The motorcycles

250 Fours

The Benelli/Guzzi 250 fours were first seen as pre production versions at the Milan Show in November 1975, and would be the very first production 250 four cylinder machine in the world. They had a capacity of only 231cc, but an ultra modern look, four carburettors and a neat four into two megaphone exhaust.

The first to be produced was the Benelli 250 Quattro in 1976. It had a radical look with two tank/side panel cheeks that encased the frame and a dummy fuel tank hiding much of the metalwork visible on contemporary machinery. The Benelli was in Italian showrooms by 1977, and in the UK in 1978. The bodywork on the Benelli Quattro is unique and is not used on any of the other 250 fours. The 250s sport clocks on the tank, lightweight alloy wheels, a single disc up front and drum to the rear. Sparks were by twin contact breakers.

Next into production was the Moto Guzzi 254, a sporty looking machine with different bodywork consisting of a two piece dummy nylon tank cover containing either an alloy or plastic fuel tank finished off with a combined side panel and tail cover. The Guzzi 254 was available between 1978 and 1981 although may not have been imported into the UK. The bikes were supplied new with a choice of upright bars or dropped ace bars, a nice little handbook and a basic set of tools.

250 Fours

The Benelli version of the Guzzi 254 arrived in the UK in 1980, although it had been in production since 1977. The Benelli 254 came with the Guzzi bodywork complemented by a small, neat fairing and graphics which made it more eye catching.

In addition, there were some 254s which were badged as Motobis, capitalising on the success of the racing Motobis on Italy’s race circuits.

The Sei

750 Sei

First revealed in 1972, the Benelli 750 Sei was the world’s first 6 cylinder production bike, although it was not available for sale until 1974. As part of new owner de Tomaso’s attempt to compete with the Japanese, Benelli had released the 500 Quattro, with an engine which closely resembed that of Honda’s CB500. The 750 Sei added another two cyclinders to become the world’s first six cylinder production bike when it was launched in 1972. Manufacturing issues meant that it wasn’t available for sale until 1974.

Red Benelli 750 Seis

Styling was similar to the Quattro, with a six into six exhaust system making it instantly recognisable. The inline six cylinder engine, with its three Dellorto carbs claimed 71 bhp and a top speed of 118mph, which was not particularly impressive. This, combined with the high cost of the bike, and the release of the Honda 6 soon afterwards meant that Benelli did not benefit as much as might have been expected from the release of the Sei, although the bikes are now highly desirable. Very early models suffer from crank and gearbox weakness, but this was soon fixed.

900 Sei

1978 saw the release of the 900 Sei. Cylinder bore was increased and the stroke lengthened, increasing capacity to 905.9cc, bhp to 80 and top speed to 130mph. The rear brake was now a disc, and the bike actually had a lower dry weight than the 750. It had significantly different styling, with moulded body panels concealing the tank and a more conventional six into two exhaust. A few were sold without a fairing, but it soon gained the small round Guzzi LeMans fairing, which was later replaced by the square fairing.

The final version, produced in small numbers from 1985 saw it move firmly into the 1980s with a black painted engine, black exhaust system, unusual instruments and new colour schemes, although other differences were minor.