Benda Retro Scooter Uncovered - But There’s a Problem…
The Chinese brand Benda has filed patent images of a new retro scooter, and its design is somewhat unorthodox
The Chinese motorcycle maker has filed some patent images showing a new scooter which is expected to land in the middle of 2025.
For the most part, the pictures show a fairly innocuous-looking bike, clearly inspired by bikes like the Vespa 946 thanks to its retro curves and ‘floating’ rider and passenger seat. It’s only when you start to look at the pictures more closely, though, that the bike’s unusual features become apparent.
The new Benda has one major design change compared with most step-through scooters, in that the engine is mounted vertically in the frame like a conventional motorcycle, not horizontally as is common with most scooters. Because of this, the engine doesn’t seem to be connected to the swingarm, again, a common feature with most scooters, while drive is delivered to the rear wheel via a belt drive, just like a Yamaha TMAX.
Another unusual feature of the bike is the exhaust system and cylinder head, as both protrude from the bodywork and look like they are positioned quite close to the rider’s legs. The design might make riding on a cold day a little more cozy, but in the heat of summer, all that radiating heat would quickly become intolerable.
The location of the engine also means one important and popular design feature of a scooter is overlooked - underseat storage. Having room for a helmet or some shopping under the seat is a particular superpower of the scooter, and with the engine mounted vertically within the seat unit, and presumably sharing the space with a fuel tank, the new Benda scooter might not be as practical as the bikes it will be competing against.
Other things we know are that it is called the BD300-10T, pointing to it being a 300cc parallel twin model. And don’t be fooled by the cooling fins poking out of the top of the bodywork, we think the BD300-10T is water-cooled, thanks to one of the images showing a radiator nestled within the front fairing of the machine. As mentioned, the BD300-10T is thought to arrive in certain Asian markets in the middle of 2025. Pricing at the time of writing is unknown.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
