2024 Benelli Imperiale 400 Review [15 Fast Facts]

December 10, 2023

Benelli is being reintroduced to America for 2024, as the Chinese-owned Italian-heritage brand is taking over the importation and distribution of its motorcycles. That has resulted in a reshuffling of the Benelli lineup, which included the loss of the Leoncino 500 that we grew to know and love in a long-term test. Replacing the Leoncino 500 twin is the less-expensive ($4899 MSRP) and more authentically retro 2024 Benelli Imperiale 400 single. While it’s not a new model for the marque, it is new to the United States, and that means we were anxious to test it. We weren’t sure what to expect, so take a break and find out what this Italian-designed and Chinese-built retro motorcycle offers a contemporary motorcyclist.

As much a styling exercise as anything, the 2024 Benelli Imperiale 400 looks the part. A wide range of bikes get the “retro” tag. Some of them are only vaguely retro, including the Yamaha XSRs and the Kawasaki RS models, while a bike like the Kawasaki W800 does deliver the 1960s look without batting an eye, though at twice the price (and displacement) of the Imperiale. In between, you have models from Royal Enfield and Moto Guzzi to round out the retro genre. It’s easy to argue that the Imperiale 400 brings more styling authenticity to the showroom floor than any of its competitors. In many ways, the Imperiale recalls the 1940s 500 Valvole Laterali, which is an excellent place to start.

The styling works because the engine doesn’t look modern. That air-cooled, long-stroke thumper delivers the styling mojo from which the rest of the bike feeds. Yes, it’s an overhead cam design, though it has a styling hint of pushrods on the right side. The fuel injector is hiding behind a cover, and you’ll have to look past the unit construction—not hard to do, really. Also, the header sports a shielded catalytic converter and oxygen sensor. The liquid-cooled DOHC powerplant on the Leoncino 500 compromised its retro bona fides, putting it in the same neo-vintage styling category as the Yamaha XSRs and Kawasaki RSes. That’s not the case with the Imperiale 400.

The 374cc thumper puts out some power, though not where you’d expect on the powerband. Contrary to its long-stroke, single-cylinder architecture, the Imperiale 400’s motor needs to rev to produce power. Off idle, the power is very soft, and the throttle response is lazy at best, making it welcoming to new or returning riders. To get around with any authority, you must rev the motor up to its modest 21 ft-lb torque peak at 4500 rpm, just 1500 rpm before redline. If you don’t rev it up when the stoplight turns green, you and the 452-pound Imperiale will be swallowed by the four-wheelers surrounding you. Fortunately, if you’re generous with the throttle and handy with the shift lever, you can get off the line with enough gusto to escape the thundering herd behind you.

Despite needing to run near the redline to make its claimed 21 horsepower, the motor is sweet and buttery. You might expect a retro-styled single to be happy to vibrate your fillings. It’s so smooth that you have to keep an eye on the dedicated analog-style tachometer, as it’s easy to blow right past the 6k redline without noticing when accelerating away from traffic. There must be a counterbalancer lurking in there somewhere, but technical details from the Benelli Q.J. factory are hard to come by.

There never is much in the way of throttle response from the thumper. Riding the 2024 Benelli Imperiale 400 is about keeping momentum and revs up. You can lug the motor if you like—it runs fine at low rpm—but it will be slow. Revved up, it’s never fast, but it gets you around town. It’s worth noting that the sound of the motor and long peashooter exhaust is fantastic. Riding the Imperiale is a pleasing auditory experience.

The five-speed gearbox gets the job done for the Imperiale 400. The transmission behaves nicely. The long throw of the smooth transmission makes you a more deliberate rider, keeping in the spirit of the motorcycle. Missed shifts aren’t an issue, and the powerband is just wide enough to work with a five-speed cluster. First gear is nice and low, making the Imperiale easy to manage in tight confines and at slow speeds. The clutch pull is slightly heavy, and predictably lacks assist or slipper functions—no surprise there. Still, all-day rides in urban areas are doable, as you don’t have to shift all that much, and slipping the clutch is unnecessary.

The chassis is more nostalgic than the engine. The Imperiale has a double cradle steel frame with a standard fork and 1970s-style twin piggyback reservoir shocks. The seating position is upright, natural, and neutral—exactly what you want for urban rides. The handlebar is wide and swept back just right for comfort and maneuverability. The passenger gets a separate, generously padded seat. If you feel like dressing the part, you will look as retro on the Imperiale as it does.

