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 … Benelli steering stem fitmentRead more
Benelli 250R
Fitting the quirky two-stroke, air-cooled single from the first-gen Honda ATC250R into a Benelli 2C frame.
NOTE: I am assembling this as a non-running static display only.
Rear tire installed
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 … Rear tire installedRead more
Stock Benelli swingarm
I’ve decided to transfer the Yamaha SR250 swingarm I bought for the Benelli over to the Montesa frame I recently purchased. The SR swingarm would need some significant re-work to fit the … Stock Benelli swingarmRead more
Rim rust clean-up
I started cleaning up the Bridgestone front wheel I bought for the Benelli/ATC250R. Since it’s not going to be a running bike, I can’t justify new rims, and I doubt I would … Rim rust clean-upRead more
Yamaha Rear Wheel
I picked up a rear wheel for the Benelli/ATC250R hybrid. It’s from a Yamaha YM2C Big Bear 305 scrambler, but the same wheel and brake was common to a lot of ’60s … Yamaha Rear WheelRead more
Front Brake Woes
Well, it took me about two hours of effort to get the Bridgestone 175 front brake apart, but I was (reasonably) successful. The culprit I had been fighting against was sand. Not … Front Brake WoesRead more
James Sports Captain magazine article
Since the James Sports Captain circa ’61-’62 is my design inspiration for this bike, I ordered a tattered copy of The Motor Cycle from England that had a news article from the … James Sports Captain magazine articleRead more
Wheel Selection
I decided I really want to lean into the pseudo-retro look for the Benelli/ATC250R. That means wire wheels and drum brakes. So the 19″ cast Virago wheel goes back in the parts … Wheel SelectionRead more
Front forks and steering clamps
Since I had previously determined that the aftermarket bearing cups I purchased could not accommodate a steering stem diameter larger than 26mm, I picked up a set of Honda XR200R triple clamps. … Front forks and steering clampsRead more
Visual musings
With The Bride essentially complete, my thoughts have turned to the other bikes in my garage. The order of attack is Bultakenstein first, of course, then the Aermacchi-Ducati Special. The Benelli/Honda ATC250R … Visual musingsRead more