The Benelli Leoncino, or the “Little Lion”, is a beautiful tiny two-stroke with one of the more interesting visual cues I’ve ever seen on a bike – a lion on the front fender, a la Jaguar automobiles.
The Leoncino was available as a 98cc or a 125cc engine – today’s bike is the latter. Cheap post-war transport was in high demand in Italy, so bikes like this sold very well.
Musical Intermission – here’s the perfect song for you to listen to while you put around on your Little Lion:
This specific Benelli Leoncino has sat in a private collection for 6 years, during which time it has not been run. In addition to the usual “bringing a motorcycle back to life” procedure, you’ll need to address an oil leak from the clutch cover. Impressively, it’s still wearing the original, 60 year old tires.
If it helps your pricing estimates, a museum-quality Leoncino went for $7,000 at the 2012 Pebble Beach Antique Motorcycle Auction. Or, Michael’s Motorcycles has a lovely example for sale for $7,299. Find this Benelli Leoncino for sale in Glenview, Illinois with bidding up to $610 and the reserve not yet met or a BIN of $3,999
This bike-uriousity brought to you by John K!