Benelli/Moto Guzzi 250/4

Jotaman

Jotaman

Hero member
Location
Verrierdale, Qld
Howdy Ho,
Firstly my apologies for the non-laverda related content, i am trying to source a Guzzi/Benelli 250/4 gearbox (Selector pawl let go) for a colleague in India, and i have been hitting a brick wall trying to locate one, any advice - direction would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Peter
 
Jotaman said:
Howdy Ho,
Firstly my apologies for the non-laverda related content, i am trying to source a Guzzi/Benelli 250/4 gearbox (Selector pawl let go) for a colleague in India, and i have been hitting a brick wall trying to locate one, any advice - direction would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Peter
Click to expand...
Try Mario Poggioli at Thunderbikes in Western Australia.
 
As you say, the Guzzi 250/4 is just a re-branded Benelli as both factories were owned by Argentinian entrepreneur Alejandro Tomaso at the time.

I doubt you'd find much in Australia so I reckon you'll have to search worldwide.

Below is a list of classic Benelli parts suppliers that I found useful a few years ago when I got my Benelli 900 Sei. The list is several years old but I think they're all still trading and the contact details are still current.

Otherwise, get in touch with the Benelli/Motobi Owners Club UK. They'll have up to date info on the best sources of parts for old Benellis. They may even be able to put you onto a club member who's breaking a 250/4
Website: https://benelliclubgb.net
Email: info@benelliclubgb.net

There's always general markets like gumtree and eBay, but you'd have to be lucky to find the part you need fir a rare bike like that.


Benelli parts suppliers

Selwyn Motorcycles
Parts for 1973-1980s Benellis
Cambridgeshire, England. Tel: 01223 893331. Mobile: 07711 022925.
Website: https://www.selwynmotorcycles.co.uk
Email: SELWYNMOTORCYCLES@LIVE.COM

Detlef Burian
Germany. Parts for all Benelli models. A selection of Motobi and Wards Riverside. Tons of spares (ex Cosmopolitan). Order directly off the Website
www.benelliparts.de Tel: 49 5144 2592. Fax: 49 5144 2592.
E-mail: burian@t-online.de

Moto Stefano
Germany. Incomplete bikes for spares. Tel: 49 7433 381486.
E-mail: info@motostefano.de

Eric Daminet (not sure if he's still trading)
Belgium. Tel: 7171 3499
E-mail: archives@benelliclubgb.net
For non-engine spares tel: 01823 451732, e-mail: editor@benelliclubgb.net
 
breganzane said:
Benelli of the era just flagrantly ripped off Honda designs (errr... bit like another brand we know...). Are there Honda parts that are shared or near enough to make work?
Click to expand...
Rumours have it that CB500/550 Four rockers fit the 750/900 Sei as well as the 500 and 650 Quattro derivants. Perhaps some interchangeability between the CB350/400 and the MG-Benelli 350/4 as well. An aquaintance has a MG 350/4 in his living room, I helped rebuild the engine and the internals look very Honda-esque.

As the Big H didn't make a production 250/4 at the time, probably nothing on Honda Motor shelves that might fit, the Benelli is scaled down in every department.

What intrigues me more is how in the world did such an ultra-rare little beastie end up in India??

I rode one, about 30 years ago. I remember it being revvy and pretty gutless... absolutely no match for the RDs of the time

Detlef Burian has been able to satisfy most Benelli needs regarding 650 Tornado, 750 Sei and 350/4. The webshop shows many 250 Quattro gearbox bits to be available, new and used.

piet
 
While Benelli multis are pretty much a blatant rip-off of the Honda 500/4, there's enough differences that not many parts are interchangeable.
I'm aware of several Honda parts that'll fit the Benelli 500, 750 and 900.

But none of this helps Jotaman's Indian mate with his 250 Quattro. I've been through all the Benelli Club documents I have on hand and couldn't find any 250 Quattro gearbox components that are listed as interchangeable with any other bike. But that's not to say they aren't, just that nobody has published any compatibility info. Maybe the 354 or 500 quattro models have similar gear shift internals.

However, if it's just the selector pawl that's busted, how hard could it be to fabricate a replacement? I'm sure there are plenty of resourceful Indian workshops that could do it. Indian manufacturers are well known for copying or re-manufacturing all sorts of machinery like guns, machine tools, car parts, etc.
 
I have a 1978 Benelli 500 Quattro.

And no Benelli did not rip off Honda. The motor was not a copy as it was made under license from Honda. A number of motor parts are exactly the same as a Honda CB500 as I have fitted them to my bike. But that only applies to the motor, the rest of the bike is nothing like a Honda.

It weighs less than the Honda, has more power and handles much better. But........................it is still a slow bike with not a lot of power. And a better electrical system as the alternator is Bosch and Marzocchi forks and Brembo brakes.

The electrical parts that are Italian are absolute crap.

The 250 and 350 four cylinders are very rare here in the US and I have never seen one. The 750 and 900 six cylinder bike are more common than the little four cylinder bikes.
 
Dellortoman said:
As you say, the Guzzi 250/4 is just a re-branded Benelli as both factories were owned by Argentinian entrepreneur Alejandro Tomaso at the time.

I doubt you'd find much in Australia so I reckon you'll have to search worldwide.