When you first get on the 2024 Benelli Imperial 400, you will question the suspension. The fork loses about half its 4.7 inches of travel when you get on, and the action has noticeable stiction, while the shocks don’t seem interested in moving. Before hitting the start button for the first time, we were highly skeptical about the ride quality. Against all odds, however, it works! The low power and its soft delivery are a big help, as the smooth motor puts almost no demands on the chassis. The secret weapon of the Benelli is the sprung driver’s seat. It makes a huge difference. As bad as the fork seems at a stop, it’s not a problem when underway, and the sprung seat is a great aid for the shocks. We would guess the wire-spoke wheels help some, too.

Although a motorcycle like this would have been considered a sportbike in the 1940s, it isn’t in the 2020s. We ventured out onto Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills—a favorite test ground for the sporting performance of urban-focused motorcycles. The Imperiale 400 engine doesn’t want to be rushed, so it’s not like you can push the chassis hard. So, it all works together for a fun ride across the hilltops while people in tour buses point their fingers at you, wondering if you’re a celebrity out for a ride on a collectible vintage bike.
The Cordial tires are friendly enough to take the Imperiale to its cornering limits. However, you will learn a scary lesson there: the footpegs are fixed. We can’t remember the last time we rode a bike that didn’t have spring-loaded footpegs, though touching down on the right drags the muffler shield long before the footpeg. Oddly, the entire footpeg apparatus seems like a poorly executed afterthought, with a single cheap pressed-steel mount for both pegs that runs under the frame, to which it is rubber-mounted—maybe that rubber mounting saved the day when touching the right peg down to the pavement. Pushing down on the footpegs at a stop results in flex you can see and feel—not good.

Although it’s not fast, the 2024 Benelli Imperiale 400 works on the freeway. As long as you keep the thumper spinning near its redline, it has the power to handle freeway traffic. You just have to remember that you don’t have much in the way of acceleration in your arsenal. The Cordial tires also impress on the freeway, as they are rarely upset by rain grooves or seams—something we don’t always see with the 19-/18-inch wheel combo and the available tires.

Braking on the Imperiale is adequate. Although the Benelli isn’t especially fast, it does go freeway speeds, and sometimes you need to slow down quickly, even if you can’t accelerate rapidly. While the front 300mm disc brake and oversized caliper have a wooden feel, stopping power is fine around town. If you need to slow down in a hurry, add the 240mm rear disc to the process—it makes a big difference. Together, deceleration is acceptable, though not impressive. ABS is standard, though it’s not easy to instigate with the less-than-powerful brakes.

The fit and finish of the 2024 Benelli Imperiale 400 are generally of high quality. There’s no doubt the bike looks good from a distance. Get close, and you’ll notice the mediocre plastic switchgear. The graphics on the tank and side covers are stickers, not paint—again, it’s something you won’t discern until you scrutinize the bike. The Benelli branding of the handlebar clamp and grips is a nice touch, the tank pads are cool, and we love the lion on the right side of the valve cover. We already covered the dreadful footpegs. You might notice a bar connecting the tail lighting assembly and frame. We’ve seen photos of the Imperiale with stylish studded leather bags mounted on the bars. We hope Benelli brings them in as an accessory. As usual, the Benelli has a convenient switchblade-style key.

The dual clocks are great, though the larger numbers are km/h and the tiny numbers mph—not that you have to worry much about speeding. You’ll be surprised how often you take the tach needle into the red above 6000 rpm. Between the analog-style clocks is a thin LCD strip. It helpfully displays the gear position and fuel level in the 3.2-gallon tank. The engine has low compression at 8.5:1, so we successfully ran 87 octane fuel.

The 2024 Benelli Imperiale 400 had me dreaming of doing the Motorcycle Cannonball endurance run. Yes, I know it’s restricted to motorcycles built before 1933. Still, when riding the Imperiale, you get that feeling of riding a genuinely vintage motorcycle, albeit without the attendant worries about something going wrong. While we didn’t have the Imperiale long enough to assess its reliability, it has earned a good reputation in overseas markets. The Imperiale 400 isn’t a motorcycle for everyone; it’s a niche machine. However, if you want the experience-over-performance ambiance of a mid-1900s classic motorcycle with the reliability issues sorted out and modern conveniences, this will be your go-to ride with a list price under $5k.

Photography by Kelly Callan

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