Benelli TRK 502 vs Kawasaki Versys 650: €2,150 apart, two ways to tour on an A2 licence

The Benelli TRK 502 was Italy's best-selling motorcycle, all categories combined, for four years (2019 to 2022, according to registration figures reported by InSella). The Kawasaki Versys 650 has been one of Europe's most widespread all-rounders since 2007. Both target the same rider: someone who wants to tour two-up, eat up B-roads and commute, often on an A2 licence. Between them, a €2,150 gap at French list price. UK prices differ; check your dealer.

First, a timing point: at EICMA 2025 Benelli unveiled the TRK 602 X, successor to the TRK 502 and 502 X. It's announced for dealers at the end of 2026, with no official French price at the time of writing. So the TRK 502 is what you'll find in showrooms and on the used market today; we cover the 602 X further down.

Specs side by side

The table sums it up. The Benelli is a bike designed for A2: its 47.6 hp is its natural output, not a restriction. The Kawasaki is a 67 hp bike you restrict for A2 and derestrict later, which gives it a second life once you hold a full A licence. And counter-intuitively, the less powerful bike is the heavier one: 16 kg more for the Benelli, a house trait the Italian press notes model after model.

On the road: what tests and owners say

• Benelli TRK 502: the 21 owner reviews collected by Motoplanete give it 4 out of 5, praising its handling and comfort on secondary roads, with one recurring reservation: it struggles on the motorway, short of power when loaded. The chassis is oversized for the displacement (50 mm fork, twin 320 mm discs) and the 800 mm seat makes it accessible.
• Kawasaki Versys 650: 1000PS describes it as a relaxed, comfortable and agile tourer, frugal and with long range, with two drawbacks: the engine feels a bit stretched by the weight when loaded, and the screen needs two hands to adjust. No cruise control. Moto-Net notes a redesigned four-position screen for 2025 but no standard USB socket. For 2026 the twin moves to Euro 5+ without changing its figures.

In short: at 47 hp vs 47 hp (restricted Versys), the two are evenly matched on A2, with stronger brakes on the Benelli and 16 kg less on the Kawasaki. Unrestricted, the Versys plays in another league, especially two-up and loaded. To place both in the market, read the best A2 motorcycles of 2026 and the 2026 adventure bike comparison.

Servicing

These are the intervals quoted by maintenanceschedule.com from the manuals; check them in the book handed over at delivery, which is what counts for the warranty. The main difference is the oil change: over 40,000 km the Benelli goes into the workshop six times, the Kawasaki four (once a year over four years). If you do your own oil changes out of warranty, the gap shrinks: it's a simple twin with no particular difficulty.

Warranty, network and reliability

• Kawasaki: 4 years in France (2 years + 2 automatic since summer 2023), whatever the mileage. Dense dealer network. UK terms are set by Kawasaki UK.
• Benelli: imported into France by Moteo. We found no published warranty terms for the TRK 502 in 2026; ask your dealer for the length and conditions in writing before you sign. The general rules for Chinese brands are in parts, warranty and dealer network for Chinese motorcycles.

On recalls, the TRK 502 has had two, both on the rear shock: a first on bikes built between September 2018 and April 2019 (risk of the mount breaking under certain loads), then a European campaign reported in 2022 on TRK 502 and 502 X bikes built from 2018 to 2020 (risk of damping fluid leaking). The remedy was replacement of the parts at a dealer. On a used bike from those years, ask for proof the recall was done — in the UK, also via the DVSA recall lookup. We found no recent recall on the current Versys 650; Kawasaki's March 2023 chain tensioner recall concerned the H2 models, not the Versys.

The Qianjiang group, which owns Benelli, and its other brands are covered in who makes what; the reliability overview is in Chinese motorcycles 2026: reliability.

Value and resale

Dealer listings on the French site Motoplanete (October 2026), as a share of the current new price:

At equal age, the Versys keeps about ten points more. These are asking prices, not sale prices, and two effects work against the Benelli: the arrival of the TRK 602 X, which will suddenly age the 502 on the used market, and end-of-series dealer discounts. The method is explained in how a used motorcycle's value is calculated.

The 4-year cost

Same assumptions as in Chinese or Japanese motorcycle: the total cost: 10,000 km a year, €200 for a routine service, €500 for a service with valve check (working figures, replace them with a quote), resale at 55% of new for the Chinese bike and 65% for the Japanese.

Despite a €2,150 purchase gap, the Kawasaki works out slightly cheaper, by about €280. The gap is small: if the Benelli holds 60% at resale, it drops to €4,020 and the two are level. What really differs is the upfront outlay: €2,150 less to find, or to finance, for the Benelli.

What about the TRK 602 X?

The successor keeps the recipe with a 554 cc twin, 56 hp at 8,250 rpm and 54 Nm, an A2 version at 47.6 hp, 235 kg wet, an 825 mm seat, a 43 mm USD fork, a shock adjustable for preload, compression and rebound, and twin 320 mm discs with radial calipers. Germany's Motorrad magazine expects it to cost no less than the 502 X; Motoplanete suggests €7,000, an unofficial figure. If you can wait a few months, compare it with the Versys: at 56 hp unrestricted it closes part of the power gap, but not all of it.

Verdict by profile

• You're taking your A2 and your budget is tight: the TRK 502, as end-of-series new or a recent used bike with recalls done. You save €2,150 up front and get stronger brakes.
• You plan to move to a full A licence in two years: the Versys 650 restricted, then derestricted. You don't buy another bike, and that's the strongest argument in this duel.
• You ride a lot two-up and on motorways: the Versys, lighter and more powerful once unrestricted.
• You're a shorter rider: the Benelli, with its 800 mm seat against 845 mm, bearing in mind its extra 16 kg at a standstill.
• You want easy resale and dealers everywhere: the Kawasaki.

To go further in the Chinese series, also read the Chinese 125 buying guide if you're still weighing up displacement.

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Selling your TRK 502 before the 602 X lands, or your Versys to move up? Value your motorcycle with L'Atelier's tool: it accounts for the model, year, mileage and condition.