The Indian two wheeler market is moving forward from a small capacity to larger ones for a better ride quality, feel, and the supreme feeling of riding more powerful motorcycles. Most of the manufacturers keenly observed this progress and started bringing in motorcycles with larger capacities. And yes the market started loving it, as they say never believe anything unless you see it, for this scenario it means never believe anything unless you ride it. This shootout is mainly done to compare the Italian Benelli TNT 300 and the Indian Mahindra Mojo, sometimes I feel proud to say that the Indian manufacturers are taking up initiatives to step into competition with foreign manufacturers at cheaper rates and good quality. Let’s see how the Indian squares off against the Italian.
Design and Style:
Mahindra Mojo:I love the way the Mojo's headlamp is designed, it says MOJO when you keenly observe the design, so innovative by Mahindra. upfront the bulky circular headlights, the eyebrow like shaped LED DRL's give the Mojo a very beefy look. It is a design that some may like and some may not, so it's up to the buyer, but honestly even I didn't like it the first time I saw it, but as I started looking at it, the looks started growing on me, now I just love it a lot. The twin exhaust and the sculpted tank gives the Mojo the look of a perfect touring motorcycle. Everything in the motorcycle looks huge except the tail lamp, which is tiny and looks adorable.
Benelli TNT 300:
The TNT 300, on the other hand, looks proportional from all sides, the black paint with the red trellis frame give the motorcycle an appealing look that can simply grow on anyone at any instance. The tail section looks a bit shabby, though, but the other parts can compensate the tail section.My most favorite part of the motorcycle is its indicator, just looks neat and posh. The welds on the trellis frame could have been done more neatly. The muscular sculpted tank, inverted front shocks, dual front discs, the underbelly exhaust make the TNT300 look sporty. The TNT is designed in Italy, manufactured in China and assembled in India and believe me Benelli have used top notch quality materials in all their motorcycles be it the TNT300 or TNT899.
Instrument Cluster:
Mahindra Mojo:The Mojo's instrument cluster looks pretty neat and simple, the best part is the tachometer, where the needle's movement is assisted by a small light that moves up along with the needle and gradually comes down, it simply looks cute. The instrument cluster gets 2 trip meters, a clock, speedometer, neutral position indicator and rev-limit indicator. The quality of the plastics could have been better, hope Mahindra make it better in the next version.
Benelli TNT300:The instrument panel bags a speedometer, tachometer, fuel level indicator, gear shift indicator, a clock and a trip meter. The flip keys that Benelli offer on all their motorcycles is very distinctive and feel up-market. The grips feel nice and soft. The switches feel premium and Benelli have managed to provide a hazard light which is very useful for highway rides.
Engine and Performance:
Mahindra Mojo:The Mojo produces a very pleasing exhaust note, until the DB killers are removed, after which the motorcycle sounds manic! Mahindra suggests in getting the ECU remapped in case you stick on to riding the motorcycle without the DB killers. The Mojo is equipped with a 275cc single cylinder, liquid cooled engine that churns out a maximum power of 27BHP and 30Nm torque. The Mojo is a very calm and composed motorcycle that has a beautiful feeling of torque at the mid range, keep the bike within 4500-6500RPM, you will just love riding it in and around the city roads as well.
Shift down and burst open the throttle, you can feel the ease in the delivery of the torque for overtakes. The top end is a bit disappointing but is manageable. The heat levels too are kept low, which doesn't make city rides a very tedious process. The motorcycle weighs over 180kgs, it is a bit tiresome under traffic conditions, else the motorcycle feels like a hot knife through butter, that soft and smooth to ride on a straight road. Fuel is supplied to the engine by a fuel injector from a humongous 21-liter tank.
Benelli TNT300:The bassy exhaust note is what separates the TNT from most of the common motorcycles and its rivals. Turn on the engine and you are going to fall in love with its exhaust note. Start riding it, it's going to get even better. The TNT300 is powered by a 298cc two-cylinder engine, this is where the TNT has the edge over the Mojo with an extra cylinder. The engine churns out 37 bhp (27 kW) at 11,500 rpm and 27 Nm (2.75 kgm) at 9000 rpm.
The motorcycle feels smooth to ride, but vibrations are evidently seen on the mirrors post 80kmph, vehicles behind are barely seen. The clutch is a major drawback, it feels extremely heavy to damp. Benelli must do something in the upcoming models to rectify this issue. I love the way the TNT rides in the city, very calm and composed, past 8000RPM, the whole scenario changes, burst open the throttle and you feel a surge of power coming out. This type of engine will be loved by a few and not by a few, it feels utterly smooth to ride this engine in city traffic conditions. The motorcycle weights 196kgs kerb, it feels easy to ride it in spite of its weight, it is barely felt once the motorcycle starts moving. Fuel is supplied to the engine by a fuel injector from a 16-liter tank.
Braking and Suspensions:
Mahindra Mojo:When it comes to the braking department, the Mojo isn’t very impressive and is the major drawback of the Mojo (personal opinion). The front end receives a 320mm petal disc and the rear gets a 240mm petal disc. The front brakes feel progressive and lack the required bite. The rear brakes have more bite and lock up pretty often. The braking should be improved at least in the upcoming ABS model. The suspension quality of the Mojo is fantastic, they do their work perfectly in absorbing the potholes and bumps. The front gets a telescopic inverted USD and the rear gets a gas charged mono shock suspension.
Benelli TNT 300:The front wheel gets 260 mm double disc and the rear wheel gets a 240 mm disc that offers ample amount of feedback and stopping power. Benelli offers the premium Pirelli tires that provide extra road grip and ultimate stopping power. The front end receives an inverted telescopic fork and the rear receives an offset hydraulic mono shock absorber which gives decent damping of shocks on large potholes
Verdict:The comparo went on amazing where both the motorcycles were neck and neck under each aspect. But there’s always one winner, and the winner for the shootout is the Mahindra Mojo simply because it is priced over a lakh lesser than the TNT 300, but loses out only at one point which is the lack of a second cylinder, but still compensates in its price tag.
Review by: Rishath Suresh
Ride courtesy: Abin Alex (Benelli TNT 300)
Vignesh Kannan (Mahindra Mojo)
