I wasn't too sure what I was doing, just go with the flow. I'd parked up the immaculate 65000 mile Superdream 400 (the immaculate bit was a joke!) when some guy tapped me on the back. Made me jump a foot in the air. Luckily, I refrained from hitting him as he was offering me a free motorcycle. Something about his son going to Saudi and he wanting to clear various wrecks out of his garage. For insurance reasons, the bikes were actually in his name.
I say bikes but there wasn't one whole machine, just a couple of partly built or stripped Benelli's. Eyeing the debris over I decided there was probably enough for one whole motorcycle and it was worth a bit of effort to see what the stroker twin was like. Couldn't be worse than my nearly ruined Superdream. Could it?
After a great deal of hassle getting the bits back home, I was all set for some fun and games. I decided to see if the one whole engine would run. New spark plugs, new oil, battery charged and a loose fuel tank connected up. Anyone who's ever rebuilt a Superdream and spent a couple of days getting it to start again will be astounded by what followed... I gave the kickstart the mildest of exploratory shoves with my foot and, blow me, the engine exploded into life!
There was enough pollution out of the silencers to suggest that the oil system was still working. This cleared up a bit after a few minutes, the motor actually purring at tickover like few strokers I've ever come across. Made the poor old Superdream sound like a tractor running over dustbins! There was always a slight haze but as long as the bike was moving it wasn't a problem for the rider. Better that than seize the motor due to a lack of lube.
Encouraged, even excited, I scurried around and put the bike together in a day. Many of the parts seemed factory fresh, only the frame needed some work - but that could wait. Given that this was a seventies machine, most of the original chassis had probably rusted to death a long time ago. A final checkover and she was ready for the road...
Wow! The Benelli accelerated far faster and with greater smoothness than the 400 Superdream! The latter was worn out, which helped the Italian stroker no end. The 2c made about thirty horses but they seemed much more alive than the Superdream's, helped along by less mass. The directness of the stroker power pulse in direct contrast to the Honda's four stroke tiredness and the power's need to batter its way through the complex chain driven balancer system. Sludge sums it up nicely.
Top speed on the Benelli was about 100mph. The clocks were typical of the era, having a mind of their own, showing radically different road speeds at the same revs in top gear. I once got the speedo's needle to batter into its stop on one flat out ride. The CB400N was no faster, though in better days it would do the ton-ten. The Benelli remained smooth and composed even flat out, as much a cruising velocity as a top speed!
Handling was a mixed bag. The frame was strong and proffered good geometry but the suspension was a refugee from Ducati's efforts on a bad day. Whether or not it was standard, I know not, all I do know is that it was so stiff that its previous owner must've been some 150kg hero, with a babe to match. At 70kg it barely moved, let through all the bumps, and only did the goods when hitting almost bottomless pot-holes.
Nothing wrong with taut suspension on smooth roads but bumpy bends had both wheels twitching away. An acquired taste, soon became evident that it wasn't going to throw the bike down the road. Developing piles at 23 was another matter, the female doctor taking a particular delight in poking around! Pervert! Comfort wasn't helped along by the flattened foam in the saddle and the riding position wasn't natural for my lanky frame. In this respect the Superdream was way ahead of the game.
The brakes were interesting antiques. TLS front and SLS rear drums! About on a par with the Honda when the calipers were on the way out but nowhere near their stopping power when the CB's twin front discs were in perfect working order. Not only did the front drum lack outright power, what retardation it could muster did a disappearing act after a couple of 80mph stopping sessions. I had many near misses until I began to compensate for the lack of power.
The CB400N did a self-destruction act about a month after acquiring the Benelli - the seized engine stopped me riding it but even some of the frame welds looked dodgy. The 2C was thrown into the daily commute, a stressful life that soon showed up some problems. Firstly, it did about 35mpg and needed a pint of oil every couple of days. Secondly, it would conk out in town and refuse to start again for a couple of minutes with the usual madness from the cagers. New spark plugs every 300 miles solved that one!
There was also some hassle from the gearbox, as soon as the motor warmed up it would go full of false neutrals. Surprisingly, there was quite a lot of low rev torque and it could be strung along in top, albeit with slow acceleration until the power poured in at 60mph. I tried thicker oil in the gearbox but this caused the clutch to drag. The boxes of bits had some selectors but I didn't fancy tearing the engine down to fit them. I kept trying to train my foot up but it would still catch me out a few times a day.
Despite its agricultural engine, I preferred the Honda in traffic - more relaxed, comfortable and better braked. I soon picked up a used engine, CB250N. Dog slow but it didn't really matter on the commute. The Benelli was used as a weekend toy and for back road scratching, areas where it excelled.
The 2C didn't react well to the winter. Chrome disappeared, alloy went mottled and paint turned to rust. Never seen a bike go off so fast, made Superdreams seem like high quality tackle. Took just one mega cleaning session to convince me that the latter machine was the way to go for the winter. I kept kicking the Benelli over, made sure its engine seals didn't dry out.