Below is a list of classic Benelli parts suppliers that I found useful a few years ago when I got my Benelli 900 Sei. The list is several years old but I think they're all still trading and the contact details are still current.

Otherwise, get in touch with the Benelli/Motobi Owners Club UK. They'll have up to date info on the best sources of parts for old Benellis. They may even be able to put you onto a club member who's breaking a 250/4
Website: https://benelliclubgb.net
Email: info@benelliclubgb.net

There's always general markets like gumtree and eBay, but you'd have to be lucky to find the part you need fir a rare bike like that.


Benelli parts suppliers

Selwyn Motorcycles
Parts for 1973-1980s Benellis
Cambridgeshire, England. Tel: 01223 893331. Mobile: 07711 022925.
Website: https://www.selwynmotorcycles.co.uk
Email: SELWYNMOTORCYCLES@LIVE.COM

Detlef Burian
Germany. Parts for all Benelli models. A selection of Motobi and Wards Riverside. Tons of spares (ex Cosmopolitan). Order directly off the Website
www.benelliparts.de Tel: 49 5144 2592. Fax: 49 5144 2592.
E-mail: burian@t-online.de

Moto Stefano
Germany. Incomplete bikes for spares. Tel: 49 7433 381486.
E-mail: info@motostefano.de

Eric Daminet (not sure if he's still trading)
Belgium. Tel: 7171 3499
E-mail: archives@benelliclubgb.net
For non-engine spares tel: 01823 451732, e-mail: editor@benelliclubgb.net
Click to expand...
Thank you Cam
, very much appreciated
 
1200ts said:
I have a 1978 Benelli 500 Quattro.

And no Benelli did not rip off Honda. The motor was not a copy as it was made under license from Honda. A number of motor parts are exactly the same as a Honda CB500 as I have fitted them to my bike. But that only applies to the motor, the rest of the bike is nothing like a Honda.

It weighs less than the Honda, has more power and handles much better. But........................it is still a slow bike with not a lot of power. And a better electrical system as the alternator is Bosch and Marzocchi forks and Brembo brakes.

The electrical parts that are Italian are absolute crap.

The 250 and 350 four cylinders are very rare here in the US and I have never seen one. The 750 and 900 six cylinder bike are more common than the little four cylinder bikes.
Click to expand...
Thank you, very much appreciated, i can tell you, they are ridiculous rare here (India)
, i think this is the only one in the country
 
sfcpiet said:
Rumours have it that CB500/550 Four rockers fit the 750/900 Sei as well as the 500 and 650 Quattro derivants. Perhaps some interchangeability between the CB350/400 and the MG-Benelli 350/4 as well. An aquaintance has a MG 350/4 in his living room, I helped rebuild the engine and the internals look very Honda-esque.

As the Big H didn't make a production 250/4 at the time, probably nothing on Honda Motor shelves that might fit, the Benelli is scaled down in every department.

What intrigues me more is how in the world did such an ultra-rare little beastie end up in India??

I rode one, about 30 years ago. I remember it being revvy and pretty gutless... absolutely no match for the RDs of the time

Detlef Burian has been able to satisfy most Benelli needs regarding 650 Tornado, 750 Sei and 350/4. The webshop shows many 250 Quattro gearbox bits to be available, new and used.

piet
Click to expand...
Hey Piet, I am trying to piece together some history on the bike, but i keep on missing the owner (by 10mins), i will hopefully get the full story in the coming week, i really want to help him get it back on the road (importing old bikes into India is a NIGHTMARE).
I'll keep you all posted. Peter
 
1200ts said:
I have a 1978 Benelli 500 Quattro.

It weighs less than the Honda, has more power and handles much better. But........................it is still a slow bike with not a lot of power. And a better electrical system as the alternator is Bosch and Marzocchi forks and Brembo brakes.

The electrical parts that are Italian are absolute crap.
Click to expand...
While at Moto Witt, I installed DMC units on both Benelli 650/4 and 750/6. Test rides showed both bikes far more capable in the chassis department than their Honda counterparts, but still sadly lacking in regards to engine performance. The Hondas were also slugs imho... multis rarely appeal if you're used to torquey twins and triples. I especially liked the "flickability" of the Benellis compared to the rather cumbersome Hondas of the time. Both these systems were based on the DMC kit devised for the Honda 750/4 which we had done a bit earlier. Next to the Laverdas and Guzzis, there are quite a few odd-ball DMC-equipped bikes out there...

piet
 
I still have my 900 Sei although I haven't ridden it in a while. Being a 900 it makes a decent amount of power so is a reasonably fast bike for its era. It has the nice handling qualities of the other Benelli models, but the suspension is pretty dated now. It's typically firm like most Italian bikes of the 70's and 80's. I recall a comment from a road test in a bike magazine back in the day. The tester said you could ride over a manhole cover and read the maker's name through your arse like braille. That's a bit fanciful, but not far off the mark because you can feel every bump and pebble in the road. It would benefit from modern shocks and fork internals, but I prefer to keep mine pretty much original.
The riding experience is somewhat reminiscent of the old Kawasaki 500 Mach III that I used to get around on as a young bloke. It fires just as often so it has a similar exhaust howl.
 
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