TNT 135 - 100KM So far..

100KM now guys since i took her out.  Travelling from house to office for the first time yesterday around 55km and its quite enough to show the yin and yang of this "petite Italian Chinese girl".

Firstly The Ride & Handling

The 41mm USD Fork and monoshock with spring preload adjustable rear shock plus 12 inch 120 front / 130 rear profile tyre do provide smooth and comfortable feeling.  I am sure that i do have the feeling of 'big fat tyre of bigger bikes connecting to the road" kind of feeling especially at the rear.  

It does reminds me to Blade, Elegan and to certain extent as ER6N. You do feel secure when you could "feel" the wide tyre at the rear. 

As for the front, i still could not get the right feeling when entering corners.  The fat USD Fork may help but still i felt less input given from the 120's Metzeler front tyre. Sound weird right? Might be only the case for me and not to others. 

I think the short wheelbase  and riding position (seating on top, not inside the bike) may contribute to this. Not to worry actually as i need to do more mileage to get used to her character. Remember the mantra "It is not what you ride, It is how you ride that counts".

So, if you are used to have Large Size McValue Lunch Meal, please take note that you have to adjust yourself to this Regular Size Meal. Errr up to Happy Meal actually.

As for vibrations, i could fee a bit at the handlebars and seat but almost none at footpegs.  Guys, it is a single, so it will vibe as it should be.

Braking

Still mended-in and i reckoned the brake is sufficient for its 13hp and 1.0kgmf torque. The engineer is right in picking 220mm front disc with 2 piston caliper and 190mm rear disc with single piston caliper.

135cc Twin Spark 4-valve SOHC Engine

Please never expect this girl to be in the same league with RS150, Y15 or even Yamaha 135LC ES.  However, there is actually a sufficient power all the way up to 5th gear (Rider is 91kg). Gearing ratio is somewhat short till fifth and somehow i keep clinking up as if there is 6th gear. 

Therefore Mr. Benelli QJ, we need that gear position indicator. On the other hand, the gear change mechanism itself is very soft but yet so precise even though she has not passed the break-in period.  

This mini powerplant lose its momentum a bit when going up slope but then i believe my weight is the culprit hehehe.  So, clinched down one gear or two to regain your momentum.  I registered 84kmh at 7K rpm.  Meanwhile, the throttle is a little bit jerky when doing less than 30kmh. I guess it can be smoothed out by a new mapping. Revving a bit while downshifting helps to smooth out gear changes as indicated in owners manual.  The manual also indicates on how to ride her for the first 1000km.  Your rev must be kept 80% below the rev limit (10K-12K rpm) at 8K rpm and not to load the gear with high and long acceleration.

I have seen TnT135 Thai's Youtube Promo and it mentioned the distinctive Benelli sound. They are not joking folks. The sound is very unique. It is not quite bassy but something in between bass and treble. I just loved the sound from twin tips exhaust pipe.

Headlamp and Turn Signals/Winkers

The illumination is very bright, wide and almost white in color but a bit short. High beam will focused a bit further and sharper. I wish the spread of illumination in low beam may be adjusted further. The problem is that there is no instructions to do this in owner's manual. Hope Service Centre could solve my small preferences.

Fuel Consumption

So far the display shows remaining 2 bars and i have done 164 km.  When i collected the bike, i forgot to ask how much they filled and what RON they use. With 7.2 litre fuel tank, i think it could go up to 210-220km with 95RON. I will update more on this.

Conclusion

From the first time riding this tiny bike, i was smiling to myself. It is so different compared to normal size kapchais, my Elegan, ER6n and Blade GTR.  I need to unlearn, learn and relearn this fun bike, monkey bike, mini bike or whatever name you may give her but i do sure you will excite yourself. It is not fast, but capable. Learn its characteristics and it will reward you accordingly. 

The Dynamite Will Blow - Soon!!!