Benelli

How was Benelli born?

The Benelli story begins in 1911 in Pesaro, a small town on Italy’s Adriatic coast in the Marche region. Teresa Boni Benelli, a determined widow, invested her family’s inheritance to open a mechanical workshop and secure a future for her six sons: Giuseppe, Giovanni, Francesco, Filippo, Domenico, and Antonio (known as Tonino). The Benelli Garage initially repaired bicycles and motorcycles while manufacturing its own spare parts. By 1919, the brothers built their first engine, a 75cc two-stroke single mounted on a bicycle frame. In 1921, the first true Benelli motorcycle was born: the Velomotore, a 98cc machine offered in Touring and Sport (125cc) versions.

But it was the 175cc four-stroke overhead-cam single of 1927, designed by Giuseppe Benelli, that truly launched the brand. A technically bold solution for its era, this engine became Benelli’s weapon of choice in competition.

How did Benelli become a racing legend?

Tonino, the youngest of the six brothers, was an exceptional rider. Italian Champion in 1927, 1928, 1930, and 1931 on the Benelli 175, he embodied the brand on the circuits. His career was tragically cut short by a racing crash in 1932, and he died in a road accident in 1937, aged just 34.

Despite this tragedy, Benelli pressed on in competition. In 1938, the Pesaro engineers developed an astonishing supercharged four-cylinder 250cc engine capable of producing 62 hp. World War II prevented its racing debut, and the conflict devastated the factory. With remarkable courage, the Benelli brothers salvaged their machinery and converted roughly a thousand abandoned Allied military motorcycles into civilian transport to help get Italy moving again.

In 1948, the hiring of racer Dario Ambrosini marked a turning point. He won the 250cc World Championship in 1950 — Benelli’s only individual world title. Later, in 1969, Australian Kelvin Carruthers secured a second 250cc world title for the brand, confirming Pesaro’s excellence in this class.

The Leoncino, the Sei, and the wilderness years

In the 1950s, the Leoncino (little lion) 125cc became a commercial phenomenon. Over 50,000 units were produced through the early 1970s, making it the defining Benelli model of post-war Italy. In 1953, Leopoldo Tartarini won the inaugural Motogiro d’Italia on a Leoncino.

In 1949, Giuseppe Benelli left to found MotoBi (a contraction of Moto-Benelli). The two brands merged in 1962 to weather the Italian motorcycle market crisis. The 1970s brought radical change: Argentine industrialist Alejandro De Tomaso acquired Benelli in 1971. Under his direction, the Benelli 750 Sei was born in 1973 — the world’s first production six-cylinder motorcycle. Styled by the Ghia design house, its exhaust note was compared to a Ferrari V12 by Cycle World, even though the engine was openly based on the Honda CB500 four-cylinder with two extra cylinders added.

But the De Tomaso years also brought decline. Cheaper, more reliable Japanese competition eroded sales. Benelli passed to Giancarlo Selci (Biesse group) in 1988, then saw a revival attempt under Andrea Merloni in the 1990s, which produced the spectacular Tornado 900 Tre (triple) in 2002.

The Chinese acquisition and the TRK renaissance

In 2005, Chinese group Qianjiang Motorcycle acquired Benelli. Qianjiang, based in Wenling (Zhejiang province), is one of China’s largest two-wheeler manufacturers, and was itself acquired by auto giant Geely (owners of Volvo and Lotus) in 2016. Production gradually shifted to China, while design, development, and marketing remained in Pesaro at the Centro Stile Benelli, headed by designer Stefano Casanova.

The true renaissance arrived in 2017 with two models: the Leoncino 500, a neo-retro roadster reviving the legendary little lion name, and crucially the TRK 502, a 500cc adventure-trail. The TRK 502, A2-license compatible, offered a convincing adventure look at an aggressive price point (around $6,500 in the US). Its success was staggering: it became the best-selling motorcycle in Italy in 2020, 2021, and 2022, outselling even the BMW R 1250 GS on its home turf. In 2021, Benelli registered 6,543 TRK 502 sales in Italy alone, with overall brand sales growing 57% year-over-year.

