BENELLI MOTORCYCLE
Benelli's
exotic six-cylinder superbike deserves
a place in any history of fast motorcycles, despite one undeniable
fact: by the standards of mid-1970s superbikes, it wasn't
outstandingly fast. The Italian machine was undeniably stylish,
sophisticated and expensive but lacked the outright speed of the best
Japanese superbikes and its Italian rivals alike.
Despite
this the Sei was a fine all-round performer, combining effortless
acceleration, remarkable smoothness and excellent handling in an
eye-catching package topped by six gleaming chrome-plated exhaust
mufflers. As well as being the only six-cylinder bike on the market
when it was launched in 1974, the Sei also came with a pedigree.
Benelli,
based at Pesaro on Italy's Adriatic coast, had won the 250cc world
championship as recently as 1969, beating the two- strokes with a
four-cylinder four-stroke ridden by Australian Kel Carruthers.
Inspired
by Honda
Apart
from its number of cylinders, the Sei's 748cc engine contained little
innovative engineering, and was not outstandingly powerful despite a
claimed peak output of 71bhp at 8500rpm. Cynics commented that the
sohc unit was little more than one-and-a-half Honda CB500 motors.
Like Honda's four it featured cylinder dimensions of 56 x 50.6mm, and
a central camchain. Similar details such as the ribbed oil filter
housing also revealed the main inspiration of the Italian firm's
engineers.
But
the Benelli motorcycle also incorporated differences including its
alternator, which sat not at the end of the crankshaft but behind the
cylinders on the right, where it was driven by gears. That allowed
the six-cylinder motor's crankcases to be narrow, as did the use of
only three 24mm Dell'Orto carburettors, the outer two of which fed
angled inlet manifolds that allowed the carbs to be close together
beneath the fuel tank.
The
motor was tuned for mid-range performance and was impressively
tractable, producing useful torque everywhere above 20()()rpm in top
gear. Carburation was crisp, and there was barely a step in the power
deliver) as the revs rose through the range. This meant that although
the Benelli's top speed of about 115mph (185km/h) was unexceptional,
the bike impressed with its effortless high-speed cruising ability.
Rapid
riding was also boosted by a chassis that was conventional in layout
but which worked much better than most contemporary set-ups. The
steel twin-cradle frame held Marzocchi forks, plus rear shocks either
from the same BENELLI MOTOCYCLEfirm or Sebac. Both ends were fairly firm in Italian
sporting tradition. In combination with the reasonably rigid frame,
that helped give good straight-line stability.
For a big
bike the Benelli was also impressively agile, and could be cornered
faster than many much smaller
machines. It had fairly generous ground clearance, especially
considering its engine layout. Powerful twin Brembo front disc
brakes, backed up by a rear drum, added to the six-cylinder machine's
impressive chassis performance.
Sadly
for Benelli and particularly the firm's boss, Argentinean car baron
Alejandro de Tomaso, the Sei was not a sales hit. Despite its array
of cylinders the Benelli lacked the character and performance that
made the best rival Italian superbikes popular. Potential owners were
worried about reliability and high running costs as well as the
bike's considerable purchase price.
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The
Sei nevertheless remained in production with few changes until the
end of the decade, when its engine was enlarged to produce the 900
Sei.
This had a
little extra power and a neat headlamp fairing, but no more charisma.
It sold in similarly small numbers and marked the end, at least for
the next quarter century, of Benelli's attempt to become a major
superbike manufacturer.
BENELLI
750 SEI prices 2014
MINT $12,000 $15,000 £10,000 £15,000
GOOD $10,000 £8,500
FAIR $7,500 £6.350
PROJECT $800 $1,800 £850 £1,500
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