Superbike loses clutch & brakes during Ladakh ride

Benelli, the Italian brand offers a wide range of products in the Indian market at a relatively affordable price. Earlier this year, Benelli launched the all-new TRK 502 Adventure along with a more capable version TRK 502X. It should be noted that the Adventure bikes are gaining popularity in the market, especially because of the long-distance travellers. Since Adventure bikes are designed to be on the adventurous path, a new owner of the bike, Harsh took his new Benelli TRK 502 to the Ladakh region but did not return happy.

The post on DBATG shares the experiences of Harsh Dx, who was on his way to the Ladakh region. As per the post, the Benelli TRK 502 gave up on its way to Ladakh and had to be put in a pick-up truck to tow it back. The post mentions that the bike did somewhere around 1,000 km and the brakes of the bike failed. Later, after 3,000 km the clutch plates were completely worn out. The owner of the bike, Harsh Dx shared his experience with Benelli after getting the bike to the service centre on the flatbed. He also asked the service centre to replace the parts under the warranty.

However, Benelli replied that the brakes and the clutch pads are considered under the wear and tear terms, which are not covered under the warranty. Further, they wrote that the owner of the bike informed that during the Delhi to Ladakh ride, the clutch and the brake pads gave up. The Ladakh valley has the highest altitude and roughest road conditions, which is why the specified parts are worn out much faster.

The exact location of the bike breaking down is not known. Also, it is not known how many kilometres did the bike do in the mountains before the clutch plates and the brake pads gave up. Since the route from Kashmir to Ladakh is currently under lockdown, the rider must have taken the Manali-Rohtang La route, which is quite treacherous.

Can the clutch plates and brakes give up so early?

Since the exact details are not written in the post shared on the social media page, we cannot go into the details. However, any motorcycle with an inexperienced rider can behave in the exact same way as this Benelli TRK 502. Since the roads are treacherous, constant use of the brakes and clutch is needed. A new rider can get overwhelmed by the situation and ride the motorcycle with the clutch half-pressed. Riding a vehicle with the clutch half-pressed for even 100 km will make sure that the clutch plates wear out and give up. Also, many new riders have the tendency to keep their foot on the rear brake lever and ride, especially on the difficult terrains. This again wears out the brakes much quicker and earlier than their life cycle.

We cannot comment on the riding experience of the owner or the quality of the motorcycle. However, there have been a few similar situations with other motorcycles too. We hope that Benelli and the customer work together to figure out the exact reason for the parts wearing out so quickly.

Benelli officially tested the bikes in Ladakh

Benelli earlier this year took the TRK 502X through a journey of 1,800 km in 7 days in the upper Himalayan region to test its capabilities. The journey, which started from Manali saw popular destinations, which is covered by most travellers in the Ladakh region. The route included Jispa, Baralach La, Sarchu, More Plains, Tanglang La and Leh. The TRK 502X was then taken to the Nubra Valley, which is a cold desert in the high altitude mountains.

Also, the bike completed the Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri stretch, which is one of the most treacherous paths in the region. The bike returned without any problem which is a testimony on the reliability and capability of the machines. It should be noted that both TRK 502 and TRK 502X share the same 500cc, twin-cylinder, DOHC engine. Both the bikes get the same mechanicals, clutch assembly and similar brake set-ups.