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For those who love motorcycles, it is more than likely that many bicycle fans will own a Benelli model. Indeed, the brand has more than a hundred years of history to its credit and a proud and established reputation.
His website boasts that Benelli talks about “heritage, emotion and intelligence†that have become legendary due to decades of revolutionary designs, advanced technologies, triumphs and famous riders.
Benelli motorcycles tend to be sporty, and every rider will often find a bike that meets their requirements. Most people who know motorcycles tend to know a Benelli model when they see one. They are renowned for their attractive designs and unmistakable sporty look. The most innovative design concepts are implemented in all models of the Pesaro company due to the expertise of its R&D center.
In 2005, Qianjiang Group (QJ), the largest Chinese group in terms of size and manufacturing capacity in the motorcycle world, purchased Benelli. Its production reaches 1.2 million vehicles per year and it has 14,000 employees. But Benelli has retained his approach which combines Italian ingenuity, style and engineering with QJ’s business approach and global vision. All-new models still carry Benelli’s DNA and story, celebrating the company’s original appearance, innovation and brand strength.
Before 2005, Benelli had an incredible story. Let’s take a look back at the brand and see what readers already know about it and what they don’t already know about it.
The emergence of Benelli
As already mentioned, Benelli is an Italian motorcycle manufacturing company. It was founded in 1911 in Pesaro, Italy. When Teresa Benelli became a widow, she invested all of her money in a business so that her six sons could get decent work. Two of these sons also went to Switzerland to study engineering, all at Teresa’s expense. At first it was called Benelli Garage and the company dealt with the repair of motorcycles and cars, and it could also produce the spare parts needed for these repairs.
Money Inc. pointed out that Benelli not only produced bicycles but also shotguns, and the Benelli family linked up with the Beretta Gun Company to make automobiles. The prototype they created was called Beretta, Benelli Casterbarco.
Over time, they have gained a reputation for being excellent manufacturers and sort of engineers. The Benelli brothers came up with their first engine that was produced entirely in-house in 1920. It was a 75cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine and it was modified into a bicycle frame. A year later, the company built its first motorcycle, based on the 75 CC engine, which turned into 98 CC.
Benelli then decided to enter motorsport in 1923 and sent Tonino Benelli to the track to ride a racing version of the company’s first motorcycle. Tonino quickly became a star within a few years and used his Benelli 175 to win the Italian championship in 1927, 1928, 1930 and 1931. He then won again in 1932 only to tragically die in a traffic accident that year. .
The post-war era of Benelli motorcycles
World War II brought bad luck to Benelli despite the fact that they presented a supercharged four-cylinder 250 CC in 1940. But the start of the conflict hampered their plans. Their production continued until 1949.
1949 should have been a great year for the Italian motorcycle manufacturer, but Giuseppe Benelli left the company and founded Motobi. But their fate changed in the 1950s when they started selling Leoncino 98 CC and 125 CC bikes, available in both two-stroke and four-stroke. And then there was the Tornado 650, an impressive motorcycle capable of generating 57 hp and reaching a top speed of 17 mph. At the time, this was considered remarkable. Business boomed until the 1960s, when Benelli and Motobi were able to manufacture around 300 motorcycles and had a total of 550 employees by 1962.
The 1970s were a difficult time for the world economically, and Benelli stopped production because they were unable to compete with the arrival of Japanese motorcycles from Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda in the European market. Business was quiet until 1995, when the Italian bicycle maker underwent a transformation under Andrea Merloni. He developed the Tornado 900 Tre super sport bike in 2002, but that was not enough for the company to survive as they were eventually acquired by QJ a few years later.
Benelli’s story has been a mixture of good and bad luck, but they have succeeded and with QJ’s help, they will likely maintain their established reputation for years to come.
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