Who Makes Benelli Motorcycles And Are They Any Good?

If you've spent much time looking at European motorcycles, then you've probably stumbled across one or two bikes made by Benelli. Italian vehicle manufacturers are often known for both style and performance. This is just as true in the world of motorcycles as it is in sports cars. Ducati, Aprilia, and Moto Guzzi are responsible for some of the greatest Italian motorcycles ever made, and so they are often among the first names that most people think of, but Benelli is another manufacturer that has cultivated a strong reputation among international riders.

Benelli isn't currently as focused on racing bikes as its rivals, however. Instead, it's chosen to direct most of its energy into making entry-level bikes for highway and adventure riders. It currently makes seven different models — two naked street bikes, four touring motorcycles, and one classic cruise, though it has made scooters, sport bikes, and several other model types in the past. Benelli's current lineup certainly isn't as big as some other companies, but that hasn't stopped the company from becoming a global enterprise.

There are a few things you might want to know about Benelli before heading to the dealership to pick one up, though — like who makes Benelli Motorcycles, and are they any good?

Benelli Motorcycles was founded in 1911 by Teresa Benelli. Recently widowed, she "invested all her family's money to establish a workshop, hoping to ensure a stable job for her six sons, Giuseppe, Giovanni, Filippo, Francesco, Domenico and Antonio "Tonino" Benelli." This started out as a service garage for all kinds of vehicles, but it wasn't long before the brothers started assembling their own engines. The brothers had a few false starts in the early days of their tinkering, but they managed to produce their first real motorcycle in 1921. Benelli's overview of the company's history from 1911-1934 describes "The 'Velomotore', [as a] 98cc two-stroke lightweight bike presented in two models, Touring and Sport (125cc), followed in 1923 by a 147 cc version."

Over a century later, Benelli is still making bikes. The company was eventually purchased by the owner of the Biesse Group, Giancarlo Selci, when the company fell on hard times as Japanese motorcycles dominated the market in the late eighties. It's changed hands a few times since then, and it's currently owned by the Qianjiang Group, which is based in the southeast coastal area of Zhejiang Province, China. This has been a point of contention among some riders. Benelli's motorcycles are still designed in the Benelli R&D center in Pesaro, Italy, but it seems that they are now manufactured in China. According to the Benelli About Us page, "QJ produces over 1,200,000 vehicles per year at its super modern factory in Wenling, about 250 miles from Shanghai. With over 14,000 employees, the factory is as big as a city!" This has led many to no longer see Benelli as an Italian manufacturer at all.

Now that you know who makes Benelli motorcycles and where, you probably also want to know how much buying one would run you. There are a lot of different metrics to consider when weighing the overall quality of a motorcycle, but reliability, performance, and value are at the top of the list. Value is the easiest of these to determine and fortunately, that is one area where Benelli excels.

Many of Benelli's older models can be found for $2,000 to $8,000, putting them well within the budgets of most entry-level motorcycles. Bargains aren't just found in the used market, though. The new ones are quite affordable as well. The 135cc TNT 135 is one of the better street-legal mini-bikes, and it can be had for just $2,699, making it one of the most affordable mini-motorcycles out there. Even Benelli's most expensive bike, the TRK 702X, is only $8,499, putting it well below the price of most touring bikes. This is much more affordable than most European brands, and it's even competitive with traditionally more value-oriented brands like Honda. But while there is certainly a place in the market for more affordable machines, some riders have pointed out that the reliability and ease of attaining parts and service for Japanese bikes may make them cheaper in the long run.

Comparing prices is easy enough, but where the simple part ends. Benelli's performance and reliability are a lot harder to quantify. In fact, they seem to be a bit all over the place. MCN keeps a database that combines its own reviews, public owners' ratings, and reliability reports. Most Benelli bikes seem to rank highly in 1 or 2 categories, but then lower in the third. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it, though. Bikes that MCN and customers rank highly have low-reliability reports, while Benelli's more reliable bikes have lower ratings in overall satisfaction. This is a sentiment that seems to be echoed in many other independent reviews.

Forbes, for instance, reviewed the Leoncino 500 and stated that it, "is not ground-breaking, exotic, or fragile. It's a solid mid-size machine with enough poke to get riders across town or whole states without issue."

So while Benelli bikes seem to be affordable and generally capable machines, it appears that most of them fail to stand out against their contemporaries in terms of performance. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, given the lower cost of entry. There's certainly something to be said for a capable machine that can be had at an attractive price, but it may understandably give some perspective riders pause before making a purchase.