Come the spring, the original owner tracked me down and demanded the return of his machine! A big, brutal looking chap, he was almost in tears about losing the Benelli! Reluctantly, he agreed to buy the machine back from me for £350. It was worth more but fair's fair, I had nine months of riding for free! Apart from the build quality and gearbox, the Benelli 2C was surprising good!
Dave Finlay
I say bikes but there wasn't one whole machine, just a couple of partly built or stripped Benelli's. Eyeing the debris over I decided there was probably enough for one whole motorcycle and it was worth a bit of effort to see what the stroker twin was like. Couldn't be worse than my nearly ruined Superdream. Could it?
After a great deal of hassle getting the bits back home, I was all set for some fun and games. I decided to see if the one whole engine would run. New spark plugs, new oil, battery charged and a loose fuel tank connected up. Anyone who's ever rebuilt a Superdream and spent a couple of days getting it to start again will be astounded by what followed... I gave the kickstart the mildest of exploratory shoves with my foot and, blow me, the engine exploded into life!
There was enough pollution out of the silencers to suggest that the oil system was still working. This cleared up a bit after a few minutes, the motor actually purring at tickover like few strokers I've ever come across. Made the poor old Superdream sound like a tractor running over dustbins! There was always a slight haze but as long as the bike was moving it wasn't a problem for the rider. Better that than seize the motor due to a lack of lube.
Encouraged, even excited, I scurried around and put the bike together in a day. Many of the parts seemed factory fresh, only the frame needed some work - but that could wait. Given that this was a seventies machine, most of the original chassis had probably rusted to death a long time ago. A final checkover and she was ready for the road...
Wow! The Benelli accelerated far faster and with greater smoothness than the 400 Superdream! The latter was worn out, which helped the Italian stroker no end. The 2c made about thirty horses but they seemed much more alive than the Superdream's, helped along by less mass. The directness of the stroker power pulse in direct contrast to the Honda's four stroke tiredness and the power's need to batter its way through the complex chain driven balancer system. Sludge sums it up nicely.
Top speed on the Benelli was about 100mph. The clocks were typical of the era, having a mind of their own, showing radically different road speeds at the same revs in top gear. I once got the speedo's needle to batter into its stop on one flat out ride. The CB400N was no faster, though in better days it would do the ton-ten. The Benelli remained smooth and composed even flat out, as much a cruising velocity as a top speed!
Handling was a mixed bag. The frame was strong and proffered good geometry but the suspension was a refugee from Ducati's efforts on a bad day. Whether or not it was standard, I know not, all I do know is that it was so stiff that its previous owner must've been some 150kg hero, with a babe to match. At 70kg it barely moved, let through all the bumps, and only did the goods when hitting almost bottomless pot-holes.
Nothing wrong with taut suspension on smooth roads but bumpy bends had both wheels twitching away. An acquired taste, soon became evident that it wasn't going to throw the bike down the road. Developing piles at 23 was another matter, the female doctor taking a particular delight in poking around! Pervert! Comfort wasn't helped along by the flattened foam in the saddle and the riding position wasn't natural for my lanky frame. In this respect the Superdream was way ahead of the game.
The brakes were interesting antiques. TLS front and SLS rear drums! About on a par with the Honda when the calipers were on the way out but nowhere near their stopping power when the CB's twin front discs were in perfect working order. Not only did the front drum lack outright power, what retardation it could muster did a disappearing act after a couple of 80mph stopping sessions. I had many near misses until I began to compensate for the lack of power.
The CB400N did a self-destruction act about a month after acquiring the Benelli - the seized engine stopped me riding it but even some of the frame welds looked dodgy. The 2C was thrown into the daily commute, a stressful life that soon showed up some problems. Firstly, it did about 35mpg and needed a pint of oil every couple of days. Secondly, it would conk out in town and refuse to start again for a couple of minutes with the usual madness from the cagers. New spark plugs every 300 miles solved that one!
There was also some hassle from the gearbox, as soon as the motor warmed up it would go full of false neutrals. Surprisingly, there was quite a lot of low rev torque and it could be strung along in top, albeit with slow acceleration until the power poured in at 60mph. I tried thicker oil in the gearbox but this caused the clutch to drag. The boxes of bits had some selectors but I didn't fancy tearing the engine down to fit them. I kept trying to train my foot up but it would still catch me out a few times a day.
Despite its agricultural engine, I preferred the Honda in traffic - more relaxed, comfortable and better braked. I soon picked up a used engine, CB250N. Dog slow but it didn't really matter on the commute. The Benelli was used as a weekend toy and for back road scratching, areas where it excelled.
The 2C didn't react well to the winter. Chrome disappeared, alloy went mottled and paint turned to rust. Never seen a bike go off so fast, made Superdreams seem like high quality tackle. Took just one mega cleaning session to convince me that the latter machine was the way to go for the winter. I kept kicking the Benelli over, made sure its engine seals didn't dry out.
Come the spring, the original owner tracked me down and demanded the return of his machine! A big, brutal looking chap, he was almost in tears about losing the Benelli! Reluctantly, he agreed to buy the machine back from me for £350. It was worth more but fair's fair, I had nine months of riding for free! Apart from the build quality and gearbox, the Benelli 2C was surprising good!
Dave Finlay