Your correspondent rides for two principal reasons. Firstly because it is mentally stimulating and secondly because it’s the best cure ever for back problems. All motorbikes are interesting to me as bits of machinery, some more than others, but particularly those which can satisfy an appreciative ear for mechanical music.
Hence, a progression of machinery including a much loved ’47 Scott FS and an International Norton (both requiring full roadside repair contingency plans), some intervening mediocrity and now a Benelli 900 Sei, which is turning out to be anything but the slow, troublesome dog that I was assured it was shortly after purchase five years ago.
The dementia bit comes with age, friends, with the onset of eyeball troubles and having to wear specs that never seem to be the right ones for the job in hand, plus tools that insist on disappearing just after I’ve put them down and because Sod’s Law has begun to assume an important consideration in daily planning. Typically, perhaps, I arrived at the local dealers with the firm intention of purchasing another mechanical challenge in the form of a Triumph trail bike, but departed with a totally different dark horse.
The motorcycle scene has never been so interesting and we are probably very lucky to live in an age which embraces so much choice, especially if you can afford a broad approach and are old enough to take advantage of the low insurance rates. The only honest explanation I can offer for purchase of a 15 month old ex-demonstrator Benelli 900 is that the noise made by a straight six is the nearest I will ever get to owning a straight eight Bugatti.
Realising that there was a considerable manufacturing generation gap between my last mount, a rather dull 350 Jawa ridden in Zambia, not to mention a slight power difference, and that there was going to have to be a period of acquaintance and foot re-education; having the Benelli delivered was a very shrewd move.
It took about three hours on quiet roads at night before sufficient confidence was acquired to mix it with normal traffic congestion. It also took a while to find the balance of the 485lb bike when putting it on the centrestand, it felt initially very easy to drop. I bolted on a handle at the right point which transformed this chore.
As with most heavy iron, handling problems vanish once one gets rolling but one picks and chooses very carefully where to stop to ensure firm and level footing. Even a slightly sloping petrol station forecourt can present logistical problems. I have dropped it twice at a standstill, and it takes a fair dose of adrenalin to pick the bike up single-handed.
Initially, the six cylinder engine appeared very wide, but as soon as I realised that it was, in fact, a lot narrower than a BMW twin, that concern evaporated. My second worry was that if it was dropped at any kind of speed, it’d do so much damage to the engine that there would be little chance of continuing without first fitting a new motor...
Thus I decided to apply very strict riding rules, aided and abetted by the Kent Advanced Motorcycle Group (which meets at 8pm on the third Wednesday of the month at Brands Hatch); well worth a visit if you’re mature enough to appreciate critical appraisal within the general concept of Safety Fast.
In five years of ownership and any number of long distance business trips around the country, there has been ample opportunity to suss out various Benelli problems, most of which have been relatively cheap and easy to rectify, resulting in improved rideability and reliability.
The most immediate problem concerns the final drive chain, a duplex item that costs £70 for a mediocre Regina replacement and runs on sprockets that give a ratio that renders first gear useless and leaves the rider searching for an extra gear all the time. Luckily, the Benelli 654 sprockets fit straight on and allow the use of a cheapo Reynolds single row chain.
Re-cutting the rear sprocket to 36 or 37 teeth gives a new and much more satisfying dimension to performance, giving 70mph top gear cruising at a mere 4300rpm, whilst fourth gear gives a wonderful spread of power between 60 and 120mph. The motor will pull smoothly from 2000rpm right up to and beyond the 8400rpm redline. There is no kick in the pants as it comes on cam, just the right amount of power to suit all circumstances and this contributes greatly to riding satisfaction both in town and country.
Another problem concerns the HT leads that, at night, leave the top of the engine looking like Piccadilly Circus illuminations. The loss of sparks at the merest hint of damp weather betrayed the Honda ancestry of the Sei, but can be cured quite simply by throwing away all the metal HT lead clips, cleaning and smearing each lead with silicone grease and wrapping each lead with nylon tape.
A contributory cause to the exceptionally wet condition of the top of the engine is the design of the front mudguard that allows water to shoot around the side of the guard by the brake caliper which is then whipped back onto the engine, thus watercooling both the brakes, the engine and the ignition system. What else could WOP mean?
Despite the drenched brake which is really quite disturbing to observe if you look down - it does not seem to affect braking performance, thanks to twin Brembo discs. Brake pads have lasted well and still have plenty of meat after ten grand. Braking performance is progressive, reassuring to quite staggering under extremis. The fact that the mudguard has areas where it’s melted after touching the exhausts under heavy braking is testimony to their effectiveness.
