Benelli 354 Quattro
Benelli 354 Quattro
. .Three Italian 350s: Ducati, Benelli & Morini
What do you call an assortment of three lively Latinclassics? Russ Gannicott compares and contrasts the various components of hisRed-Eye collection...
A bit corny, I know, but 'red-eye' seemed an amusing titlefor a mini collection of red Italian bikes, all with names ending in theletter 'i'. Mmm, must be my infantile sense of humour! There are some I couldadd to the collection, and in time might, like; Garelli, Testi and Motobi.Some I might not, the Guzzi V35 to mention one! However, the fact is that Ihave three 350s spanning a ten year period of development of the Italian bikeindustry. It's an interesting starting point from which to make somecomparisons.
A bit of basic history about the specific bikes first. TheDucati is a 350 Mk3 with a small-time race history. It wasbuilt from a 1974 French imported road bike for short circuit racing in thiscountry, and as such was campaigned in a soft state of tune with some vigourduring the 1980s and early 90s. The bike is equipped with period NCR singleseat, alloy tank and works rearsets. The tuning is restricted to the top endof the engine, with the exception of the total loss ignition system whichfacilitates the removal of the alternator. This gives a little extra zip atthe bottom end of the power band but makes night riding interesting, to saythe least!
The Moto Morini 3½ Sport is a 1978 modelwhich means it has Grimeca cast alloy wheels and single disc front brake asstandard. The bike is in original condition and was purchased from MickPhillips of Bike magazine just prior to Mick moving to Italy. The onlymodifications from standard are a Tarrozzi fork brace and Tarrozzi rearsetswhich, at six feet tall, I found were necessary to prevent me from adoptingthe classic 'Italian Monkey' riding position -- which just looks damn silly ifyou catch sight of yourself in a shop window!
t was a bit of an accident buying the Benelli.To be truthful, I was looking for a rough 354 that I could build into a racereplica for use on parades and track days and had ignored a couple I'd foundon the grounds of them being too good to rip apart. However, when a 1981 354Sport raised its head on eBay a little while ago, it didn't just look toogood, it looked SO good that I immediately scrapped my plan for a race rep andset out on what I thought would be the hopeless task of winning the biddingfor this little gem.
The description sounded really good but the photo was a tadfuzzy so I knew some bidders would be put off. I put my usual eBay strategyinto action and immediately contacted the seller and got as much detail andinformation on the bike as possible. This approach also gives you a prettygood idea of what the current owner is like and how they may have treated thebike during their ownership of it. I was bidding blind for the bike and onlyhad these facts to go on so I set myself a modest limit and kept my fingerscrossed. I deliberately made myself keep away from eBay until the auctionended as I knew I'd break my own rules and increase my bid if I wasn'twinning.
I was amazed when Idiscovered I'd won the bike… I guess others were put off by the dodgy photo!When it turned up a few days later, the guy who delivered it turned out to beanother bidder on it but failed to get his higher bid placed in time as he hadto work that evening. Phew. Lucky or what? The bike turned out to be animmaculate, very low mileage example which had never seen a wet road in itslife. Since owning the Benelli I've been approached by several people who sawit on eBay and have since seen it in the flesh, who have offered me best partof a grand more than I paid for it!
These three bikesrepresent very different eras in Italian motorcycle development; the Duke wasthe final incarnation of a tried and tested format that had its roots in thelate Fifties and as such was somewhat outmoded by 1974. The Morini was a trulyinnovative machine, with its 72-degree V twin and heron head design which was'mid development' by the time my '78 model came off the line. Finally, theBenelli was a last ditch attempt by a flagging industry to try and beat theJaps at their own game. As part of the DeTomasso group the Benelli fourcylinder engines were built by Moto Guzzi and borrowed more than a little indesign from their Honda counterparts.
Like all Italian bikes these three suffer from dodgyelectrics although the Benelli is probably the best in that department. TheDuke basically has little or no wiring now so that's not a great problem.Morini however must have been aware of this failing and whilst fitting theirbikes with an electrically operated solenoid fuel tap they at least backed itup with a manual reserve. Nice one Morini!
We won't even mention the Morini's infamous electric startwhich is just so much dead weight scrap metal which you take for a ride withyou. Thank God it's got a kickstart!
The finish on all the bikes is best summed up as beingfunctional. The Duke's OK due to its extensive rebuild but the Morini isoriginal and the paint is looking a little tired as it was remarkably thinwhen it left the factory and appears not to have an undercoat. At least themudguards are stainless so 'dodgy Italian chrome' is not too great a problemon this bike. Benelli followed the new and somewhat trendy route of the earlyEighties by cutting down on chrome in favour of satin black where possible, soat least that can be retouched when necessary.
mpressions on the roadare pleasing for all the bikes, the most obvious being that they enjoyunparalleled road-holding characteristics for their respective eras. Despitebeing overweight and underpowered the Benelli corners like a dream and feelsvery sure-footed, with no obvious vices. To be honest, you can't really gofast enough to get into trouble.
As expected, the Ducatiin its light race trim is a harsh ride and has the ability to scare the ridereasily. Owing to its lightness it's hard to keep on line through a bumpy bend.There have been several occasions when I've been glad that it only has a drumfront brake as I've instinctively gone to grab a handful of it with thethought; 'I'm gonna lose it, I'm gonna crash!' screaming in my head. Just whenyou think you've pushed it too far, the little Duke will pull you through withjust a hint of a warning of what might happen if you forget to respect it.
On the other hand, the Morini never fails to amaze me, orsome of the modern sports bike riders I've tagged along with. I truly believethis is the best handling bike I've ever ridden. It has no vices whatsoever,can be totally abused and is a far better bike than I am a rider. The onlyshortcoming I found was that it would occasionally shake its head a little ifI had to roll the throttle off on a fast corner. This has been cured byfitting a Tarrozzi fork brace and renewing the steering damper. The bike willnow do whatever you ask of it without complaint -- but once again you have torespect it. I guess that if it ever does let go on me it will be big time!
In terms of direct comparison, the results are quiteinteresting. The fastest bike is without doubt the Morini with its top speedof just over the ton, whilst the other two will only manage about ninety. Inthe Duke's case this is due to the gearing, in the Benelli's it's just a lackof power. The quickest accelerating up to about sixty is the Duke, once againbecause of the gearing. Needless to say the Benelli stops best despite itsweight, thanks to the three discs. The Ducati's brakes may not be great, butit's the kind of bike you want to ride on the throttle rather than the anchorsanyway.
Road-holding is very good on all three bikes and there isnothing in the handling to give away the fact that the Duke has a stressedmember, single tube set-up compared with the semi-duplex frames of the othertwo. For comfort the Benelli is outstanding, whilst for discomfort the Ducatitakes the medal. Any ride on the Duke will necessitate a post-ride nuttightening session, with longer journeys frequently needing some back up tocollect the bits that drop off! As previously mentioned, the Morini benefitsfrom its rearsets and the surprisingly soft suspension gives a stress-freeride.
OK, conclusions; The Morini is the most complete package ofthe three and is the bike of choice for modern style sports riding. Withoutdoubt the Duke is the most demanding to ride but rewards you with a grin thatlasts long after you've climbed off it. As for the Benelli, well, it looksbeautiful, almost rides itself and would always be my choice mount if I wantedto go to a gathering of Italian bikes that was more than a county away.
If I was only allowed to keep one? It would probably be theDuke. The other two could be replaced but the Mk3 is always there to remind meof former track experiences and, on any Sunday morning, for a brief fewmoments I am Luigi Taveri, Spaggiari and Hailwood all wrapped into one.