24 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS AUGUST 6, 2003 ROAD TEST ✪ BENELLI TORNADO 900 TRE LE 93% Total control It’s glitch-free throttle response and quality handling all the way with Benelli’s greatly-improved and ultra-exclusive Tornado Tre TORNADO TRE IN DETAIL BY MICHAEL NEEVES PICTURES HOWARD BOYLAN W IND on the throttle through Donington’s Melbourne Loop hairpin and the Benelli Tornado responds with a purposeful growl and glitch-free power delivery. It’s just the kind of precise engine response you’d expect from a £23,000 superbike. It’s the kind of performance that gives you total control. Unfortunately it wasn’t always the case with the beautiful Benelli. The gorgeous green and silver triple wasn’t perfect when it first appeared at the beginning of last year. Try riding smoothly around a bend like this on an early Tornado LE (limited edition) and your head would bop back and forward like a nodding dog as the switchy power delivery unsettled the bike and rider. Despite super-lightweight wheels and top-drawer Ohlins suspension bolted to its World Superbike-derived chassis, the Tornado’s cornering was spoiled by poor throttle response. Give the Tornado big handfuls of gas in a straight line and there wasn’t a problem. Try and feather it through a turn and the throttle response was jerky and inconsistent right at the moment you didn’t want it – with the bike at full lean, winding on the power. To say we were disappointed is an understatement. After all, this was the first ‘proper’ motorcycle to be built by the Italian firm since they were taken over by new management in 1996. British designer Adrian Morton penned the bike’s beautiful lines and not only did it look like a work of art it also came dripping with the best parts money could buy: Marchesini wheels and a hand- made Arrow titanium exhaust system as well as the Ohlins kit – and a price tag that ensured exclusivity. At a wallet busting £23,000 (a £11,726 ‘base’ model was released this year), you needed to take out a small mortgage to afford the Tornado but this didn’t matter because we all wanted one in our dream garage. It’s no surprise then that Benelli have been working hard on polishing out the rough edges of their diamond as part of an on-going improvement process to the Tornado. They’ve altered the fuel mapping to new Limited Editions as well as the cheaper Novecentos. Existing owners of these machines can have the mapping downloaded to their machines free of charge at any main Benelli dealer. Benelli is so pleased with the results of the modifications that they were keen for us to try their improved version. So what’s new? Well, the price hasn’t changed so you still need to sell your arms, legs and probably a lung to buy one, and it still comes as well- equipped as any bike you’ll see on the WSB grid. But best of all, they’ve sorted the jerky throttle response and it’s now a beauty to ride. In short it’s ADJUSTABLE forks and Ohlins steering damper BREMBOS ensure two fingers are all you need A NUDGE on the bar is all it takes to tip the Tornado in quickly, and with ease...
Transcript
24 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS AUGUST 6, 2003
ROAD TESTJ BENELLI TORNADO 900 TRE LE 93%
Total control
It’s glitch-free throttle response andquality handling all the way with Benelli’s
greatly-improved and ultra-exclusiveTornado Tre
TORNADO TRE IN DETAIL
BY MICHAEL NEEVESPICTURES HOWARD BOYLAN
WIND on thethrottlethroughDonington’sMelbourneLoop
hairpin and the Benelli Tornadoresponds with a purposefulgrowl and glitch-free powerdelivery.
It’s just the kind of preciseengine response you’d expectfrom a £23,000 superbike. It’sthe kind of performance thatgives you total control.
Unfortunately it wasn’t alwaysthe case with the beautifulBenelli. The gorgeous greenand silver triple wasn’t perfectwhen it first appeared at thebeginning of last year.
Try riding smoothly around abend like this on an earlyTornado LE (limited edition)and your head would bop backand forward like a nodding dogas the switchy power deliveryunsettled the bike and rider.Despite super-lightweightwheels and top-drawer Ohlins
suspension bolted to its WorldSuperbike-derived chassis, theTornado’s cornering was spoiledby poor throttle response.
Give the Tornado big handfulsof gas in a straight line andthere wasn’t a problem. Try andfeather it through a turn andthe throttle response was jerkyand inconsistent right at themoment you didn’t want it –with the bike at full lean,winding on the power.
To say we were disappointedis an understatement. After all,this was the first ‘proper’motorcycle to be built by theItalian firm since they weretaken over by newmanagement in 1996.
British designer AdrianMorton penned the bike’sbeautiful lines and not only didit look like a work of art it alsocame dripping with the bestparts money could buy:Marchesini wheels and a hand-made Arrow titanium exhaustsystem as well as the Ohlins kit– and a price tag that ensuredexclusivity.
