BENELLI TNT135 User Mini Review
28 Feb 2018


INTRO
This is my review of my BENELLI TNT135 which I purchased (new) in March 2017. As of now, it has rolled over almost 11,000km of asphalt and I think it's a good time to do a 1-year-of-ownership review. My review notes are about the bike that I own and drive, it is NOT a reference to all other TNT135s in the market today. I'm not commercially affiliated to any party in the motor industry; my views are my own as a private owner and user of this product. I’ll try to keep this review short and sweet as possible and hopefully don’t miss out any salient points.

I'm not going to beat around the bush, the TNT135 is not a practical day-to-day bike for a few reasons: it's not the cheapest in its category of engine size, it does not have storage room, it's gearing is not automatic so you'd have to pull on the clutch to allow for a gear pedal shift, it does not protect your feet from water splashes off the front wheels, it does not have many options for upgrades and many of its parts are proprietary.

It is however, a rarer breed, and it competes directly with only two other bikes within this niche category in Malaysia, Honda's MSX125 'Grom' and Kawasaki's Z125 Pro. Fun bike, monkey bike, pocket bike, mini bike, small bike... people refer to this category of bike by many names. It was my interest in this category of bikes that had me dive into the biking world. For whatever reason, I liked the looks these mini bikes, so my choices narrowed down to these three that are commonly available in Malaysia. After some shopping around and comparison, I picked the TNT135. It's a cute looking small machine on two wheels that I just had to buy, just for the fun of it. I’ve never owned a bike prior, and I didn't even have a bike license either, but this was a good enough excuse to go get myself one now. The license process is another story of its own.


THE REVIEW
Instead of jumping all over the place confusing myself and those reading it in the process, I think I'll just keep it simple by running thru the components of the bike from front to back, top to bottom.

Headlamps & High Beam
White LED - nice to look at, NOT nice to look with. It's ok for normal conditions, but don't expect to see too well on badly lit road at night in the rain. Beam coverage not as far and wide as I'd like it to be either. High beam is too high and too narrow. The height of the beam is easily adjustable by turning a knob just behind the lamp on the bottom right side. However, any adjustment will affect both headlamp and high beam together; sadly they are not individually adjustable.

LED Front Turn Signal
Very nice and bright.

Rear-view Mirrors
As always, the stock mirrors are as good as they get. Glass quality is good, stalk is thick and rigid. I changed it to those fancy race mirrors once, then switched back to the stock mirrors after a week, stock is still the best option if you intend to use the mirror as a mirror. As a new rider, mirror is very important for me.

Instrument Panel (Speedometer)
Digital display is easy to read in both day and night, and well situated on far front of the bike. Fuel gauge is fairly accurate and stable.

Throttle, Grip and Handlebar
Standard is good, no need to change. Bar-ends have pretty heavy weights inside to dampen some vibration. Forget bar end mirrors, they won't fit in well as the inner side of the bar is threaded. The raised handlebar makes riding more upright and comfortable, with more clearance for the knee when turned. Vibration is apparent (but not overwhelming) above 100kmh.

Clutch & Front Brake Levers
I hate stock levers, so I replaced them with Benelli's aftermarket bling-bling levers which were upward folding (wow!). The verdict - lousy; because they were not gap-adjustable and had to be pulled in almost fully to engage. It also had too many sharp edges, so if you were not wearing gloves, the edges can bite into the fingers. I should note that the clutch itself was not light to pull (compared to some bikes which have clutch assist). Anyway, I since replaced them with the cheapo aluminium adjustable levers from China and these, in my opinion, are the best.

Handlebar Controls (the Switches)
This is one annoying part. They have loose internal cabling issues on both the left and right sides. The wiring connections inside the controls were somewhat loose, so the headlamps won't function well after rain; presumably water got in and disrupted the connection, because when it dries up, it works well again. On the right side, the emergency cut-off switch doesn't switch on and off properly at times, meaning if you are riding halfway and it switches off, the bike will stall instantly. Had to have the mechanic open up the controls and re-solder the connections on both sides and that fixed the problem so far.

Front Suspension
Upside-down fork works well, travel and rebound are good.

Front Brakes
Not the best, but not the worst braking, acceptable for its size and limited speed potential. Brake pads are still good.

Cable Management
The cables are well tucked in, nothing dangling out of nowhere but I had a friend complain his brake cable was popping out from the rear of the headlamps when he turns. Apparently, his TNT135 was missing one cable retainer on the inside behind the headlamp.

Fuel Tank and Consumption
No issues with the physical fuel tank or fuel supply. I heard that an earlier batch had some fuel pump issues but nothing on mine so far. Fuel consumption: can easily achieve 40+km per litre.

Engine, Filters, Battery & Maintenance
1 litre of engine oil is sufficient per change. Depending on what brand and type of oil used, cost for standard oil and filter change is usually around RM 60-70. I serviced mine at 1k, 3k, 6k and 9k km so far, switching from Bel-Ray to PJ1, Elf and Castrol. No noticeable difference between these oils. I change the oil filter once for every two oil changes, and I run on either semi or fully synthetic oils only. Haven't had the need to change the air and fuel filter yet, so far no issues with them.

