Benelli Tornado 900......
The Benelli Tornado had the potential to be a smash hit. However, poor reliability saw this Italian triple fall short of the mark...
Many of us are tempted when we spy a Tornado for sale in the classifieds. But should we go splurging on this Italian superbike, or should we not touch it with a barge pole?
The late 1990s and early 2000s were a great time for the Italian motorcycle industry. Thanks to Ducati’s dominance in world superbikes and Aprilia’s ability to bring exotica to the masses with the RSV, machines from the land of pasta and pizza were still regarded as exclusive, but now also affordable and reliable. The days of dodgy electrics and questionable reliability were a thing of the past and riders were buying with confidence. Although a few companies still upheld the grand traditions of Italian design…
Seeing the resurgence of their industry, and fancying another bite at the superbike market, in 1999 Benelli released details of their new three cylinder sportsbike – the Tornado. Although well established in the scooter world, Benelli’s glory years were long forgotten by most. But with a new management team keen to recapture past heroics, the Tornado was boss Andrea Merloni’s ‘crazy project’. But this project needed to prove its credentials first ...
Making a mockery of the WSB homologation regulations (another fine Italian tradition), Benelli actually raced the Tre in 2001, a clear year
before the ‘homologation’ LE or even the stock road bike were launched. In fact, by 2003 when the road bike finally appeared, the race team had already disbanded without a single top ten finish to its name. Never mind. Back to business, would the road bike live up to its billing?
On the face of it there was a lot to like about the Tornado. A clever design where the air was sucked through the bike and out of its tail by
With a cool look, sorted chassis and triple character, the Tornado should have been a hit...
the twin underseat fans meant that the radiator could be located behind the motor. Not only did the fans look cool, by repositioning the radiator Benelli could give the Tornado a steep head angle and forward weight bias for better agility. Then there was the actual chassis, which combined cast aluminium sections with a tubular steel trellis in a blend of Italian and Japanese design. The fact they were then glued together was slightly concerning, however Benelli reassured everyone by pointing out it was aerospace glue, not just a tube of Pritt-Stick…
With a cool look, sorted chassis and the inherent character of a triple engine that even included such modern technology as a slipper clutch as standard, the Tornado should have been a hit. However, Benelli very quickly ran into the usual Italian issues...
As well as supply problems, the Tornado’s electrics started to play up and the triple’s reliability was being called into question. Camchains were wearing out at a frightening rate, service costs were higher than expected, electrical gremlins were commonplace and finally, to top it all off, the motor developed a few alarming traits. The Tornado may have looked good, but with the Foggy Petronas bike being humiliated on
track (to a point), triples weren’t cool and no one wanted a fickle Italian bike when they could have a reliable one for the same price. Sales dried up and despite Benelli increasing the capacity to 1,130cc in 2004, they had missed the boat.
Or had they? After suffering some financial issues in 2004, Benelli stopped production of the 900 and MotoGB bought the UK’s franchise, as well as any unsold bikes, from the previous importer. With a supply of new Tornado 900s in crates, and Benelli still producing the 1130, MotoGB ensured that every Tornado that was sold subsequently had all the teething issues thoroughly sorted out. Very quickly, those that were willing to take a chance on the Tornado discovered they were getting a hell of a lot of bike for their money as the bottom fell out of the market.
Initially the Tornado was priced at £11,500, however today you can get a new one for £6,500 and a used model for less than £3,000. So is it is the best bargain of the superbike world?
A few quid spent on the suspension and the Tornado 900 can be transformed from a quirky Italian bike to a proper track thoroughbred. It may be limited in power, but the triple motor sounds, feels and responds well and once you sort the jerky fuel injection with a fuelling module, the Tornado is actually a pretty decent machine on the hoof. The chassis is excellent and although the riding position is extreme, this is a great bike to be seen on.
As long as you ensure a used bike has been through MotoGB to get the main issues sorted, buying a Tornado 900 is the cheapest way to own a piece of true Italian exotica. It’s a unique machine with an interesting history, decent ride and evocative exhaust note – not to mention two big fans under its tail…