Is this a legit Ebay listing?

[canuck750]

This is for a Benelli 750 Sei, I have been looking for one to rebuild for a while. The pictures are from 2013 and the ad is full information about Benelli and the design of the bike and not much about this bike other than its claimed to have 16 miles on it and its been rusting away for decades.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-Benelli-Sei/332680205782?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
And sadly there is no title which makes exporting it to Canada a real hassle.

[yogidozer]

This is for a Benelli 750 Sei, I have been looking for one to rebuild for a while. The pictures are from 2013 and the ad is full information about Benelli and the design of the bike and not much about this bike other than its claimed to have 16 miles on it and its been rusting away for decades.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-Benelli-Sei/332680205782?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
And sadly there is no title which makes exporting it to Canada a real hassle.

And sadly there is no title which makes exporting it to Canada a real hassle.
and for that reason alone, I would pass on it.
You could ask at your MVD, but I think you would be out of luck

[redrider90]

Not much on the history of then actual  bike. NO BILL OF SALE anywhere. Strange front fender. Are those the original tires? If so they had a lot thread on them.
Seller is asking a $5K for a bike without a bill of sale. An estate sale would have provided a bill of sale.

[Rough Edge racing]

  The ad details lists a salvage title....If that's true it may affect the future valve....

[oldbike54]

 Sorry Jim , that looks like a scam , or a $5K pile of heartache . Either way , run away , run far far away .

 Dusty

[Lannis]

Normally I'm the suspicious one, but in this case I can't see any of the common signs of a scam.

Appears to be an honest description (rusty, no key, pulled from under a bush and sold at an estate sale with a salvage title) and is not some kind of bargain basement price designed to pull in the something-for-nothing buyers.

I'm betting it's real.   The high start bid will probably run off all the buyers this time arounds, and said buyers had better be a Benelli Sei expert or else have an income from a gas well under his land once they have it in hand ...

Lannis

[Groover]

Those were some rough 16 miles.. The car in the background has European plates, seems sketchy overall. Could be a storage unit of some sort I suppose. Though I'm sure you can make this one look great as all the main parts are there, I think you'd be way under on that one with that starting price by the time you are all done with it. The fender does look like the original one, and so do the rest of the bike parts.

For reference: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1977-benelli-sei/

[yogidozer]

Normally I'm the suspicious one, but in this case I can't see any of the common signs of a scam.

Appears to be an honest description (rusty, no key, pulled from under a bush and sold at an estate sale with a salvage title) and is not some kind of bargain basement price designed to pull in the something-for-nothing buyers.

I'm betting it's real.   The high start bid will probably run off all the buyers this time arounds, and said buyers had better be a Benelli Sei expert or else have an income from a gas well under his land once they have it in hand ...

Lannis

Even if what you are saying is true (big gamble) registering it in Canada will likely be impossible

[Groover]

That front brake master looks like the one TOMB has on the Convert with engine #8 that he posted here last week. A lot of the other parts look like T3, G5, SP stuff. I "think" the forks and lowers are the same as the SP and G5 models, and also LM1 I believe.

[Lannis]

That front brake master looks like the one TOMB has on the Convert with engine #8 that he posted here last week. A lot of the other parts look like T3, G5, SP stuff. I "think" the forks and lowers are the same as the SP and G5 models, and also LM1 I believe.

Benellis and Guzzis of that time shared a lot of the same DNA, including cross-badging of bikes ....

The 5-year-old picture with the Euro license plate (as Groover noted) on the car would need explaining!

Lannis

[yogidozer]

This is from a site explaining registering MV in Canada.

But first, when to walk away…
If the seller is trying to sell you a motorcycle that is not registered in their name and does not have an ownership, walk away. We can’t help you, and what we’re about to suggest might not work for you. You might find yourself unable to legally get your motorcycle registered and plated, or worse: in possession of a stolen motorcycle. Seriously, walk away.
We have nothing against buying a motorcycle from someone who doesn’t have the ownership in their own name, provided that ownership is official and signed, you should be ok. People sell motorcycles for friends or older relatives all the time. But if they don’t have the ownership to go with it, be suspicious, and play it safe.

[garbln]

Once you hear one of those engines winding up going thru the gears, you will know why they are special.  They really do have a snarl!

[Dimples]

Ebay shows the seller based in Australia if that matters.

[yogidozer]

Ebay shows the seller based in Australia if that matters.

and it also shows this: shipping quote available
 
Item location:
Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States

RUN, FORREST, RUN! 



 
Ships to:
Local pick-up only

[oldbike54]

and it also shows this: shipping quote available
 
Item location:
Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States

RUN, FORREST, RUN! 

 Good catch Yogi 

 Dusty



 
Ships to:
Local pick-up only

[canuck750]

Thanks Guys, I hadn't even noticed the Euro plate, definitely time to run away!

[yogidozer]

There are a great bunch of people on this site from all over, including Australia, Canada, etc.
Most would be happy to look into a bike if you are serious.
Keep that in mind, if after you contact the owner, they answer all your questions well, and you just want to have someone eye it up for you.
Also as in this case, people brought discrepancies to parts that should, or should not be on the bike.
 

[Cal3]

It is all stock and correct......the pictures are 5 years old based upon the date stamp. Somebody go look at it. I knew I shouldnt have sold mine for $2600  That was a few years ago......