Gear Shift Pedal
This one, has an inherent problem. Once, I was riding on the fast lane approaching a turn, wanted to shift down but only to find out that the shift pedal was not where it was supposed to be. Its retaining bolt had dropped off, and the pedal was left dangling loosely so I couldn't shift at all. Had to pull aside, stop, and eventually managed to drive the bike back in one gear all the way. And mine is not the first case I've heard about. Maybe the vibration generated onto the body plus the lack of thread-locking glue, but generally, many screws and bolts on this bike is not as tightly locked in as it should've been. I’ll elaborate later.

Also, if the shift pedal is not well lubricated, the lever may not spring back into its centre position, meaning... can't shift up and down easily, problem gets more apparent after the bike heats up. If you own this bike, make sure you inspect the pedal’s free movement regularly.

Other than these hiccups, shifting is easy; gear change is light and not clunky. Getting the bike into neutral needs some practice though, as is the case with most bikes. It would be nice if there was a gear indicator on the instrument panel but there isn't. Because there are 5 gears on this bike, it's sometimes hard to feel which gear I'm in as their ratios are not too far apart, e.g. 3rd may feel like a 4th, and 4th may feel like a 5th or 3rd, etc.

Foot Pegs, Kickstand
Foot pegs are well positioned for a comfortable upright-neutral stance. The kickstand is well extended (outwards) and has a wider-than-normal base plate. Again, hinges need to be lubricated regularly.

Muffler and Tailpipe
I don't intend to change the setup. The sound is pretty good for a single-cylinder small cc bike, not pingy and not irritatingly noisy. If you don't look at the bottom where the huge ugly black muffler sits, everything's just fine.

Seating and Under-seat Storage
The seating is surprisingly comfortable, even on long rides. I don't carry pillion so I can't comment on the rear, but it is a tad small by design. As for under-seat storage, forget it. It's a naked bike by genre, there's not really any real estate below the seat except some crevice for a small screwdriver and a road tax card.

Rear Suspension
Soft when it arrived, had to adjust the sag setting to suit my weight (72kg). Damping on the shock is ok, travel is sufficient.

Tailamp and Rear Turn Signal
LEDs, nice and bright. Turn signal is embedded and not protruding out from the side, it's neater this way and easier to clean.

Rear Splashguard
May still get some backsplash from puddles, but prefer this to the standard tail fender anytime. No issues with rear number plate lamp.

Rear Brakes
Nice ornament. Mostly use front and engine-braking. There is an annoying low-screech sometimes though, but it doesn't bother me since l hardly apply rear brakes except during steep descent or emergency braking.

Rims, Tyres & Valves
At 10,000km, rear was due for change. Front was still ok. The stock tyres are Metzeler 7teens, which are descent in wet and dry. I changed the rear recently to Michelin City Grip for RM200, read some reviews and it’s supposed to be pretty good.

Rims are black, with some white chip marks here and there maybe caused by pebbles on the road, no big deal for me. Are they easy to clean? I don’t have tiny hands so thank god they are black in colour.

The original angled rubber tyre valves cracked at their base on both wheels, like as if they were brittle due to age. Basically, they were rubbish valves, and I had them replaced with steel angled valves for RM10 each.

Overall Body Works
There’s a minor crack on the front wheel fender of which I have no idea where that came from. Otherwise, the plastic cladding is pretty solid. I ripped all the body decals off the day my bike arrived so I can't comment on those.

One MAJOR ISSUE: Loose Screws/Bolts. This bike has lots of bolts and screws all over the body, and many are NOT securely fastened, or may get loose easily. I've lost about 5 pieces already, and the latest missing bolt I discovered yesterday belongs to the cable retainer for the front wheel speedometer cable. It locks into the front fender and holds the cable in place. Now I've to use zip ties to keep the cable in place until I get a replacement. If you plan to own this bike, make sure you buy a tube of thread-lock like Loctite and keep it handy, along with some spare bolts just in case.

Add-Ons
1. Aftermarket aluminium brake & clutch levers
2. Water bottle strapped to the frame

Removed
1. Body decals
2. Yellow side reflectors


DRIVING EXPERIENCE
I still own this bike, and still ride it almost daily. It's still a lot of fun for short distance commute. The bike's short wheelbase and small wheels renders it very agile, but on this same note, potholes can feel really big if you don't avoid them. The furthest I’ve driven the bike was from KL to Genting Highlands, via Ulu Yam. Don’t expect it to fly up and down though; it’s just a 135cc bike. It will handle long journeys comfortably at a 70-90kmh kinda pace.

In terms of fit and body position, its ergonomics are surprisingly good even for someone my height (178cm). It rides in a fairly neutral position so there's no need for any awkward bending of sorts. I had to learn how to ride with manual transmission after purchasing this bike, and I think its size and weight made the task a lot easier compared to a full scale naked.

