The true inventor of the motorcycle cannot be named or given his credit because there were a number of engineers and inventors who had the idea of attaching a motor (or engine) to a bicycle to make it move without peddling it. They tried steam engines, they tried internal combustion engines and they even tried using coal as a source of power. The birth of the first gas-powered motorcycle, however, can be accredited to the man who produced the world’s first internal combustion engined car, Mr. Gottlieb Daimler. He did so in 1885 when he attached an engine to a wooden bike.

Motorcycles have come a long way from being just a regular bicycle fitted with a big noisy engine. They are now part of a cult – a fetish for speed and thrills of riding the open road on an animalistic machine. Now we are on the brink of another decade and it is time to celebrate these glorious machines and with it, their creators. One of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers are already in celebration mode. Benelli is celebrating 100 years of existence, and if that is not a time for celebration, then I don’t know what is. Benelli has been offering the human race exhilarating motorcycles decades before some of the biggest manufacturers even came into existence. So we at autoX would like to pay our respects and tribute to the forefathers of true biking culture.

Benelli was first started off as a garage which repaired bicycles and motorcycles, but they produced all of the spare parts needed for repairs themselves. The garage opened in Pesaro, Italy in the year 1911, which makes Benelli one of the oldest motorcycle factories in operation. However, the factory did have some halts in production throughout the years which makes Moto Guzzi – established in 1921 – the oldest European motorcycle factory in non-stop operation.

The Benelli garage was created by a middle aged widow named Teresa Benelli. Wanting to put her six sons to work, she dumped her entire fortune into the garage so that her sons would have stable work – Giuseppe, Giovanni, Francesco, Filippo, Domenico and Antonio, also known as “Tonino”. Besides the six brothers, the garage also had six additional employees. It was only during World War I that the garage received great business – maintaining and repairing Italian machines in the war and hence gaining additional knowledge.

The garage was already building motorcycles but with used parts and it wasn’t until 1920 that the company built its first self-made engine which was a 75cc single cylinder two stroke engine fitted onto a bicycle frame. One year later, Benelli had built its very first motorcycle with their same in-house engine which had an increased capacity of 98cc. By now the youngest son, Tonino had grown older and displayed an extraordinary talent on the race track. In 1922 Benelli started producing their 98cc motorcycle specifically designed for competitions. Tonino was very successful on the track and the Benelli motorcycle, which allowed the company to gain a reputation for exceptional development and production. Tonino Benelli won the Italian championship titles in 1927, 1928 and 1930 riding a Benelli 175 with a SOHC version, and in 1931 with the DOHC version. Unfortunately for the Benelli garage and the family, Tonino crashed and died during a race in 1937.

As World War II was about to begin, Benelli showcased their four-cylinder supercharged 250cc racing bike. The bike was intended to compete in the 1940 Italian season, shortly after riding on Benelli’s success in the 1939 Isle of Man TT Lightweight 250cc race – at that time the most important race in the world. Benelli went on to win many races and championships and set a very impressive race record. In fact, many of the most famous riders in the history of motorcycling raced with Benelli bikes, from Mike Hailwood to Jarno Saarinen.

The company faced another setback when the war began and production was shut down until 1949. After the war, a lot of unsold and unused war motorcycles were converted into civil motorcycles which helped the company generate healthy profits to restart their operations. When production did finally resume, the design of their motorcycles were still based on the pre-war period and after a family feud in 1949, the older brother Giuseppe Benelli left the family to establish the Motobi marque.

In the 1950s, Benelli was offering 98cc, 125cc, 350cc and 500cc engines on their motorcycles. The famed Leoncino was available in both two-stroke and four-stroke forms and because Italian commuters demanded cheap transport, this meant that the company’s lightweight models became very successful. Similar lightweight models were also offered by Moto Guzzi, Ducati and Vespa. During the early 60s, Motobi was not in good financial conditions and so it was acquired by Benelli, and the combined company produced around 300 motorcycles a day and had 550 employees, and the more modern Motobi designs continued in production under the Benelli name. Benelli also introduced the Benelli Tornado 650 – a vertical twin designed for the UK and the US markets. The Tornado earned a reputation for reliability and high performance, despite its heavy weight. The Tornado was discontinued after 1974, when the company decided to introduce a series of “multis” intended to compete with Japanese triples and fours.

The arrival of Japanese manufacturers created chaos in the European motorcycle industry. Benelli was, at that time, heavily involved in the American motorcycle market, selling motorcycles under 350cc. The entry of Japanese manufacturers caused Benelli – still largely of single cylinder pushrod design – to lose its popularity. The bikes were considered old fashioned as the new foreign bikes sported overhead cam engines with electric starters. In 1973 Benelli was acquired by Argentinian industrialist Alejandro de Tomaso along with its competitor Moto Guzzi which lead to the development of new models featuring multi-cylinder engines, such as the 350 Quattro and the 500 Quattro, and the incredible 750 Sei which was powered by a huge six-cylinder in-line engine and which also put the firm briefly ahead of the Japanese competition.

Increased competition and a slightly poor economy lead to production of Benelli motorcycles being stopped again in 1988. The company was merged into Moto Guzzi to create Guzzi Benelli Moto S.p.A., and the production plants in Pesaro were sold. There were rumors of a comeback, but those were short-lived as well. Benelli has had its share of ups and downs, but as a brand it has always been loved by motorcycle enthusiasts who understand their bikes. Finally in 1995, thanks to a bunch of enthusiastic investors led by Andrea Merloni, Benelli was resurrected to its original glory. The company was launched as its own individual brand once again.

The company soon launched the Tornado 900 Tre Super Sports and also signed Australian superbike champion Peter Goddard to bring Benelli back into racing and accelerate production of the Tornado 900. Benelli is now owned by Qianjiang, the second largest motorcycle producers in China. The factory is still located in Pesaro at the original garage, also keeping the original workforce. The Company has faced many challenges to produce a motorcycle completely in-house, and the Italian manufacturer is determined to preserve the soul of its brand.

All of its products are now designed, developed and assembled in-house. Each motorcycle has original parts that are developed and adapted to very specific requirements. Nothing is ever imported. Benelli bikes are 100% Italian and though this has its price, these bikes are incredible and unique. Thanks to the modern production lines, Benelli produces 14 bikes a day – not your typical Honda-rivalling-figure, but then, Benelli isn’t Honda, you see. A new production line has also been completely dedicated to the accurate assembling of the engine in order to ensure top quality and reliability.

On top of that, in order to celebrate its 100th year of existence the company will produce two stunning bikes, the TNT 899 Century racer and the TNT 1130 Century Racer – both available in March 2011. The appeal and exclusivity of their design will heighten owner pride, as all the mechanical parts were designed to maximise “Design & Function” giving them plenty of personality. Benelli will also have a series of sportbike launches and a number of scooter launches.

Even after 100 years of operations and a golden heritage, today Benelli is still a small company with unique ideas, great ambitions and a very clear strategy. These features are demonstrated in all Benelli products. The Company has clearly made it a point to provide superior workmanship in all of their bikes and have kept to the original traditions of Teresa Benelli and her sons.