Benelli 900 to be restored

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Benelli 900 to be restored
Holzwarth

Benelli 900 to be restored

Benelli 900 to be restored

Benelli 900 to be restored

Benelli 900 to be restored

10 pictures

Benelli 900 to be restored
Holzwarth

1/10
The master mechanic spent two years looking for a suitable restoration object. Not that easy endeavor, because the man from Westhausen fell in love with a Benelli Sei, of all things, in the 900s.

Benelli 900 to be restored
Holzwarth

2/10
The many aluminum lids are meticulously polished by hand.

Benelli 900 to be restored
Holzwarth

3/10
After the overhaul, the intake manifolds shine. K&N filters replace the air filter box that no longer fits.

Benelli 900 to be restored
Holzwarth

4/10
Great broadside: the engine was blasted as a whole.

Benelli 900 to be restored
Holzwarth

5/10
Perfection in detail: after the panes had been derusted, they were painted on the edges and mounts.

Benelli 900 to be restored
Manz

6/10
A problem that Rudiger Manz only became aware of when he had already removed the engine. Because the standard brackets for brake levers and cylinders once fell victim to the Demharter sports footrests, they were simply flexed off. So Manz had to
Lift the engine that has just been removed back into the frame in order to obtain the necessary reference points for the positioning of the articulation points of the foot brake lever and the rear brake cylinder, which were then welded on again.

Benelli 900 to be restored
Manz

7/10
Technically, the Benelli was in better shape than it was
the rotten exterior made one expect

Benelli 900 to be restored
Holzwarth

8/10
With fresh fuel in the tank and a new battery, the Italo six actually started. A short test round calmed the tense nerves of the buyer.

Benelli 900 to be restored
Manz

9/10
In October 2012 he finally found what he was looking for, in the deepest Franconian province there was such a thing that was supposedly always in family ownership.

Benelli 900 to be restored
Holzwarth

10/10
The crowning glory of the restoration: the specially made 6-in-6 exhaust system for the 900.

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workshop

Benelli 900 to be restored

Benelli 900 Sci
Readers restore themselves

Content of

There are more sought-after and more powerful six-cylinder cars than a 900 Benelli. For Rudiger Manz, however, there is none more beautiful than the Benelli 900 Sei from Italy.

Uli Holzwarth

07/10/2014

There was actually no shortage of alternatives in Rudiger Manz’s two-wheeler fleet. The space in the spacious double garage was already shared by a single, an English triple and, with the Honda CB 750 and Kawasaki Z 900, two Japanese four-cylinder legends in top condition, when he decided to position himself a little wider in this regard – a six-cylinder had to be here.

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The master mechanic spent two years looking for a suitable restoration object. Not an easy undertaking, because the Westhausener had of all things got into one Benelli Be in love with the 900s. “I already had Japanese, so the Benelli was the only option for me. I like the 900 more than the 750, so I looked specifically for it. ”In October 2012, he finally found what he was looking for, in the deepest Franconian province there was one that was supposedly always in family ownership.

Engine oiled but didn’t run

This did not necessarily prove to be an advantage on site, however, because family and other turmoil had hit the former de Tomaso flagship badly: Due to the longer downtime, the gammel had spread, especially on the 6-in-1 exhaust system from Marving. The engine oiled but didn’t run. Tinkered electrics, rusted brakes, cracked carburetor suction rubbers and the “individual” special paintwork did not deter the experienced screwdriver, however, after a short negotiation the Benelli had a new owner.

As soon as he got home, he went straight to work. The first thing to do was to get the Benelli 900 Sei up and running again. Which actually succeeded after thorough cleaning and adjustment of the carburetors. With fresh fuel in the tank and a new battery, the Italo six actually started. A short test round calmed the tense nerves of the buyer – mechanically, the Benelli was in better shape than its shabby appearance would suggest. “The seat, which was overhauled by a saddler and slightly padded, was the best thing about the Sei, I could leave it as it was,” recalls Manz.

Benelli 900 to be restored

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Benelli 900 Sei with accessory footrest system

But not the accessory footrest system. When it was dismantled, it turned out to be a remnant from the sports conversion of the former Benelli importer Demharter, which once also included a cantilever swing arm with a central spring strut. Back then, the battery and air filter box had to give way to these retrofit parts because the individual shock absorbers are still fastened there to this day. However, the previous owner had converted the Benelli 900 Sei back to a two-arm swing arm and two struts. But not the footrests.

A problem that Rudiger Manz only became aware of when he had already removed the engine. Because the standard brackets for brake levers and cylinders once fell victim to the Demharter sports footpegs, they were simply flexed off. So Manz had to heave the just removed engine back into the frame in order to get the necessary reference points for the positioning of the articulation points of the foot brake lever and the rear brake cylinder, which were then welded on again.


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Engine and frame made to shine

Then the engine was removed again and made to shine together with the frame. “The engine should be blasted in its complete condition because that gives a uniform image,” Manz knows from previous restorations. To do this, he built himself plugs for the inlets and outlets, and also removed the dry coupling and closed it with a self-made cover.

In the meantime, the paint parts were returned to their original color at Heinz Loblein. Manz himself took care of the overhaul of brakes, forks, 6-in-1 exhaust and the ailing electrics, who also painted triple trees and wheels, derusted the brake discs and polished the dip tubes and various aluminum parts. The brackets for the used cockpit fairing were also made by himself, but he brought the blasted frame to the powder coater. When it came to the engine, the 53-year-old left it with checking the valve train before reinstalling the six-cylinder.

All parts can still be delivered today without any problems

In February 2013 the Benelli 900 Sei was completely finished. “When it first ran, I had a few beers with my two friends, who always helped me,” the restorer recalls of the festive moment. He covered around 1500 trouble-free kilometers with the Sei last year. However, higher oil consumption and leaks caused him to overhaul the engine in winter.

With new seals, piston rings, valve stem seals and a fresh piston for the third cylinder, the subject was quickly dealt with for the professional screwdriver, especially since all parts can still be delivered without any problems today (www.benelli-bauer.com, www.benelliparts.de ). For Rudiger Manz, the crowning glory of the whole thing: a 6-in-6 exhaust system specially made for the Benelli 900 Sei, which gives his shiny piece of jewelry even more radiance.

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