Starting up the bike is instantaneous. The battery and starter are as good as they get. Throttle to engine response is also good, and the bike can rev up pretty quickly and acceleration is good, owing partly to the small wheel diameter. There is a rev limiter that protects the engine and it won't allow the rev to jump pass 10k rpm.

The bike's top speed is around 115kmh because on 5th, the rev is almost touching 10,000rpm, and the rev limiter will kick in. Realistically, on a flat road, the bike does up to around 100kmh comfortably. I typically shift my gears between 4,000-7,000rpm without any problems so far. As far as engine vibration goes, it can be felt on the handlebars and body at speeds over 100kmh as earlier mentioned, but it’s not major. A good pair of gloves will solve the problem.


OWNERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Relatively cheap to maintain, not really worried about parts as just about anything that needs to be replaced can be easily obtained from M-force at Segambut or Penang (HQ). For everything else, there's Taobao. Just type 'BJ125-3E' in the search box, and you'll see a host of parts available for this bike. Over the past year, I've had many strangers approach me to ask about the bike, i.e. the make, cc, price, speed.... In contrast, no one has ever approached me about my MT-07. It’s just an appealing little machine on two wheels, albeit a bit funny when I ride it since I’m kinda tall for a small bike.


CONCLUSION
If I could only own ONE bike and had heavy reliance on it for my daily commute, I’d really have to give the TNT135 a miss. But I have other forms of owned transport, and this bike serves more of a hobby bike for me. To date, I’ve no regrets parting with my hard-earned RM8,500 for this little thingy, even though there were some minor setbacks mentioned above. I mean it when I said this bike is a ton of fun, it has been so far, and I’m pretty sure it will remain so for a while to come

This post has been edited by Mikahl: Feb 28 2018, 01:24 PM

Thanks for the great review! It definitely help me understand these bikes better.

This post has been edited by basilisk: Feb 28 2018, 02:54 PM

Is there any sc near kajang?
Also how long warranty last

nice review ts.

If u looking for SC, better call M-Force direct and ask them (tel 0362581333). I know Tenaga Motor at Tmn Tenaga Cheras is one of the authorised SC, not sure bout Kajang.

Warranty, to my knowledge is 1 year.

Thanks
I was considering to buy either ktm rc390 or benelli 302r but since warranty only 1 yearni think will be goin for ktm since the place is in kajang

Good choice. IMHO, the RC390 looks really good and I think it should be able to keep up with bigger powered bikes on twisty roads. Plus, it is more sport oriented as compared to the 302r which is more of a sport tourer. BTW, even Quazacolt's bike goes faster then the rest of group. It takes a 1200RT to keep up with him. But then again, that's rider and bike capability together performing as one

You flatter me bro

anyone can help me buying from Taobao?

use agent frm lyn.

Looking at his bike in 3 shops last 2 weeks. One offer me 8500 otr, another 8333 and last one i found it at mudah and i get msg from him and confirm they offer 7980 otr.
Why the price different so much eventhough all located at klang valley.

Different dealers have different promo deals.
Also those selling cheaper is is trying to clear out their stock so they can stock up on more recent and lucrative models.

In this case it's a good time for buyers....

it a same bike new stock. some dealer verry happy with cash buyer. profit no 2 as long can make sale. look this dealer popular biker and used bike cash price and compare with another shop.

the only one i interested on this bike is their exhaust muffler..
others out..

look for baby tricycle..

I see in Mudah...tis days lots of ppl are selling their TNT135
RM5500 onwards for a one year old unit.

Hi TS,
I am looking at TNT 135 as my secondary transport. I have car as my day to day transport and I got B2 license since my teenager year, but I never own a bike before.

I have been looking around on this type of mini bike. TNT 135 provides the best value out of the money spent.

I intended to use the bike for my weekend 'tapau food' or cruising around city centre as I realized it save lots of time doing my errant via bike. Needless to say parking is cheap and easier as well when using bike.

However, I also notice there is a few quality issue faced by the current owners e.g tire crack, brake pump, cylinder leakage etc.

Based on your one year experience, what had you encounter when comes to reliability of the bike?

I have plan to do my own servicing as I am a hands on person. I have experienced in handling 2 stroke and 4 stroke small engines.

What is the current OTR price as of today? Can negotiate for better deal if pay by cash?
Any reputable and trustworthy shop to recommend as I am staying in Cheras area?

Thanks and looking forward for yours advice.

Mine's almost 15k on the clock now, and almost 2 years old. There are some quality issues no doubt, and they surface from time to time, but so far, no engine issues on mine. If you're a hands on dude, should be no issues maintaining the bike, it's a fairly simple piece of machine, well-priced.

Tenaga Motor is located in Taman Tenaga Cheras and they are a key Benelli dealer, I bought mine there.

Mostly send my bike to Mforce at Segambut if parts need replacement or oil filter change.