Benelli today

The Benelli range now spans from 125cc to 900cc, featuring singles, parallel twins, and an inline four-cylinder (TNT 600). The TRK family forms the commercial backbone with the TRK 502, TRK 702 (698cc, 76 hp, launched 2024-2025), and the TRK 902 announced at EICMA 2025. The Leoncino comes in 500 and 800 versions, the latter powered by a 754cc parallel twin.

Benelli is present in over 55 countries and reached peak global sales of 83,100 units in 2021, though sales declined to around 62,000 units by 2025. The key challenge remains strengthening the dealer network and improving perceived reliability, two factors that still handicap the brand against Japanese and European competition.

In summary

Benelli is the oldest Italian motorcycle brand still in operation. From the family workshop of 1911 to the world’s first production six-cylinder, from the beloved Leoncino to the 1950 world championship, its history is extraordinarily rich. Now Chinese-owned but still designed in Pesaro, it plays the affordable, well-equipped adventure card to reconquer the market. The attractive pricing compensates for an image that remains somewhat blurred between Italian heritage and Asian manufacturing.

Benelli 750 Sei (1973)

The world’s first production motorcycle with a six-cylinder engine. Styled by the legendary Ghia design house under Alejandro De Tomaso’s direction, the 750 Sei produced 76 hp from its air-cooled 748cc inline-six and reached 127 mph. Its six-into-six exhaust system and mechanical symphony — compared to a Ferrari V12 by Cycle World — made it an instant legend. Approximately 3,200 units were built, followed by a 900cc version from 1979. It remained the only six-cylinder production motorcycle on the market until Honda’s CBX arrived in 1978. Today, well-preserved examples command premium prices among collectors.

Leoncino 125 (1951)

The little lion of Pesaro, and arguably the most important Benelli ever made from a commercial standpoint. Produced in over 50,000 units from the 1950s through the early 1970s, the Leoncino 125 put millions of Italians on two wheels during the post-war economic boom. Available in two-stroke and four-stroke versions, in Touring, Sport, and even Corsa (racing) trim, it won the inaugural Motogiro d’Italia in 1953 with rider Leopoldo Tartarini. Its name became so iconic that Benelli revived it in 2017 for its modern neo-retro lineup.

TRK 502 (2017)

The comeback model that nobody saw coming. This 500cc parallel-twin adventure bike (47 hp, A2-compatible) may not look groundbreaking on paper, but its aggressive pricing and generous standard equipment (USD forks, dual front discs, ABS, tall windscreen) made it a staggering commercial phenomenon. The best-selling motorcycle in all of Italy in 2020, 2021, and 2022, outselling even the mighty BMW R 1250 GS, it allowed Benelli to briefly become Italy’s top-selling motorcycle brand — an achievement unthinkable just a few years earlier for a resurrected marque with Chinese ownership.

Tornado 900 Tre (2002)

The motorcycle that tried to bring Benelli back to the big leagues under the Merloni era. Powered by an 898cc inline-triple producing 147 hp, with a steel trellis frame and radical styling by designer Adrian Morton featuring under-seat exhausts, it aimed squarely at the Ducati 916 and MV Agusta F4. Built in small numbers at the Pesaro factory, it suffered from reliability issues but remains a sought-after collector’s piece for its sheer boldness, distinctive design, and rarity.

TRK 702 (2025)

The heir to the TRK 502 for the middleweight segment. Powered by a new 698cc parallel twin producing 76 hp with 68 Nm of torque, it takes direct aim at the Yamaha Tenere 700 and Suzuki V-Strom 650. A 5-inch TFT display with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, front and rear integrated cameras, optional heated grips, slipper clutch, and a price tag well below the Japanese competition make it Benelli’s strongest bid yet to consolidate its European position. Available in standard and X (off-road oriented) versions with 19-inch front wheel.