Up for sale is this extremely rare 1976 Benelli 750 “Sei” (Italian for “six” – not “sex”!), one of the three vintage six cylinder bikes ever made. It is an un-restored original in excellent condition, winner of many bike show trophies as shown in the photos. With a clear title (VIN # 13053) and only 11,400 miles, this is one of the nicest survivors of only a thousand 750 Seis imported into the US from 1974 to 1978. And it’s a “rider,” not a trailer queen: driven once every month or two, and only in clear weather – has never been in the rain rain, nor been dropped or scraped. Only cosmetic flaw is a tiny chip on the tank that’s been so well touched-up that I’ll have to show it to you in person, as it’s hard to make out in the photos.

 Some other historical/technical details about the bike:

• The 750 Sei was the first production 6-cylinder motorcycle ever sold beginning in 1974, beating Honda’s CBX and Kawasaki’s KZ1300 by 5 years - they weren’t introduced until 1979. Honda had the first race bike (the RC165) 10 years earlier, but the 750 Sei was the first in production.

• Engine features a single overhead cam with two valves per cylinder. Compression ratio is 9 to 1,  displacement of 747cc, and the bike weighs 484 lbs dry. Sold for $3,995 back then...

 • It’s six-into-six "Silentium" exhaust pipes were the distinguishing visual feature – far more eye-catching than the later 900 Sei, CBX and KZ1300’s six-into-two pipes, and they sound even better than they look!

 • Front end features Marzocchi forks and dual Brembo disk brakes, a big improvement over most UJM’s single disk front brakes back in the ‘70s. Could probably do a “stoppie” if you’re dumb enough to try…

• Three Dell’Orto VHB 24mm carbs feed the six cylinders through graceful twin-fork manifolds, much easier to synch than the CBX’s six Keihins! 

• Rated at “only” 72 HP at 8,500 RPM, the 750 Sei is no drag racer with top end of about 115MPH, but the six cylinders are so smooth you can balance a nickel on the tank at 5K RPM (which I can show you in person!).

 • Bore and stroke are identical to Honda’s CB500 four, with the same SOHC, central cam chain design, fueling rumors that’s what Benelli engineers based it on (after all, 6/4 times 500 does equal 750…). Benelli moved the alternator behind the crankcase on the right, giving its six only a little more width than Honda's four.

 This bike has been garaged for all of its 40-year life, and maintained by some of the best motorcycle mechanics in the US, who I’ll identify to the winning bidder if you’d like their references. I have full service records including annual oil changes for the decade that I’ve owned it, and have only run it on ethanol-free gas (you can find your closest source at pure-gas.org).

 It comes with complete service & parts manuals, a spare parts bin, and many historical articles about this unique machine shown in the photos. Only weak spot on the bike is that it occasionally slips a bit in 2^nd gear - not sure if it’s my sloppy shifting, or just this common weakness in 750 Sei transmissions. 

 The only non-stock part on the bike is an electronic ignition that starts & run so much better than the maddeningly hard-to-adjust stock points; the original points are in the parts bin in case you’re a masochist and want to go back to 100% original. 

Thanks to the internet, parts for it are easy to source, my favorite being Detlef Burian, a German vintage bike specialist on the web who has just about every nut & bolt Benelli ever made on his web site: www.benelliparts.de . Also, Selwyn Motorcycles in the UK is a 750 Sei parts specialist although only via fax or phone.

I bought a new set of wide-vision chrome rear-view mirrors from Detleff to replace the very narrow-vision black ones the bike came with – both are shown in the photos. There is some debate in the Benelli Club (wwwbenelliclubgb.net) about which are the correct originals, so you’ll get both and can use whichever you want.

WARRANTY:

This motorcycle is being sold AS IS, with no warranties, expressed or implied. I have a clear title in hand which I’ll sign over to you once your funds clear. The bike is currently garaged at my home in Santa Fe, NM, which you’re welcome to come visit to check it out.

 PAYMENT:

Non-refundable $500 PayPal Deposit required within 48 hours of close of auction; full payment required within 7 days of close of auction. Payment is by Bank Wire Transfer or US Bank Certified Cashier’s Check only, which must clear before you can pick up the bike and title.

 SHIPPING: All shipping charges and shipping arrangements are the sole responsibility of the buyer. International buyers must make all shipping arrangements themselves – I will only let you pick the bike up from my garage; all shipping fees, customs charges, bribes, etc., are up to you.

 If you have questions, need additional information or photos, please email the request through eBay. 

 Good luck bidding on this beauty and I hope whatever “six addict” wins this rare bike takes equally good care of it.