Benelli Tornado Tre 900

M

Mactriple

Hero member
Location
Wide Bay Queensland
Any forum members own or have ridden a Tre 900. I would like to read their opinions about the bike, especially if the bike has had its problems sorted. Is the riding position about the same as a 916? Cheers, Ian
 
G'day Ian,
I've got 2, Tornado Tre 900 and Tornado Tre RS 900.
Both very nice bikes to ride, motor very responsive, particularly the RS and both handle incredibly well.
Can't compare to 916, never ridden one but very similar to Triumph 955 Daytona though not quite as extreme as Triumph.
Both reliable once fully sorted and highly underated due to initial issues.
Love them both.
Chris
 
I'm not surprised that Aprillia/Piagio off loaded the motor to Benelli as I'm sure a Laverda fitted with this motor would have killed the sales of the Aprillia, it was that awesome.
Benelli unfortunately released the bike without proper development and suffered as a result. By 2005 all the issues had been addressed.
A great pity that the motor was not as intended fitted to the 750 frame.Capture 2.PNGBenelli_n.jpg
 
The early models could snap the alternator shaft, the design changed on later models and the gear between the clutch and crank could increase in size due to heat expansion making the bike hard/impossible to start when hot. Again fixed with one of correct tolerances. If you want to be picky the coils were prone to failing once humidity got into them. Again these can be replaced with decent sealed ones. The water drain from the airbox manages to deposit water around the central coil, simple fix is to redirect drain away from coils.
I've changed the coils over to modern ones on my bikes.
The earlier problems listed above should have been rectified by warranty claims.
Provided the earlier models were corrected by warranty I'd check the water drain from the air box and modify if required. Other than that take it out for a blast, you'll enjoy it.
Changing the coils is a pain in the arse, all bodywork needs to be removed including the the tank and airbox. A special tool is needed to separate the tank fuel line which can be tricky, best done with 2 people, one holding the tank and the other disconnecting the fuel line. I fitted a quick connect joint so future tank removal can be easily done single handed. Note that the fuel line is under pressure and a suitable pressure quick connector is used.

All in all still very desirable bikes to ride and enjoy.
 
I originally had a standard ‘06’ registered Green / Silver Tre, similar to Chris’ above but mine had the Benelli factory titanium race exhaust which imho suits the bike better than his aftermarket can. That had been supplied / serviced / updated by Bennetts of Barnsley (best Benelli knowledge).
The Benelli forum is a good source of information, with a lot of UK members: Benelli forum there is a version on a FB group, though I’m not a fan of it there.

A huge font of knowledge is Errol Kowald: http://www.engenia.com.au/

Chris covered the ‘faults’ which are covered in depth on the above sites. I had a failure of the Z25 shaft on my LE @ 1200 miles 😖 very fortunately it was repaired under warranty.
They have Zane Laverda in their DNA, and likewise the customers became the R&D department.
Akin to Laverda, many alternative parts are available from 3rd party suppliers. Beware of the mirrors, they are the proverbial rocking horse whatsits, rarer than hen’s teeth. In the event of a minor tip-over the mirror will break off. Good luck 😉

I’d agree with Chris’ comments on the handling and go. If moving from a Laverda triple, getting your head around revving it beyond 8,000. That’s where the Tre’s magic begins, and with an open race can the triple howl is addictive. They are definitely underestimated, but still run with more modern middleweights, their performance was akin to a Ducati 996/998.

I traded that for a Limited Edition, or LE as they’re known. it’s same idea as the Ducati R series. 150 were built to homologate. The engine was totally different for racing & with magnesium engine cases. Ohlins gold series suspension front & rear. Marchesini forged wheels. Brembo gold race callipers front & rear. All of the bodywork was made from a quality carbon fibre, but painted over in green & silver. If you look, you can see the weave under the paint. No pillion seat or pegs. As I recall the rear wheels takes 180 section tyres, compared to the 190 on the standard Tre’s Brembo wheels.
The standard Tre is a quick handling bike, but the LE takes that to another level.
I later acquired a 2nd LE (to keep the first company).

They are all awesome bikes, with a truly unique design that always attracts a crowd (the fans). As said above the metallic green / silver paint has to be seen in person 😃
The downside is the importer Moto GB, who come under the snakes in the grass description. They also own many dealerships especially in the Northwest of England… Beware, do your homework!
 

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In addition to the above mentioned issues, some have been prone to fuel injection issues and cut out just at the wrong moment.
Other than that, it's one of the most enjoyable bikes I have ridden in terms of going for a blast. The induction howl as you wind it up is pretty intoxicating and for 899cc engine it certainly has more than enough go in it; and so far I've never had anyone pass me on a ride over the mountain.
For the money, they are a no brainer if you fancy a bit of Italian exotica.
 
Alzero said:
Which one has the tubular frame? The earlier model with all the problems? I really like how it looks with the red frame and exposed engine!
Click to expand...

Neither has a trellis tube frame. They have a pair of lateral tubes bonded to the alloy part.
Red frame, don’t know what model you’re referring to? The TnT was a naked model?

btw. Re. Chris’s Tornado RS, there was only some 30 imported to the UK.
 
There was a dedicated independent dealer in Vancouver City, of this era of Benelli, including the Tre in green/grey. Lovely and cool bikes, but rumours of parts supply issues, and locally very questionable dealer maintenance.

Later, a big auction was announced by a very large auctioneer here, perhaps the biggest auction company on earth, (Richie Bros). The dealer had gone bankrupt. 12 new bikes, 8 complete, 4 served as parts bikes for the now confirmed shortage of parts. No reserve. Second biggest auction attendance I’d ever seen, next to the Las Vegas Mecam auction. I had buds on 5 of the bikes, but a ‘big player’ out of Calgary, Alberta bought all of them, everything. We were all pissed off.
 
Reunited Chris said:
The early models could snap the alternator shaft, the design changed on later models
Click to expand...
Boring Techie bit: Having experienced this failure, the actual shaft never snapped. It’s known as a Z25 shaft, which as said transfers power from the top of the clutch gearbox to the alternator sited on the opposite side of the engine. This shaft is bolted to a cush drive in the alternator, originally by a M6 bolt. It was this bolt that would shear, allowing the Z25 shaft and its gear-wheel to ‘drift’ back into the clutch gearbox. This had the potential to destroy the contents of that gearbox. The solution was a new shaft, with a heavier gear-wheel, and the cush drive bolt was increased to M8.
 
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