Four stroke, transverse six cylinders, SOHC, 2 valve per
cylinder
Capacity
906 cc / 55.3 cu in
Bore x Stroke
60 x 53.4 mm
Compression Ratio
9.5:1
Cooling System
Air cooled
Exhaust
6-into-2
Induction
3 x 24 mm Dell'Orto carburetors
Ignition
Electronic
Starting
Electric
Max Power
58.3 kW / 80 hp @ 8400 rpm
Transmission
5 Speed
Fianl Drive
Chain
Front Suspension
Telescopic forks
Rear Suspension
Dual shocks spring 5-way preload adjustable
Front Brakes
2 x 294 mm discs, 2 piston calipers
Rear Brakes
Single 255 mm disc, 1 piston caliper
Front Tyre
100/90-18
Rear Tyre
120/90-18
Wet Weight
254 kg / 560 lbs
Fuel Capacity
16.5 Litres / 4.4 US gal
Consumption Average
5.7 L/100 km / 17.6 km/l / 41.4 mpg
Braking 100 km/h / 67 mph - 0
34.4 m / 113 ft
Standing
¼ Mile
13.3 sec / 160.6 km/h / 99.8 mph
Top Speed
198.8 km/h / 120.4 mph
A rider who chooses a motor cycle on the strength of road test
data alone is unlikely to be impressed by the Benelli 900 Sei. But mere
reference to figures will not convey the full impression - that the Italian six
handles far better than many Japanese multis, sticks to the road like flies to
flypaper and can brake as if it has been run into a wall.
Those three factors alone rescue the machine from the depths of
mediocrity and hoist it into the category of desirable motor cycles. But it
takes some time for the fundamentally good nature of the machine to filter
through.
For incredible though it may seem, this 906 cc single overhead
camshaft six is a very ordinary performer by present standards. Given the
claimed 80 bhp, its top speed and acceleration are unsensational and its
comparatively high price was enough to send most buyers into their nearest
Japanese bike dealers. First impressions were that Benelli, under the leadership
of single-minded Allessandro de Tomaso, have taken on the Japanese at their own
multi-cylinder motor cycle game.
History shows that Benelli's first modern multi-cylinder
roadster, their 500 in-line four, was built in response to, and a virtual copy
of, Honda's CB500.
In 1975 they literally added another pair of cylinders to the
CB500 to create contemporary motor cycling's first six-cylinder roadster, the
Benelli 750. This was never sold in volume in Britain, but the sight of six
separate exhaust pipes and silencers on a motor cycle was impressive, to say the
least.
The 900 Sei was both bored and stroked to accumulate its extra
capacity, a six-into-two exhaust system was fitted and limited aesthetic styling
changes were made, although the bike remained essentially a larger 750.
A rider who has experienced the uncanny smoothness of the exotic
Honda CBX1000 and Kawasaki Z1300 will be disappointed by the feeling of the
Benelli six. Of course it remains very smooth, especially when in the middle and
higher rev ranges, but there is a peculiar, almost unidentifiable, ragged edge
to this feeling. It is mechanically noisy - nothing like the beautifully
co-ordinated six-cylinder Japanese symphonies.
Initially, it is possible to be thoroughly disappointed with the
Sei - to look at its price and performance and conclude that it offered nothing
which could not be bought for a much lower price. Its on-track performance
failed miserably to reach 134 mph claimed by the factory. But even though some
bikers may consider the Sei a sell-out to Japanese technology, the Benelli most
certainly retains its own identity as a thoroughly Italian motor cycle. And the
facets which helped most towards this were its handling and road holding.
At 561 lb, the Benelli is heavier than many comparable Japanese
machines, but the Italians should be congratulated for getting the Sei to handle
in a way which the Japanese must wish they had achieved years ago. The Benelli
simply outhandles the other two sixes and is more than a match for many other
Oriental multis when it comes to a dose of country lane scratching!
At first I mistook this good handling and willingness to stay on the
predetermined line round a bend for over-stiffness. On a few occasions when I
needed to change line the Sei did not want to know and only reluctantly
responded to corrections. But on familiar highways where you know every bump,
man-hole cover and white line and where your lines are always right this
rigidity disappears.
It is not surprising that the Benelli does give notice of its
engine bulk on long sweeping motorway curves. A hint of the Japanese-style
'hinged-in-the-middle' feeling enters the farthest recesses of your mind as the
Benelli picks up a slight rocking motion. But this caused no problems.
