Here’s a rare glimpse at onboard footage of David Roper completing a practice lap for the Manx Grand Prix in 1993. He’s riding a 1968 Benelli GP bike prepared by Team Obsolete. Until Mark Miller won TT Zero last year, Dave remained the only American to have ever won a race at the Isle of Man. :continue:
David Roper is the first and, until last year, the only American to win at the legendary Isle of Man TT. As Team Obsolete’s primary rider, the list of exotic machines he’s raced over the past three decades is longer than his beard. If he’s not racing, then he’s working on bikes to go racing on or, at the very least, talking about racing. I spent a morning at his Long Island home and, while he obligingly answered questions about ultra-exotic machines like Redman’s RC166 Honda and Pasolini’s 250/4 Benelli, he spoke of them all with a mild indifference. Unless, of course, he was talking about the Isle.
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Can you imagine squeezing behind the fairing of this 1969 Benelli 250/4 as its engine screamed towards 16,000rpm and 150mph? For about $11,000 you could do just that; this Benelli is just one part of the latest collection of important vintage and collector’s motorcycle to be auctioned by Webb’s of New Zealand. Below you’ll find details and high-resolution images of eight of our favorite bikes from this collection, as well as the complete catalog. :continue:
The Isle of Man, Hailwood, Agostini, Pasolini, Williams, Blanchard, Uphill, Honda, MV Agusta, Benelli, Matchless, Seeley, Norton, even Vincent. Pre-race interviews with impeccable legends Geoff Duke and Stanley Woods and a post-race interview with Hailwood. The footage is a little murky, the commentary by perfectly cheeky Murray Walker is fantastically paced and suspenseful, and the sounds of the machines are glorious. If Youtube has a Holy Grail of historic racing videos, I just found it. Yes, your work day is officially worthless, in 2 parts. :continue:
“The recent plan was to produce 5000 bikes this year, but we couldn’t achieve it,” says Benelli’s head of PR. The company has slashed 2009 production to somewhere below 1,000 units. Many of the company’s 100 staff are working part time, receiving government-subsidized salaries. Dealers around the world are stuck with stocks of unsold bikes. Benelli is facing a new financial crisis despite being purchased by giant Chinese scooter maker Qiang Jiang just four years ago. It’s possible that its owner could fold the brand or move production to China. > :continue:
This is the long overdue Benelli Due 756 in what appears to be nearly final form. The 756cc parallel-twin is essentially two-cylinders from the company’s 1134cc triple housed in a new chassis. The naked will make around 100bhp and take on bikes like the Kawasaki Z750 and Honda Hornet. > :continue:
Factory insiders have revealed that Benelli is developing a new 600cc sportsbike capable of competing with the Japanese. Like MV Agusta, the company was inspired by the success of the Triumph Daytona 675 and now wants to bring its own unique character to the 600 class. Strangely, since the Tornado superbike is a triple, they’re looking to do so with a conventional four-cylinder engine in an extremely unconventional chassis. > :continue:
With the 2008 BX 449 Cross, 505 Enduro and 570 Motard, Benelli has managed to bring a seriously exotic approach to the off-road world. Bikes like the Aprilia RXV have nothing on the Italian-by-way-of-China offerings. Instead of offering whacky engine and suspension combinations, Benelli simply decided to offer bikes that fit into traditional off-road racing categories, but so thoroughly re-engineered, that when you look beyond their carbon fiber bodywork, you hardly recognize the bikes beneath.> :continue:
HSR-Benelli has finally released details on the Tornado-powered jet skis we told you about in November. The Series-R range is composed of four models; the Naked, Pro, Prestige and Race. The first two feature stock versions of Benelli’s 1098cc triple, complete with 148 and 172bhp, respectively. The Prestige and Race feature a 2196cc V6 made by combining two of those engines. In the Prestige it makes 278bhp, while the Race makes an eye-watering 342bhp. This should make the Race easily the fastest jet ski in the world.> :continue:
