LEFT-FIELD THINKING
Benelli’s a weird one – a proper left-field exotica option that’s actually fairly sensible to ride. The Benelli brand was relaunched in the early 2000s, with an all-new 900cc triple motor, powering the Tornado superbike and TNT naked, as well as some mad adventure thing. The Tornado is our focus here – it was designed by top Brit designer Adrian Morton, and its standout feature was the underseat radiator, with twin cooling fans out back. The engine was pretty rough in early form, but got better over the years, especially with a capacity increase to 1130cc. Chassis layout was sound for the time, with top-notch componentry and decent handling. You can pick a Tornado up for under £4k now, and there are even some zero-milers about for around £12k. Benelli hasn’t disappeared as a company – it was bought by the Chinese, who are using the brand on small bikes, so there’s a chance the Tornado could come back…