First visit here cos i haven't been a biker since 1988 - but never lose hope of becoming one again before I'm too old even for a Beemer. Been in a few bikers' caffs tho.
Today I saw a rather nice looking Benelli (near home in SW France) and when i got up close to drool I saw what looked like a Honda CB1000 transverse six in it. It certainly had Benelli badges on it (the engine) but was it? I recall being told years ago that my Honda 400-four had a lot of some other make in the engine dept - maybe that was Benelli.
Can anyone enlighten me?
Anyway, the upshot is - I want one.
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Sorry, noticed too late to edit. I meant CBX1000.
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I always thought the Benelli, together with the Garelli was Welsh, the double 'L' gives them away, and that great Welsh 'road' film they featured in...Easy Rhayader.
I'll get me coat,
Ted
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There was a Benelli 750 Sei in the mid seventies.
It wasn't very powerful, or very fast.
There may have been a bigger version of it towards the end of the 70s
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Yes, Benelli launched a 750-6 in 1974 (effectively the company's 500cc 4 cylinder with two extra pots) and later enlarged it to 900cc.
The 750s had a lovely-looking (and glorious sounding) 6-pipe arrangement, the 900s reverted to a dull 6-2 system :-/
Although it looked lovely it wasn't very powerful ... the 750 was rated at an optimistic 70bhp and the 900 about 85bhp. It had large pumping losses which sap power, didn't rev very high, and it also used three smallish 24mm carbs (one per pair of cylinders) which didn't help breathing.
In contrast, Honda's CBX1000 had a short stroke for higher rpm, and 6x28mm carbs with accelerator pumps.
The Benelli 4-cylinder bikes were basically reverse-engineered versions of the Honda CB500 4-cylinder (both were transverse aircooled 4s with SOHC, 4 carbs etc, and looked VERY alike).
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The current edition of Classic Bike has a feature on the Benelli SEI Six. Its the April 2009 Issue 351 edition. There is also more info on the site below:
www.benelliclubgb.net/
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Thanks all. Indeed it did have 'Sei' on the side panel and it did have three carbs - I should have remembered but it's a long time since I saw a CBX. I knew there was something about Honda and Benelli - the six (apart from the gearbox area) looks a lot like my SOHC 400-4.
'Easy Rhayader' - love it! :-)
Wouldn't mind a Sunday afternoon on the roads around there again - maybe the one that comes out at Devil's Bridge?
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Mike,
If you've got a bike by September, there's a rally over a weekend at Llandrindod Wells
in aid of Macmillan Nurses. Good hotel and camping, actually at Pen Y Bont and lovely riding country.
Just as an aside, just before you get to Pen Y Bont there is a large sign in Highways Agency style, I think it's in someone's garden just at the roadside....
.................LLandegla International Airport
Terminals 1 and 2
Someone's got a sense of humour !
If anyone interested, let me know nearer the time, haven't got dates yet.
Ted
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Just as an aside just before you get to Pen Y Bont there is a large sign in Highways Agency style I think it's in someone's garden just at the roadside.... .................LLandegla International Airport Terminals 1 and 2
It's actually Llandegley Ted; here's a link to the "airport" website;
www.llandegleyinternational.com/
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I've been told thre's an international Eaton Bray airport a couple of miles outside Luton.
It's a grass strip and according to a pilot of a small, light, aircraft, who was strictly speaking on a commercial flight. He had to request customs at this airstrip when he flew in from the continent. Hence it's title.
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I remember the Benelli was only a SOHC engine, (like the original four cylinder Honda CB's), whereas the CBX was DOHC.
The six into six pipes looked the part though!
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It was rumoured that Benelli couln't think of a name for it so just called it Sei. Which is Italian for 6. I remember the 900 when it first came out, being Italian it looked gorgeous. Personally I liked the 6 into 2 pipes but then again it was the 70's and flares were also in fashion. Being kind however it had its share of problems as mentioned. Still looks nice although
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