Benda Dark Flag 950Benda's 107-horsepower Dark Flag 950 is headed to EICMA before landing in European showrooms later this year.Cruisers are supposed to be simple. Big V-twin, low seat, lots of metal, maybe enough torque to rearrange your internal organs at a stoplight. It's a formula that's worked for decades, which is probably why most manufacturers don't mess with it too much. Benda, apparently, looked at that rulebook and decided four cylinders sounded better than two.The Dark Flag 950 is the Chinese manufacturer's latest attempt at doing things differently, and the centerpiece is a 948cc liquid-cooled V4. It makes about 107 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 62.7 pound-feet of torque at 8,000 rpm. Those aren't particularly cruiser-like numbers, especially once you realize this thing weighs a claimed 534 pounds ready to ride.Benda Dark Flag 950Benda will formally put the Dark Flag 950 in front of international media at EICMA in Milan on November 3, alongside the rest of its new motorcycle lineup. The bike is then scheduled to reach its first European markets toward the end of November, so this isn't another wild concept destined to spend eternity underneath trade-show lighting.Visually, though, it still speaks fluent cruiser. The bike has a long 62.6-inch wheelbase, a 27.2-inch seat height, forward-mounted controls, chunky 16-inch wheels, and a stretched-out profile that doesn't exactly scream "rev-happy V4." That contrast is probably the most interesting thing about it. Benda has wrapped a fairly exotic engine layout in some very familiar cruiser proportions.The chassis is more conventional, with a steel tubular frame, upside-down fork, and twin hydraulic rear shocks. Brembo handles braking duty with dual 320mm front discs and radial four-piston calipers, while a 260mm disc sits out back. ABS and traction control are standard, and power goes through a six-speed gearbox, slipper clutch, and belt final drive.Chinese Bikes Are Getting Pretty SeriousZXMoto Just Dropped the Production Specs of Its WorldSBK-Winning Bike. Absolutely Insane for the MoneyCFMoto Just Built A 196-MPH Problem For The Superbike EstablishmentBenda Dark Flag 950Benda Dark Flag 950Photos by: Benda MotorcyclesThere's also a surprising amount of fancy tech packed into the thing. Cruise control comes standard, along with a 3.6-inch TFT display, USB-A and USB-C charging ports, and an idle shutdown system. A 4.2-gallon fuel tank and proper passenger accommodations suggest Benda expects owners to do more than pose outside coffee shops and explain what the engine is to strangers.The Dark Flag 950 will be offered in Obsidian Black, Glimmering White, Burgundy Red, Mountain Silver, and Prism Grey, though availability will vary by market. Benda hasn't announced US availability, so American riders will have to admire this particular act of cruiser heresy from afar for now.And that's really what makes the Dark Flag interesting. It isn't trying to reinvent the cruiser by abandoning everything that makes one recognizable. Instead, it keeps the low seat, long stance, belt drive, and relaxed ergonomics, then drops a high-revving V4 right into the middle of the whole thing. Because apparently two cylinders just weren't complicated enough.Source: Benda Motorcycles
