Triple Threat- Tre Benelli Tornado Tre’s
You either love the looks or hate the looks. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground on the Benelli Tre’s. I tend to think they were actually a bit ahead of their time with the angular lines. They arrived with a lot of fanfare but sure seemed to fade away quickly. I still have a brochure I ordered before the bikes came out. It is the fanciest media packet I’ve ever seen. I never did get around to ordering one though. I think perception hurt Benelli in general. They fizzled in WSB and then were bought out by a Chinese company. The bikes are still made in Italy and still come with quality components but maybe the damage has been done. Do any of our readers actually own one? I never read a review from an actual owner.
Tre #1
Not much info on this bike from it’s ad. A dealer has it and is asking $12,500. Be sure to check out the ad because they have posted some nice high quality pictures of the bike. It sure looks like it has been taken care of from the photos. It is listed on Phoenix Craigslist.
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Tre #2
2003 BENELLI TORNADO TRE-LE #14 OF 150 PRODUCED.
Perfect condition, Complete LE package includes Benelli brief case with new unused, titanium track mods and Benelli cover.
Very Nice Bike, all Carbon Fiber Body Work including tank. Magnesium Engine Covers and wheels. Ohlins Suspension.
California Plate and current registration.
MSRP brand new – $36,000
SACRIFICE – $14,500 obo
1100 miles
More photos available upon request
This is an interesting bike. As the the seller’s ad states this is a special version of the Tre, the LE. As Benelli emplys on their website, this bike was supposed to be a direct descendant of the bike raced in WSB. Goodies include what the seller states as well as a ti exhaust, adjustable steering head and swing arm angle. This one can be found in central California on Craigslist.
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Tre #3
Collectors! Take notice! 2003 Benelli Tornado 1130 cc. One of 150 built Italian race bike. One of only 25 in the States! This is a serious collector bike and a serious race bike. Absolutely perfect and stunning in every way with only ~ 1,000 miles. Must see to appreciate! Call for more details. $18,500.
The last of the Tre’s looks to be another LE. It too appears to have barely left the garage with only 1000 miles on the clocks. This one can be found on Phoenix Craigslist.
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Are they good deals? I would absolutely be guessing. There is no denying prices crashed on these bikes but to what level I don’t know. Could be quite the steal if you had always wanted one but couldn’t afford the original price tag.
This clip has some good close ups of the LE and some nice sound as well. Too bad the audio track is in German. It’s funny I was writing about the negative perception of Benelli since the Chinese take over. On the YouTube comments people were arguing over if the bikes were made in China or Italy. For the record it is Chinese backing but produced in Italy.
IK
I’ve ridden the Tre all models, many times. It is very nimble for a big bike and the power delivery is excellent. IIRC, the LE also has a dry clutch which is very cool and sounded great. I don’t think that the 3rd Tre listed, is an LE. I don’t believe that Benelli made an LE with the 1130 motor. I could be wrong, though.
Joel,
Good info. How is the fit and finish on them? As good as other Italian makes?
They are all 900cc tornado, of which 2 are LE’s (limited editions) America only got very few of the 20062007 built 1130cc tornado’s.
Le have CF bodywork, dry slipper clutchs (standard 900 tornado got wet slipper clutch’s, 1130cc got different dry silipper to the LE’s), magnesium cases, cro moly frames, forged Marchesini’s and Ohlins front and back, Benelli only made 150 Le in Total.
I have a Tornado 900RS, first owner, had it since 2005, apart from a tps sensor playing up and a replacement idle valve being replaced under warranty mines been fine.
2007 onwards benelli are pretty bulletproof, 03 to 06 had a few minor issues, easily sorted out though.
I would buy another without hesitation, (I’m in australia), quite a few Us owners on the Benelli forum nowadays, joining in with the euro, UK irish and Aussies owners on there. great bikes and awesome to ride, the induction noise is brillant.
http://www.benelliforum.com
Well, I thought it strange that the last ad said it was 1130cc LE so that’s why I called it out. The workmanship was pretty good, but we had to have a few of the green panels repainted. Our painter said that the original painter did not prep the panels correctly and they would flake. Funny, it was only the green because it had that metallic in it. I also mostly rode a red RS here in SoCal. With the weight distribution being the way it was and since it was one of the lighter superbikes, they tipped in very well and handled superbly.
Joel
Guys, I really appreciate the info. One more question though. Have you kept up with prices? What do think an average price would be for a LE and a standard Tornado, say in good shape and relatively low miles. Basically, were these three bikes in the ballpark?
around 10 ponds for a LE in the UK, Oz only got 2 LE’s its for sale with 2000 km’s on the clock for $20,000 aussie dollars, original rrp in Oz was $65,000!!!, so the Le are good prices, especially the cheaper of the 2.
normal Tornado’s in the UK were selling brand new in 2010 (but they are 03/04 built) for 6000 pounds, less than a new 600cc sportsbike!!
2nd hand low kays 03/04 900cc tornado here in Oz go for around 10-14k depending on cond, and kays travelled.. 1130cc ones from 07 for around 18-20 K, but not many came in Oz. pity and they are good bikes. there a good review on them in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=896HSIZ5Qgs
Is a USA based review, they did pretty well considering the tornado was designed back in 1997!, are are essentially unchanged sinse 2002 thru to 2007 (then tornado production ceased). they are pretty rare, less than 2500 900 tornado’s were ever built, less than 400 900RS models, <200 1130cc tornado's, and 150 Limited Editions.
I'd give my left nut for a LE.
he he 10 ponds, I mean 10,000 pounds, for one of the last few LE for sale in the UK.
there is also a very few of the LE’s in Germany as the Goddard replica, complete with race paint scheme and radial mounted brakes. According to Peter Goddard about 10 goddard replica’s were made, all went to Germany.
look on http://www.mobile.de and you’ll came across one or 2.
There a few others for sale as well, both at dealers.
http://www.cycletrader.com/find/listing/2005-Benelli-Tornado-96609508
http://www.nationalpowersports.net/itemDetail.aspx?itemID=2670
I appreciate everyone’s comments. Next time I post one of these I will have more insight into them. I know the styling doesn’t appeal to everyone but that dark green and grey just does it for me.
I always thought the “turbines” under the seat on these bikes was a nice touch
I’ve owned my 900 Tre since 2005, and have covered 75,000 km on it. I’d buy another in a heartbeat.
I sold my 2006 900 Tornado Tre last year for $12,500 to a guy from MO. I was actually hit by a truck while on it, so it had been repaired with factory parts, but that did hurt its value. I can’t really ride sport bikes comfortably anymore, so I decided to sell it.
IF I were to get another sport bike, I would not hesitate to buy a Benelli. The triple is an amazing engine, the bike handles great and attracts a ton of attention. It kept up with metric bikes of it’s time just fine.
The issues I had were all electrical related. The battery would reset the clock/trip odometer frequently. Not a big deal to me, but it bugged a lot of owners.
Loved the bike and would love to ride an 1130.
[…] at more than it has been ridden. I’ve posted a few of these before and be sure to check out the older post because it has a lot of good info from Tre owners, including some pricing. Overall, owners gave […]