V-four was an architecture we hadn’t seen on cruisers in a while: here are the data from the Dark Flag 500
February 28, 2023
We had seen it at EICMA 2022 together with the other novelties of the Chinese manufacturer Thing and we were intrigued that such a split and engine layout hadn’t appeared on the market for a while. “Alone” 500 cubic centimeters and a four-cylinder V engine are the technical data that immediately stand out for the new one Dark Flag BD500a cruiser that Benda also recently proposed at the Indian Auto Expo 2023, but we are not even that surprised given that other times Benda has shown remarkable technical liveliness (remember the patent for the supercharged 300 cc twin-cylinder?)
The liquid-cooled V4 that characterizes this cruiser is mated to a six-speed gearbox and is capable of 54,4 cv a 10.000 giri with a maximum torque of 42 Nm to 7.500, performance that must however move a weight of 231 kg distributed on the wheelbase of 1575 mm.
The chassis sees an upside-down fork at work at the front and at the rear we find a pair of adjustable pneumatic shock absorbers, the saddle is 700 mm from the ground. The tire dimensions are decidedly in line with the genre: 130/90 at the front and 150/80 at the rear, both on 16-inch rims. The braking system is made up of a disc per wheel, with a 320 mm disc radially mounted caliper at the front, while a toothed belt provides the final drive.
At the moment no dates have been communicated for the marketing of the Dark Flag Benda in Italy, but after the appearance at the Milan Show where they were shown the Rock 300equipped with the 300 cc V-twin, and the SF-C e SF-S 700 powered by a four-cylinder engine equipped with a 92.5 horsepower 680 cc engine – announced for 2023 – it is reasonable to think that we will soon know more about the Dark Flag BD500 as well.
Photo credit: bikedekho.com