Poor suspension has been responsible for detracting from the
reasonable handling of Japanese multis in the past and thankfully Benelli have
avoided those mistakes. The damping is up to dealing with the ill-maintained
British roads. The rear units are rather firm and on the worst surfaces this
leads to the rider experiencing more than a fair share of jarring. But in view
of the machine's good handling this is a fair price to
Pay-Handling and suspension though, count for little unless
roadholding is up to scratch. The Pirelli Phantoms used on the Benelli perfectly
suited my own style of riding. They were utterly dependable wet or dry and it's
little wonder that they have won many friends in production machine racing.
The combination of these three factors means that the Benelli
enables you to enjoy possibly the most thrilling aspect of motor cycling in
perfect safety; high speed cornering. The Sei is not quite the thoroughbred road
racer that is Ducati's 900SS vee-twin, but it is probably the nearest that can
be bought with six cylinders strung across it.
Enjoyment is heightened even further by the knowledge that those
superb Brembo discs are some of the best in the business, as the Benelli's
braking distances show. It is always nice to know that brakes are equal to
performance and they operate in the same powerful and dependable fashion.
All this means that the Benelli's comparatively average all-out
engine performance is somewhat sprocket and chain wear
academic. What you may lose out in a straight line you should be able to claw
back through the turns. Which means that in reality the Benelli is not likely to
lose out to higher performance motor cycles.
For a six, the Benelli does not feel particularly bulky and
compared with the CBX and Z1300 it is of veritable greyhound proportions. It has
beautiful symmetry coupled with simple, streamlined styling and the somewhat
understated nature of the whole exercise might appeal to those who find the
sophistication of the Z1300 and overkill of the CBX in poor taste.
The Sei, however, suffers from several shortcomings. The neat
little headlamp fairing which is a useful wind deflector also obscures the
instruments to a certain extent. The speedometer is inaccurate and the
forward-mounted footrests ensured that even small boots - say, size seven
-collided with the protruding crankcases each time one goes for a gearchange.
The small dry clutch proved painfully inadequate when it came to
reeling off quarter-miles at the test track. Although this is always a severe
test not directly applicable to street riding, it points to the need for
development in this direction.
Yet Benelli were quick to respond to such criticisms and quickly
set about refining the Sei. Even though the British importers found that clutch
problems were usually confined to the demanding arena of performance testing
they still improved the unit.
Investigations showed that the coarse friction material used in
the dry clutch was taking too long to bed in and that there was insufficient
surface area transmitting the power. The slipping plates generated heat which in
turn led to the .springs losing their tension. So stronger springs and
differently textured plates were fitted to later models.
The front forks also came in for revision, with uprated internal
damping and double oil seals to prevent the weeping of earlier machines. And
almost as if to draw attention to these invisible improvements the new fork
sliders were finished in red.
Some earlier models were also plagued by the now unusual
complaint: oil leaks. Machining errors had meant that oil climbed up cylinder
heads studs from the crankcase and crept out onto the cylinder head and cam
cover.
Despite their evocative excellence in the field of designing and
building motor cycles,' the Italians are still incapable of producing similarly
magnificent motor cycle electrics. But Benelli were at least quick to uprate
their alternator from 12 to 20 amp-hours producing around 300 watts. The new
bigger unit added width to the left-hand end of the crankcase. Benelli also
offered an optional Cibie headlight more in keeping with the sporty image.
And without any obvious attempt to make the Sei quicker, later
models did return better performance. More acceptable figures like 125 mph were
recorded, along with the Sei's ability to reach more than 100 mph in around 13
sec in a standing start quarter-mile.
The latter cockpit fairing combining new indicators was also a
great improvement over the first attempt. The concave screen allowed the rider a
clear view of the instruments whilst its angular styling was a better match for
the rest of the machine.
The engine spins at 5,000 rpm at 70 mph and even though the bike
will whip up to 100 mph very easily, it will also cruise
easily between 70 and 100 mph.
Interesting features on the Sei include a fuel tank that hides
beneath the outer skin which gives the Benelli styling a line vaguely similar to
that of the CB900 Honda. The six also features a double row final drive chain
(the theory behind this is that a twin chain allows smaller links to be used
which in turn should reduce wear).
If you ignore the somewhat academic fact that the Benelli is
comparatively slow on performance it emerges as a surprisingly good machine with
an appeal that grows on its rider.
Its motor does not approach the technical excellence of several
Japanese multis, but the Benelli's handling, road holding and braking more than
make up for its shortcomings. Their advertising slogan 'The Italian Alternative'
is very apt indeed.