At a wallet busting £23,000
(a £11,726 ‘base’ model wasreleased this year), you neededto take out a small mortgage toafford the Tornado but thisdidn’t matter because we allwanted one in our dreamgarage. It’s no surprise thenthat Benelli have been workinghard on polishing out the roughedges of their diamond as partof an on-going improvementprocess to the Tornado. They’vealtered the fuel mapping tonew Limited Editions as well asthe cheaper Novecentos.Existing owners of thesemachines can have themapping downloaded to theirmachines free of charge at anymain Benelli dealer.
Benelli is so pleased with theresults of the modifications thatthey were keen for us to trytheir improved version.
So what’s new? Well, theprice hasn’t changed so youstill need to sell your arms, legsand probably a lung to buy one,and it still comes as well-equipped as any bike you’ll seeon the WSB grid. But best ofall, they’ve sorted the jerkythrottle response and it’s now abeauty to ride. In short it’s
ADJUSTABLE forks and Ohlins steering damper BREMBOS ensure two fingers are all you need
A NUDGE on the bar isall it takes to tip theTornado in quickly, andwith ease...
AUGUST 6, 2003 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS 25
IF YOU’VE GOT THE CASH...become the bike we hoped itwould be.
We took our Benelli (No32out of a limited productionrun of 150) to the swoops andcurves of Donington Park inLeicestershire, where thesecret of a fast lap is smoothriding and consistent lines.Whether accelerating downthe breathtakingly-fast CranerCurves or out of the stop-startMelbourne Loop theTornado’s engine respondsexactly in time with yourthrottle input. There are noglitches, flat spots or delays toupset the suspension and thepower comes on exactly whenyou want it.
With no distractions fromthe throttle, it allows you toget on and enjoy the rest ofthe bike, not least the blood-curdling noise it makesthrough its Arrow titaniumpipe. It sounds exactly like afull-bore American Nascarracer on full chat, likewatching Days of Thunder onthe best home cinemaequipment money can buy.You can’t stop yourselfblipping the throttle wheneveryou get to a standstill just to
revel in the raucoussoundtrack.
The Tornado’s screamcertainly seems to attract thecrowds, too. During our photoshoot at Donington, a good30 people gathered behindthe fencing that lines theMelbourne Loop just to seewhat the hell was making allthe noise.
But it’s not just the sound ofthe bike that stops people intheir tracks. When the bike isparked up it draws a crowdeven before the large, twinunderseat radiator fans havestopped spinning. The Benellimakes you feel special. Ifyou’re lucky enough to beable to afford the price tag.
It’s fast too. Thanks to therace pipe, the motor hits avery pronounced powerbandat 8500rpm, almost like atwo-stroke. At this point theengine note hardens and theBenelli fires off and tops outat a true 167mph – that’s just5mph shy of a Yamaha R1.
Keeping the motor on theboil is very much the order ofthe day at Donington wherethe Benelli can easily be
Continues page 27
DUCATI 999R £19,000THE ultimate Ducati 999, featuring carbon-fibreeverything and a true 999 engine (other 999shave 998cc engines). The production run of thishomologation special is limited to just 800 andonly available to buy via the Ducati website. It’s themost powerful 999 MCN has ever tested, making129.7bhp and hitting a top speed of 165mph.
MONDIAL PIEGA £21,000LIKE the Benelli, the Mondial is a work of art onwheels and is dripping with carbon-fibre,magnesium and top-drawer parts. Powered by abarely-silenced (but apparently road legal)1000cc V-twin Honda SP-1 engine, the Piega isnot only quick but also has race track handling tomatch. Only available directly from the factory.
BIMOTA SB8K £26,000THIS tuned V-twin Suzuki TL1000-enginedBimota was a homologation special launched in2000. Antony Gobert won a WSB race on it inthe same year. Exquisite build quality and exoticparts make it jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Bimota isunder new ownership and 50 SB8Ks will go onsale on the internet in the autumn.TWIN radiator fans add to the Benelli’s distinctive rear end
... AND once it’s crankedover, it will hold a linewith no chance ofrunning wide
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26 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS AUGUST 6, 2003
AUGUST 6, 2003 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS 27
ROAD TEST
TOP SPEED:167.02mph DISTANCE TO TOP SPEED:2059m TIME TO REACH TOP SPEED:35.9sSTANDING 1/4-MILE:11.85s @ 124.33mphBRAKING 70-0MPH:3.47s DISTANCE TAKEN TO STOP:46.74m
THE 900cc three-cylinder Benelli roared its way to animpressive 167mph during our speed testing. That’s 2mphfaster than the £19,000 limited-edition V-twin 999R andonly 6mph down on the screaming four cylinder Yamaha R1.
