When Honda introduced the legendary CBX in the late 1970s many people did not realize that they were not the first to ship a production six-cylinder motorcycle. That trophy already went to Benelli, who introduced the original Sei (Italian for the number six) at motoring shows way back in 1973. Given, the original 750cc six…
Chasing the ever-changing rules of production racing can be rough on smaller companies. They spend years developing a machine that can be sold to the public, but also meets the stringent requirements to compete in racing, and then the formula changes, leaving the new machine high and dry, unable to race competitively. Larger companies can…
When most manufacturers were making 250cc singles do, Benelli – with help from new leader DeTomaso – showed their engineering chops with a super-smooth 250 inline four. This rarity comes to you from northern Italy and shows nicely with just under 1,900 miles. 1979 Benelli 250 Quattro for sale on eBay To accompany their newer…
The original Benelli triple in the Tornado displaced 898cc and couldn’t really compete head-to-head against the other comparable superbikes of the era. It was a good bike, with sound engineering and a quirky layout that located the radiators and fans in the tail of the bike. But it wasn’t quite good enough and, when WSBK…
It’s always interesting to see the disparity in terms of bike values, depending on market. It seems like you can make a decent living, finding bikes where they are cheap and plentiful, and shipping them to places where they ain’t… In Japan, the 250cc two-stroke sportbikes of the 80s and 90s are relatively cheap, although…
Great to see two Benelli’s in a month, but two have popped up this holiday week ! This is an earlier example of the rear-radiator sportbike, with just dealer miles despite its litigious past. 2005 Benelli Tornado Tré for sale on eBay After difficulties in the late 1980’s, the revitalized Benelli showed the Tornado in…
Following their 2002 Tornado Tré sportbike, Benelli’s successful TNT all-around bike was the re-vamped company’s foray into the liter-plus-class. Testing the roiling naked-sport waters, Benelli put many advancements and quality components into the Tornado Naked Tré 1130. RSBFS regular Iconic Motorbikes offers this 2007 TNT and though it’s not perfect, its ability to draw a crowd…
New CEO DeTomaso ( yes that one ) led the historic Benelli company to higher performance machines and the 750 Sei ( Six ) in 1973. Benelli increased bore and stroke on the Sei to displace 906cc for the 1979 model year. Simultaneously outrageous, exotic, handcrafted, and occasionally disappointing, the Sei was Benelli’s flagship until…