Benelli RFS150i & RFS150i SE

[Abu_Mishary]

Hey what's up guys? Remember my previous entry on mopeds; with the recent launch of Honda RS150? Guess what? Another player has stepped in the game! The new Benelli RFS150i & RFS150i SE! You may read the entry for the Honda RS150R right here : https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=286281

Benelli was one of the main players in the motorcycle scene in Malaysia, with the launched of its previous model (collaboration with Keeway) comes the Benelli-Keeway RKV 200, which offers a bike with an engine capacity nearly a quarter litre but in a moped such chasis.

At first, the bike was sold under the badge of Keeway but then the authorized distributor of Keeway in Malaysia has imported the Benelli badge for the bikes to be "transformed" into an italian-sort-of bike. Peel off the Keeway and paste on the Benelli. Ecco qui! A Benelli!

But then again, the reliability of the bike is somewhat could be questioned. A peer of mine at the office owned the bike for about a year but then had to trade the bike for another reliable model. When asked on his reasons he said that the engine sound "loose" over the time and to save his cost from having a frequent full overhaul, he decided to change the bike instead into a more well established brands such as the Kawis or the Hondas.

Due to that one question kept playing in my mind;

Is Benelli-Keeway bike made really that bad?

Well, to be fair that the RFS150i and RFS150i SE were made by Benelli. I could summarize that this model share the same lineage from the Benelli flagship.

The model "RFS" came from the terminology of "Rider For Speed" (quoted from Paultan.org), the bike specification is such as below:

TYPE
Liquid-cooled, single cylinder.

DISPLACEMENT
149.8 c.c.

BORE X STROKE
57 x 58.7 mm

COMPRESSION RATIO
11.3：1

RATED OUTPUT
11.3kW (15.5 hp) at 8500 r/min

MAX. TORQUE
N/A

LUBRICATION
Wet sump

FUEL SUPPLY
Electronic Fuel Injection DELPHI

EXHAUST SYSTEM
Catalytic Converter and Oxygen Sensor

CERTIFICATION
Euro 4

CLUTCH
Wet multi-plate

GEARBOX
6 - speed

FINAL DRIVE
Chain drive

IGNITION
TLI

SPARK PLUG
N/A

STARTING
Electric and Kick

GEAR RATIO
N/A

PRIMARY DRIVE
N/A

With all the gizmos terms as above, you would probably know that I copy & pasted the specs from certain website (lol) and the website is : https://malaysia.benelli.com/product/rfs-150i

What do I think of this bike (without all the jargon words as above)?

I think this bike still lacks the engine performance than the RS150R. The RS150R is a DOHC engine compared to the RFS150i. Basically the RS150R engine specs improve the volumetric efficiency of a given engine, lending itself to more power. (Or so to speak).

I have ridden the RS150R but yet to have ridden the RFS150i. The cosmetics of this bike is quite eye appealing but not to the extend of the ever eye catching Y15ZR. But I guess the most irresistible point from the bike is the USD fork used in a moped (factory manufactured), which was never done before by any of the main key players such as the Honda and the Yamaha, unless you do a modification onto your bike.

This bike will surely going to be a stiff competitor in the underbone segment in Malaysia as the price is competitive and the design is quite catchy. But the main question still remain. Will it be reliable?

other sources to read : https://paultan.org/2017/04/02/2017-...h-from-rm6988/

[adouglas]

The promo photos made me laugh... guys in full leathers on a racing circuit, sitting astride these bikes. Trying to look all bada$$ on a tiny urban commuting machine.

But then again.... do they actually take bikes like this out on the track in your part of the world? That would never happen here.

[Brother Michigan]

Originally Posted by adouglas

The promo photos made me laugh... guys in full leathers on a racing circuit, sitting astride these bikes. Trying to look all bada$$ on a tiny urban commuting machine.

But then again.... do they actually take bikes like this out on the track in your part of the world? That would never happen here.

Mordeth13 has quite a few videos on Youtube showing guys flying around a track on scooters (a kart track, admittedly, but they're still getting knees down.)

[Abu_Mishary]

Originally Posted by adouglas

The promo photos made me laugh... guys in full leathers on a racing circuit, sitting astride these bikes. Trying to look all bada$$ on a tiny urban commuting machine.

But then again.... do they actually take bikes like this out on the track in your part of the world? That would never happen here.

Yes. They call it the Cub Prix

Malaysian Cubprix 24 2017 round 2 tangkak circuit…: http://youtu.be/3lcupC79mls

[JohnnyBravo]

Idk... Sounds cool

["A"]

Many parts of the world have scooter racing events.. simply because they out number motorcycles in traffic, sometimes 10 to 1.