MOTO Italia

You can buy a lot of big bikes for your bucks right now. RealClassic regular Steven has a stack of Italian classics in his garage, so we asked him to compare the merits of three popular machines – not the hyper-expensive, utterly exclusive ones typically offered at high-brow auctions, but the models which come up for sale fairly frequently at reasonable rates. A Ducati V-twin is probably at the top of most wish lists, so Steven reports on his 1974 750 GT. The Laverda equivalent, a 1973 SF1 750, arranges its twin cylinders side-by-side and feels surprisingly different. But Steven starts his selection with the most remarkable machine in this trio: a six-cylinder Benelli 750 from 1978.

Once you’ve considered his comments, do let us know which one you’d choose for yourself…

SIX OF ONE

I was attending an informal bike meet in Toronto when a friend from the Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group approached me. I could see he was excited. ‘Have I got a bike for you!’ he exclaimed.

‘Thanks Ray’, I replied, backing away a step, ‘I don’t need any more motorcycles.’ I had 17 at that time.

‘You’re going to want this one. It’s a perfect Benelli 750 Sei! And there are two of them!’

I’d looked at several examples in the last few years. Typically the paint is faded, badges are missing, the chrome is flaking, the seat is torn, the exhausts have been replaced by some sort of 6-into-2 or 6-into-1 system, or are rusted out and the bike hasn’t run in who knows how long. So it is fair to say I was sceptical.

I visited the owner to take a look. Chuck is a now-retired motorcycle mechanic who specialised in BMW airheads and has owned many interesting bikes over his life. Sitting in the