Italia Connections' Benelli page

The Bikes

Benelli returned to the market in 1997 with a stylish scooter and has now taken a step towards becoming a big sports bike maker once again with its bizarre hybrid scooter-bike.

Benelli have announced a new 900cc triple named the Tornado. There will be a stand for it at the '99 Milan Show and is likely to be in production in 2001.

• Link to my Tornado page with many pics and details -

Benelli 491 Sport

The 491 Sport uses a single cylinder 2 stroke liquid cooled engine with a capacity of 49.2cc. and for convenience it has an electric start.

But its new 666 - a 125cc two-stroke - is almost a full-on sports bike - except for the scooter-style high bars. Even the wheels are close to sports bike sizes at 120/80 x 16 front and 160/60 x 16 at the back.
There are more superbike-style features:
Four-pot Brembo brakes grab a 276mm single disc to stop the bike, which has Marchesini magnesium alloy wheel rims. The six-speed gearbox is also reminiscent of big bikes and the double cradle frame has beefy-looking aluminium side plates. There is an electric start with a kick start back up. The seven-litre fuel tank is normal for a scooter but small for a bike. Benelli says the 666 offers the thrill of riding both scooters and bikes. It is aiming the scoot-bike at youngsters who cannot afford a full-sized bike. If response to the prototype is good, Benelli will mass produce the 666 at a cost of around £2600.

Benelli Past

• Link to a page of Benelli's glorious past.
  

Links

• Moto Benelli home page for their new Tornado http://www.tornadobenelli.com/index.html

• Benelli Motobi Club G.B.
  Steve Peace,
  43 Sherrington Road,
  Ipswich,
  Suffolk,
  IP1 4HT.
  

• Dutch Benelli Club
  http://come.to/benelli
  

• Italia Connection's Home Page

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