No shocks, but I put a strut in that tells me a 12″ shock would be just about right. I sat on the frame rails and did some S-turns down my slightly inclined driveway, until I remembered that I don’t have any […]
I intended to align the Yamaha rear wheel in the Benelli frame as well as I could without resorting to my frame jig, which was in a storage unit across town. After all, for a static display it isn’t especially critical that […]
I bought a knockoff Hyde “M-bar” bend handlebar about six years go, but could never use it because the center section is too narrow to fit the handlebar clamps of nearly any modern motorcycle. The obvious solution would be a conversion plate […]
I made a brake anchor the Benelli’s front wheel using an old alloy rear brake stay I’ve had for a while. (I seem to recall it being a Bultaco part, but its origin is a bit foggy at this point.) I chopped […]
To help impart a more vintage look to the front end of the Benelli, I popped for a $30 set of universal fork gaiters. I chose a set to match the diameters of both the fork tube and the fork lowers, and […]
My initial fitment of the Yamaha YM2C rear wheel in the Benelli swingarm showed me that some surgery was required. Specifically, I needed to employ the same technique I used on the The Bride’s Ninja 500 rear wheel back in 2001: cut […]
Talk about mis-remembering. I thought I had modified the Benelli frame to fit the current swingarm pivot. Nope. I forget where it came from, but it’s exactly the same length and diameter as the stock Benelli pivot bolt. Hot diggity! Let’s slap […]
I was able to send a couple of hours in the shop working on the Benelli. I started by checking off one minor task, filing and dressing the brake drum. As regular readers will recall, I cracked off one end of the […]
At first, the Benelli’s Bridgestone front wheel and Yamaha YM2C rear wheel seemed to have similar amounts of rust. However, after soaking in rust remover, the pitting and corrosion on the rear went much deeper and was more severe. The wheel must […]
I’m calling my new Montesa project “El Fènix,” since it seems to be rising unexpectedly quickly from the ashes of the stillborn Aermacchi-Ducati Special. I offered up the rear wheel and shocks, and the existing parts continue to fit the King Scorpion […]