Long-Term Test Update: 2007 Benelli TnT 1130

Photography by Brian Blades

First impressions are important. That might explain why our long-term TnT has only racked up a little more than 1300 miles since our last up-date this past September. Right after its road test in October of 2007, the 1130 began camping out on our workstand because of one problem or another. It kept stalling when cold, it assassinated its battery for no apparent reason, and the air-box had to be deloused after it was infiltrated by a load of detritus that slipped past an improperly installed (by the factory, not us) air-filter element. So when staffers would meander out to the garage to choose a mount for the night, they usually would avoid the alien-looking TnT as though it were a leper from another galaxy.

Too bad, because despite its quirks and choppy freeway ride, the torquey, agile 1130 is a barrel of fun on a twisty backroad—which is why we toasted both its tires so easily. We replaced them with Bridgestone's BT-016 multi-compound buns, which seem to have tenacious stick in fast corners yet promise to offer far better center-tread wear than typical trackday-quality gumballs. We'll see.

Despite our installation of a new idle-speed-regulating stepper motor last summer, the aforementioned cold-stalling issue still occasionally resurfaces. If that malady continues, the TnT will no doubt find its way back to its favorite place of residence: the workstand. Once again, we'll see.