The next problem encountered, which is apparently, endemic, is occasional sticking of the slide in the one of the DelOrto carbs, which can make riding interesting; one quickly learns not to take the Benelli for a MOT on a wet day. Polishing the slides makes little difference but application of moly grease does help; such is the performance necessary to get at them that there’s a strong inclination to live with it as an infrequent occurrence.
The dry clutch is somewhat sensitive, especially with worn plates, and is now endowed with a set of stronger springs. Brass impregnated plates should be shunned if weird noises are to be avoided on enthusiastic starts. The latter are difficult, anyway, thanks to the notchy gearchange which is a two part operation. Clutchless changes are much smoother from second gear up. The footrests are fixed and left boot heels have to be cut away to facilitate a comfortable gearchange position.
Another gripe concerns the alternator output and power of the front light, the latter is so lacking that it reduces night riding to a real drag. A lens change might help, but even the stock puny job drains the battery sufficiently to stop the indicators operating in a mere three hours. Heated grips can only be used intermittently.
Despite the poor reputation of Italian switchgear, no problems have been encountered. so far, but everything has been coated with silicone grease. The only smoke to escape from the system so far has been a tiny amount from blown bulbs.
The two sets of 3-1 exhausts are good until the silencers are reached, both of which have long since been replaced with a pair of Escort Mk2 rear mufflers of the Burgess type which produces a law abiding bark and also removed a hint of a flat spot at the same time.
Some of the rubber hosing and grommets are looking tired after six years and is due for replacement, particularly the crankcase breather system. The motor spits out oil above 4500rpm, as did the old SOHC Honda four on which the Benelli is based. The problem is not helped by plumbing the breather into the airbox and it should be redirected onto the rear chain to cut down on maintenance.
Suspension damping is acceptable under normal conditions but it’ll take a more vigorous rider than myself to expose any defects in this department. However, the bike does suffer from a wobble at 100mph which disappears with a pillion on board. This may suggest that weight distribution is not quite right, or it may be due to the full fairing or lack of solo rider weight.
It might also have something to do with wheel alignment, as I am suspicious of the accuracy of the swinging arm marks. Fitment of a front fork brace helped a lot, but I’ve never bothered to push the pace further to see if it clears up or turns nasty. I have other, more important, things to do with my life. The only time that this became really worrying was when I entered a bend too fast when the bike started snaking under heavy braking, not helped any, in this instance, by the linked brakes. Other problems concern the effect of engine torque on the chassis at low speeds and rear shocks that are not up to pillion work, let alone the effect of camping gear.
The rear tyres (Phantoms at both ends) last around 6000 and fronts 8000 miles (not so much tread wear but scruffing of the side-ribs from the amount of work the tyre has to do lifting such a heavy machine out of corners). Both single or duplex chains last for about 7000 miles if well looked after.
With only 3.5 gallons and 45mpg, range is limited but matches the comfort of the seat, anything more than a 100 miles without respite is asking for a sore backside; the pillion is even worse off, especially when they find there’s nothing to hold onto under the rapid acceleration that the Sei can produce.
The motor is nearly vibration free throughout the rev range, only sustained cruising at 5500rpm will produce a high frequency vibration that numbs the right hand. The motor is quite noisy from the cams and the primary drive. Particular attention should be paid to oil changes and quality (Duckhams QXR with a moly additive).
Starting is excellent with a well charged battery but cold mornings need the kickstart as the CDI doesn’t like low voltages. The speedo runs 10mph fast at 70mph, the motor is most happy running at 5000rpm when it returns just over 48mpg with the higher gearing, although city work will return as little as 30mpg. Oil consumption is well under one pint per thousand miles. Some of the running gear is the same as the Guzzi and other parts are available from Speedscene in Huddersfield who provide a friendly and enthusiastic service as well as mail order.
Since the appearance of the UMG and its candid reports many machines I was interested in have been eliminated. There seems little available, save perhaps a Jota or Darmah, that would provide the same mix of parameters as the Sei.
It will potter about without fuss, produce buckets of power whilst being very safe and the straight six noise is music to my ears. One day, of course, there is going to be a phenomenal cost when the motor needs an overhaul and it may well not be worth doing. With a little care and consideration, I may be able to write off my costs over 50,000 miles and 3p/mile will not have been too high a price to pay for the experience.
To finish, my favourite road... the A483 from Newton to Llandrindod Wells, five to eight on the tacho, endless short straights, peg polishing hairpins up in the bills, the echo of the six, minimal traffic, brakes and handling to match the power... It’s said if you can get your lid off quickly enough at the top then you can hear the echoes of your progress up the valley bouncing off the hills...
Chris Morgans