Motobi Tribute – 1972 Benelli Sport Special Custom

Post Sale Update: This Benelli sold for $4,300 after 11 bids on eBay in State College, Pennsylvania.

Benelli and Motobi merged in 1962, and the resulting company performed a GM-esque bit of brand engineering by offering up similar bikes under different names. One of those pairings was the Benelli Super Sport (also known as the Sport Special in Europe) and the Motobi Barracuda – though Benelli previously had their own Barracuda, as well. The whole thing is a bit confusing, but what’s clear is that this custom Benelli looks great.

This example (VIN: 480569) was acquired by the seller in 2011 and “underwent a total disassembly and restoration over the course of 2 years as a tribute to the 1966 Motobi Barracuda.” The seller planned on using this in Moto Giro events but “Giro’s are run regardless of weather and have quite a bit of dirt roads in the mix so rather than trash this pristine bike in a Giro I have had it displayed in my shop for the last 6 years. In March I fueled it up, changed the oil and have taken it for about 10 miles of rides over the past few months. The bike starts easily and runs great.”