I was a proud owner of the so-called death machine, a Benelli 650 S Tornado. The Tornado was hard to ride and the gears were reversed on the right side and set for racing, the gears were shifted down unlike common motorcycles of the 70s and 80s.
The best time in my whole life was, among other things, the time when I rode through Berlin with my then-girlfriend and my Benelli, and the loud sound even caught the attention of Harley Davidson riders. When I parked the Benelli in front of restaurants and cafes in Berlin, the owners immediately came out and asked me many questions and admired my Benelli with envy.
I unfortunately had to sell my motorcycle in the 90s for financial reasons. I had it completely restored by a specialist in Berlin and put in over 3000 euros in restoration costs. I do plan to buy a Honda 750 Four again, but I'm trying to get the Benelli Tornado 650 S back. I made a big mistake selling my beautiful Benelli back then. My heart still bleeds for it after 20 years. It's like with vinyl records, you just have to have a certain record,no matter what it costs. 😩
The Benelli Tornado 650 S is considered a cult motorcycle of the 1970s that impressed with its Italian engineering and striking design. Originally introduced in 1968, production was delayed due to financial and technical challenges, so the first models were not delivered until 1970 in the USA and 1971 in Europe. Nicolis Museum
The Tornado 650 S was designed to compete with the then dominant British two-cylinder models in the American market. However, by the time the Tornado was released, the market had changed significantly with the advent of powerful Japanese motorcycles such as the Honda CB750. These new competitors offered multi-cylinder engines with higher power, which made the Tornado 650 S less attractive despite its qualities. Wikipedia
Technically, the Tornado 650 S was characterized by a 643 cm³ parallel twin engine that produced 52 hp and enabled a top speed of 190 km/h. However, strong engine vibrations and the lack of an electric starter led to criticism. These problems were corrected in the 650 S version introduced in 1972 under the management of new owner Alejandro De Tomaso. MOTORRAD+1Nicolis Museum+1Nicolis Museum+1Nicolis Museum+1
Production of the Tornado 650 S was discontinued in 1975. It is estimated that around 2,000 to 3,000 units were produced in total, with around half of these sold in Italy. Nicolis Museum
Despite its short production run, the Benelli Tornado 650 S remains a coveted collector's item and a symbol of Italian motorcycle culture in the 1970s.
