sorry, not sorry.Kawasaki Ninja 650This was yet another promising candidate. The twin-cylinder engine was a proven piece of equipment. I was looking for the 2017 – 2019 version of Ninja 650 and I did test ride a few examples as well. But for some reason, the Ninja 650 didn’t resonate with me. It might be because I went expecting the Ninja 300 level smoothness, but I didn’t exactly experience that with the Ninja 650s that I test-rode. Then expensive Kawasaki spares and service were also a downer for me. Did not check any Versys 650, because I couldn’t find a reasonably maintained one in my budget.Wild card entry – 2003 Honda VFR800 VTECWhile I was browsing OLX for a Honda 650F, I came across a legally imported 2003 Honda VFR800 in Pune. The bike had clocked almost 30k km and had all the legal documents. For some reason, I remembered Ryan F9’s video about engines and he claimed that the V4 engine is the best motorcycle engine available on the market. Then I went down the rabbit hole of extensively researching the VFR800, figuring out all the ups and downs of the specific model. This would’ve been a good project bike but ultimately decided not to go for it since I wasn’t yet confident enough (skill-wise or monetary-wise) to undertake the project. Maybe next time.Benelli TNT 600GTDuring my search for an inline 4, I did encounter many Benelli 600i for sale. But my need for a faired motorcycle kept me away from those and that’s when I came across the Benelli TNT 600GT. Benelli usually doesn’t have those aspirational values in India and for some reason, I see the brand frowned upon and I understand that too. There might have been some reliability-related issues with their TNT 250/300 models and the parent company being Chinese did not help the case for the brand. I would like to believe the 600i/600GT was their proper attempt at a reliable motorcycle and they have sort of made it. 600i was very popular with the upswept exhaust and sweet-sounding Inline 4. But for some reason, the 600GT remained sort of hidden from the spotlight. When my search for a 650F was leading nowhere, I came across an ad for a 600GT for sale in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. I was around that region during a ride, so decided to take a detour and have a test ride of the bike with no serious thought. The example was a 2015 model, 3rd owner, 17000 km run bike and not that well kept at all. But the engine was rather remarkable for a not-so-well-maintained bike. The bike started up in a single crank and was running rather neatly. I did a quick test ride around the block and my first thought was why are the front brakes so weak for a bike with twin calipers upfront. The bike was heavy. Pushing it around in the parking lot requires some serious fitness levels and strategies. But once you start moving, the sweet inline 4 engine took care of all the problems, the ergonomics were comfortable and I was sold on the idea about 600GT. Went back to the drawing board and started researching about the GT and the parts availability for the Benellis as well. Was able to find that there are still some vendors left who sell the parts for the bike. Common consumables are still available at ASC. In June 2024, came across an ad for a 2017 model 2020 registered Benelli 600GT posted by a Bengaluru-based pre-owned super bike dealer. This was probably the last 600GT sold in the country, ran 14000 km, single owner, with service all done at Benelli ASC and records meticulously maintained, even the original invoice. Some day in June of 2024, went to the dealer showroom with a friend to check the bike and the bike was exactly as described by the dealer. The only issue that I could see was excessive play in the front brake lever, which I figured out to be a failing master cylinder and a bank hypothecation that needed to be closed. Other than that, I didn’t see any issues. After inspection, went back to Kerala and started to weigh the pros and cons of the bike and the long term upkeep of the bike. This was the first bike ever that I had come across that was this clean in my quest for a middleweight tourer for almost a year and finally decided to bite the bug and fulfill the inline 4 dream. Negotiated with the dealer and I got myself the Benelli TNT 600GT for 4.3 Lakh. The dealer also took it upon himself the task of closing the hypothecation and RC transfer to my name as well. As soon as I took delivery of the bike, a few kilometers into the city, the front left fork started to leak. The bike had aftermarket fork covers which were in bad condition and the disintegrated dust of the fork cover might have compromised the seal. The dealer did offer to fix the leak and the leak might have been sorted with just the dirt removal, but I already had plans to take the bike for a major service before I took it back to Kerala and the fork oil change was already in the books. Since I had to get back to Kerala that day itself, I kept the bike at my friend’s house in Bengaluru and went back. Life commitments kept me away and I was only able to come after 1.5 months. On 23 Aug, I went to Bengaluru and picked up the GT from my friend’s place and promptly headed to Highlander Bengaluru, but ultimately, I ended up at Benelli ASC itself. The reason being, that Highlander wasn’t able to source the fork oil seal in time and Benelli ASC did not do over the counter sale. So in the end, I decided to take the bike to Benelli ASC itself for the service and it took a full day for the work to be done. The next day, I returned to Wayanad with the GT and it was a 290 km long ride through open roads, forest curves and occasional bad roads where I tasted all the things the GT has to offer and I am a happy man. Continue reading ITZ_Zeta’s review for BHPian comments, insights and more information.