[pete roper]

Just looking at it its a very early one. Even if it is legit be aware that the early Sei's had a gearbox problem that allowed them, in some conditions, to double engage. Needless to say the outcome of this happening at any speed above walking pace was not something you want to think about!

The answer was a complete new gearbox. I bought one years ago when I had a brief infatuation with Benellis but gave it away to someone who had a Sei that hadn't been done. No doubt finding another one would be like looking for rocking horse shit!

Just a heads up. I have no idea as to its legitimacy.

Pete

[Tusayan]

There are a lot of funny things here.   The photos are 5 years old and sticker on the headlight says the bike was 'Cargo', apparently between New York and Fremantle, which is a port near Perth Australia.  That would be consistent with a bike originally found in Charlotte, NC now being sold by an Australian based eBay seller.  It is not consistent with the bike now being in Elizabeth, NJ and available for local pickup only.  The only way that would work were if the bike was never shipped to Australia and has been sitting in Elizabeth NJ (right next to the port of Newark, NJ and New York) since 2013.

The license plate on the American car behind the bike is an EU plate as others have noted, looks like it might be Spanish, four numbers and three letters with a single country letter (E?).

If I were forced to guess, I'd guess that the bike is sitting rotting in some warehouse in New Jersey, because the Australian seller didn't have the required papers to export/ship/import/register the bike in Australia.  I wouldn't bid based on that guess!  Too much unexplained weirdness.

[DavidR8]

Interestingly enough the same seller has nice looking 1975 Commando.
https://m.ebay.com/itm/1975-Norton-Commando/332680205951?hash=item4d7549167f:g:NaEAAOSw~U5bGdOf


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[canuck750]

I got this reply back from the seller, it sounds like the bike is still in America.

Pictures are as it was on arrival in New jersey for shipment to Australia.

As explained no title was issue then with export.Now asbestos is import issue so it can stay within the USA and someone there can appreciate the challenges such as they might be with a yet to be run in bike.

Whats under the seat is ... well beyond any battery being cactus any wiring could be ... well lets just assume that it would not be quite on par with current practice and standards. Period electronics were a nightmare with Ducati but Guzzi seems to have been reliable and there was a lot of Guzzi in the Sei ...

Its a barn find that went into a warehouse

There would be no reason why the engine would not turn over on the kick starter ... but I cannot vouch for anything beyond what you see

I am going to pass on this one

[Sasquatch Jim]

NO!   With all the rust on the exhaust and other parts, how does the seller think that anyone will believe the 16 mile story?  SCAM! P.O.S.

[Tusayan]

Its a barn find that went into a warehouse

Well, it's nice to have figured out the story from the photos and hints in the advert  but the photos also indicate that the bike has been in a New Jersey warehouse for five years since they were taken...  unless the date stamp on the photos is wrong.  The price is ridiculous with that in mind.  However, I'd guess the mileage is correct, given original tires etc.  The condition of the 1970s Italian chrome is no surprise.

[canuck750]

An update


Hello

Bike is stored with Schumachers Cargo Logistics at their Elizabeth NJ facility.

The pictures are as the bike was delivered to their warehouse and reflect condition. It is just as caveat emptor for any buyer now as it was for me and the others other bid for the bike back then and for th buyer who bought it at local clearance sale some years past.

Contact Christian at Schumachers LA and he will be best placed to assist.

If the bike were in Australia the starting price would be twice what is now in play ... but it would not b back on the market. You find me a Sei at less than $25K in Australia and I will be impressed.

The prospect of finding another Sei with no miles is difficult to contemplate but Greg in FL has one and he is a genuine guy in terms of the Italian bikes he has owned ... especially Laverdas.

Sorry if Elizabeth NJ is not quite clear as to location but that is why the bike is probably only going to stay Stateside until someone goes through rigamarole getting the thing titled ... then it could be valued at a lot more.

[Tusayan]

God knows what it looks like after five years of sitting in a New Jersey warehouse since the photos were taken.  I would want fresh photos or preferably to see the bike in person, and for the warehouse to tell me in writing that no storage charges are due.  If that were done I suspect you’d get a reasonable deal, well below the asking price - offers aren’t exactly going to be flooding in and at some point the Australian owner will have to write it off and walk away.  It looks like a big hassle for all concerned.

The lost or non-title registration procedure in many US states is straightforward,  that would not be my concern.  I’d be more concerned that after five years of storage in a cold, wet warehouse there might be nothing left but a pile of rust.

[slopokes]

Canuck750–I received the same email from the seller——but he said I should see the bike in the warehouse in jersey....😂

[canuck750]

Canuck750–I received the same email from the seller——but he said I should see the bike in the warehouse in jersey....😂

Anybody happen to be in Elizabeth New Jersey and be willing to drop in and take a look at this Benelli?

[redrider90]

  The ad details lists a salvage title....If that's true it may affect the future valve....

My guess is eBay does not allow a blank next to the "title" hence he put in "salvage".
From the written description there is virtually no documentation on this bike:
"It was sold as part of a clearing sale from a deceased estate without any documentation and without even a key. Whether it ever needed a title when it was purchased is uncertain but there is no title"

[oldbike54]

 Sorry fellas , I am betting there is some real hinky stuff going on here . Seller says the bike was purchased in a clearance sale , what happened to the title ? What is a nice Sei worth , one that has proper paperwork and is in operable condition ?

 Dusty