Back in the 60s, you did not necessarily have to go to a motorcycle dealership to acquire a bike. Indeed, superstores like Sears or Montgomery Ward imported and sold motorcycles themselves. While Sears notably imported Vespas, Montgomery sold Lambrettas and Benellis, including the Mojave 360…and the rarer 260 variant (offered in Tourer and Scrambler options).
The seller includes a great period advertisement showing a $100 difference between the 260 and the 360 – the ad also includes fun “winning features” like a “three-digit speedometer that isn’t there just for decoration.” Apparently, all of the bikes are “track tested before crating.”
The Mojave, often considered as a re-interpretation of Rickman dirt-bikes, featured laced wheels, a chromed exhaust, drum brakes, telescopic forks, and dual rear shocks. It also has one of the best looking tanks in motorcycling history. Benelli originally came up with the design as a prototype for a 650cc model, though that did not pan out:
The 650 would end up becoming the Tornado 650S, which was styled to look more like the English parallel-twin competition that Benelli was trying to take on.
The seller of this example restored it in 2018 and says that it’s won several awards at east coast motorcycle shows. The frame and bodywork was repainted, the engine has new rings and gaskets, and it has a new speedometer showing 144 miles (the needle fell off the original speedo).
Find this Mojave for sale in Linwood, New Jersey with an unmet opening bid of $3,500 here on eBay.