10-23 Update: Wow, that was quick! This bike has already sold, at the much lower price of $8,200. So much for the 25k asking price.
Benelli was one of the many companies that struggled to survive the onslaught of Japanese competition, starting all the way back in the 60s. As years passed, Benelli was bought and sold several times until production was shut down and the company was merged into Moto Guzzi in 1988. 2002 marked the return of Benelli, with their first new bike in decades – the Tornado Tre 900 superbike. One year later, the company revealed the Benelli Tornado Tre 900 Limited Edition, a uniquely styled bike that featured a large triple, high quality components, and rather horrendous reliability issues.
Reliability issues aside, this bike brought Benelli back to the world (it’s still around, though currently owned by a Chinese corporation). One of the more interesting technological features was that the put the radiator in the back – if you look closely at the rear end, you can see two yellow radiator fans underneath the brake light, which is one of the coolest things in the world for the 12-year-old inside all of us. 150 Limited Edition’s were produced, and only 40 were scheduled to make to the states at a silly MSRP of $36,500 – the regular bikes retailed at about half of that. Though 40 were scheduled, less made it out, as Benelli struggled with production schedules and customer satisfaction. The components are top notch, from Marchesini wheels, Ohlins suspension, and carbon fiber bodywork everywhere, though the first two years of production had fuel-injection that wasn’t what one would call smooth.
This specific Benelli Tornado Tre 900 Limited Edition is sold by someone who struggles with the concept of formatting, though he does give an excellent history of the bike. This is number #118, and incredibly, it has just 13 miles. Will that be enough to justify the huge price he’s asking for a BIN? We’ll find out, though we can’t see much of a demand for this bike above $10,000. Time will tell.
Find this Benelli Tornado Tre 900 Limited Edition for sale here on eBay with a BIN price of $25,900 in Fernandina Beach, Florida.