Because of its peaky engine quick getaways are tricky. Afair amount of clutch slip is needed to get the Tonado off the
line and, despite its light weight, standing quarter-mile timesand top gear roll-ons are slightly down against even astandard 999 or GSX-R750.
This light weight combined with the excellent Brembobrakes bring the triple to a halt from 70mph six metres andnearly half a second quicker than a GSX-R1000.
OVERALL LENGTH: 2050mm
WHEELBASE: 1419mm
RAKE: 23.5°
HEI
GH
T: 1
150
mm
WID
TH: 7
00
mm
OV
ER S
EAT:
19
00
mm
FUEL: 28mpg, 21 litres, 130 miles
SPECIFICATION:Engine: Liquid-cooled, 898cc (88 x49.2mm) 12v dohc four-stroke in-linetriple. Fuel injection. Six gears.Chassis: Tubular aluminiumFront suspension: Ohlins 43mmupside-down forks, adjustable for preload, rebound and compressiondamping.Rear suspension: Ohlins single rearshock, adjustable for preload, reboundand compression dampingTyres: Front 120/70 x 17, rear 180/55 x 17Brakes: Brembo; 2 x 320mm frontdiscs with four-piston calipers, 220mmrear disc with two-piston caliper.
PROS l Exclusivity l Blood curdling rasp from titanium pipe l Fully-adjustable Ohlins suspension l Roomy
CONS l Very expensive l Hard seat is uncomfortable on long journeys l Gearbox can be stiff 93%
BENELLI TORNADOTRE 900 LE£23,226Available: Now. Colours: Green/silverInsurance group: 17 (of 17)Info: Three Cross Motorcycles01202-82334424 months warranty, 12 monthsEurope Assistance. 0% finance overthree years offer until the end ofAugust.
TRAIL: 104mm
WEIGHT: 185kg (408lb)
725mm
825mm 480mm
Not only does itlook like a work ofart, it also comesdripping with thebest parts moneycan buy
‘
’
hustled around as fast asanything on a track day.While the Ohlins suspensionis set too soft on the circuitto really tax the tubularaluminium chassis, it can beadjusted to suit any rider,regardless of weight or ridingstyle. For road riding thesofter set-up feels just right,soaking up the nasty bumpswhile retaining unswervingcomposure.
But back on track,hammering up to thehardest braking points atDonington – the MelbourneLoop and the bumpyGoddards – you can standthe Benelli on its nosebraking with just two fingersthanks to the power of thefront Brembo set-up. Andrear wheel lock-ups justdon’t happen, as the slipperclutch prevents enginebraking forces being
transferred to the wheel asyou bang down the gears.
The steering is veryresponsive too. Just nudgethe bar with your palm, lookthrough the corner and theTornado flicks hard on to itsside with ease and, moreimportantly, will stay therejust as easily with no hint ofever running wide.
Exiting turns is just as easy.The feedback through thechassis allows you to feel forthe grip from the rearDunlop D207RR telling youhow soon and how hard youcan twist that throttle.
While the Tornado isunashamedly designed forthe track that doesn’t meanit’s temperamental on theroad. For sweeping A-roadsyou can leave the Tornado intop gear and ride themidrange between 6000and 7000rpm, leaving youto concentrate on pickingyour lines through the turns.
At lower revs there’s a fairamount of power but it doesfeel a bit woolly, especiallyaround town, where a touchof clutch slip is needed topull away cleanly fromjunctions and lights. This isn’ta big problem but the roarfrom the engine bounces offthe shop walls and drawseven more attention to you.
The Tornado is surprisinglyroomy and that comes as abig relief for taller riders whooften have to suffer incontorted riding positions toenjoy fast sports bikes.
This space allows you toclimb all over the bike whenriding fast, letting you adjustyour riding position quicklyfor braking, accelerating andcornering.
The Tornado would actuallymake a good long distancemachine if it weren’t for theseat, which is rock hard andleaves you numb long beforethe 130-mile tank range is up.
But despite all this the bikeis as easy to use everyday asany Japanese sports bike.The hydraulic clutch seemsimpossibly light and theswitchgear is lifted straightoff the Aprilia RSV. This doesmean that it has the Aprilia’ssilly indicator switch, which iswhere the horn should be –and vice versa. Giving cardrivers a friendly orangeflash when they pull out infront of you won’t fail to keepyou amused.
The fuel consumption isaround 28mpg so frequentfuel stops will be necessary.But that will give you achance to rest your butt fromthe hard seat and givepeople a chance to drool allover your bike.
Okay, so owning this bikewon’t be cheap, but if youcan afford it, do it. You’ll beriding something moreexclusive than even thehottest Ducati.
