"Zero miles" Benelli 750 Sei anyone?

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

http://gainesville.craigslist.org/mcy/5835176806.html

[Triple Jim]

You'd think with a $12,000 asking price, the seller could take better photos.

[Lannis]

You'd think with a $12,000 asking price, the seller could take better photos.

I thought the same thing.   Says it "looks like" a 1979 model, and the pictures are atrocious.

Seems to me that if a guy has a an asset whose value depends on it being a genuine 0-mile example of a rare bike, there would be some real live documentation of that, and that he could do better than running through the shop and taking a picture with a cheap phone as he went.

On the other hand, the part about "this is an old bike and will need cleaning and going through" is certainly for real!

I have no doubt that some of these bikes are genuinely still around.   Back in the 70s, a family of Cuban (I think) emigres set up a Yamaha racing bike shop in the wilds of Buckingham County, Virginia, and were, for a short while, a dealer for Benellis, as a sideline I suppose.  They were there for a long time, and when they shut down in the late 80s, they had a 0 mile 900 and a 0 mile 750 ....

Lannis

[Tom]

A number of years back, there was a posting on a website for collectible vintage Japanese bikes rally in California.  An owner showed up with a Kawasaki H2 in the shipping crate with documents and original everything with the bike.  Might be an urban legend now. 

[Waterbottle]

That's a lot of $$ for a 6 cylinder - 500/4 Honda 

[Triple Jim]

A number of years back, there was a posting on a website for collectible vintage Japanese bikes rally in California.  An owner showed up with a Kawasaki H2 in the shipping crate with documents and original everything with the bike.  Might be an urban legend now. 

Rick Brett has one or more of those now, still crated.  I wouldn't be surprised if he has an H1 as well, and maybe others.  They exist.

[oldbike54]

 There is one of those modern Excelsior Henderson contraptions still in the crate residing in a MC museum here in Okiehomie . Something tells me it won't ever be worth much more than the scrap price of metal , and maybe the value of the very sturdy wooden box that surrounds it 

 Dusty

[Huzo]

That's a lot of $$ for a 6 cylinder - 500/4 Honda 

I'd forgotten how ugly those things were. It sorta gives me the squirts these people who buy bikes, put 'em in a box for ages then sell them at inflated prices 'cos they're "classics". What a load of ....! As water bottle said, it's just 1.5 Honda 500 Fours, probably times and a half as boring !

[Rotten Ralph]

If it never had gas in it why would the carbs "need cleaning"? Mouse turds?

[canuck750]

I wonder if the seller meant to say that he has never started it or filled it with gas since he bought it off the previous owner??

A green 750 Sei has been on Ebay a couple of times recently, low miles, all original, I think it's in New Mexico, asking $18K. If this one is as good or better then it may be a good price. The green one IMHO looks a lot nicer.

[Cal3]

I had one of these for a few years, sold it in the the late 90's for $2800.......bad move 

I didnt like it because I was afraid to ride/break it.......but they make a nice noise with a 6/1 pipe. Anyone heard of a Marving exhaust......thats the only one that I have seen. Benelli beat Honda to a production six......thats history of some kind?

[Huzo]

I had one of these for a few years, sold it in the the late 90's for $2800.......bad move 

I didnt like it because I was afraid to ride/break it.......but they make a nice noise with a 6/1 pipe. Anyone heard of a Marving exhaust......thats the only one that I have seen. Benelli beat Honda to a production six......thats history of some kind?

All they did was stick another two cylinders on Honda's design. Mr Honda could have done that while he was having his sandwich.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

All they did was stick another two cylinders on Honda's design. Mr Honda could have done that while he was having his sandwich.

Anyone that says this has obviously never taken the time to compare the construction of the two engines. There are significant differences.

[Huzo]

Anyone that says this has obviously never taken the time to compare the construction of the two engines. There are significant differences.

Yeah ok then, conventional wisdom on my part most likely. I 'spose if you go on believing something for half your life it becomes the truth to you. What would be the main couple of things that set it apart ? It does look like a 500 four a bit though. No?

[Two Checks]

The Benelli had cooling passages between the cylinders and the alternator was behind the cylinders.

[Lannis]

Yeah ok then, conventional wisdom on my part most likely. I 'spose if you go on believing something for half your life it becomes the truth to you.

That's a fact.   But if what you are commenting on is based on just sorta what you heard rather than actual knowledge, you hit harder at the fall when you include "all they did" and "having a sandwich" with it.

On the other hand, a "virtual" fall is a pretty soft landing at the worst of times ...

Lannis

[Arizona Wayne]

A still in the crate true story............15? years ago I was eyeballing a `70's Suzuki 500 black rotary bike parked on the side of the Suzuki display tent @ Laguna Seca races.  It looked good.  Had never seen 1 in black before.   This Suzy rep. comes up to me and says they still have those rotary bikes in crates if I want to buy 1.    I was stunned.

[canuck750]

I think Benelli and DeTomasso deserve a little bit more credit for the range of motorcycles they produced in direct competition with the Japanese.
No one else was putting up as strong a fight against the Japanese conquest and though DeTomasso was inheriting Benelli and then Guzzi from the Italian Government and had the benefit of restrictive import tariffs to protect the domestic industry, the company did offer a wide range of motorcycles.

Other than the 750 Sei being the first production six cylinder they also sold the smallest in line 4 for commercial distribution. I have heard that the wee 4 is a jewel.

The 650 Benelli Toronado pre-dates DeTomasso's tenure but I think it is a fine example of Italian engineering.

[Huzo]

That's a fact.   But if what you are commenting on is based on just sorta what you heard rather than actual knowledge, you hit harder at the fall when you include "all they did" and "having a sandwich" with it.

On the other hand, a "virtual" fall is a pretty soft landing at the worst of times ...

Lannis

Yeah Lannis , never a truer word spoken. I love it when I see a smarty pants taken down except this time it's me...ouch!!! Fact is That tone is a bit tongue in cheek and once you realise where you're wrong it's best to just go red and learn. Interesting to learn about the changes though and doubtless would have been an improvement over the Honda. Thanks for your input though and the free life lesson.