For those who love motorcycles, it is more than likely that a lot of bike fans out there own a Benelli model. Indeed, the brand has over a hundred years of history under its belt and a proud and established reputation.

Its website boasts that Benelli is about 'heritage, emotion, and intelligence' that became legendary because of decades of groundbreaking models, advanced technology, triumphs, and famous riders.

Benelli motorcycles tend to be sporting, and every rider will often discover a bike that meets their requirements. Most people who are familiar with motorbikes tend to know a Benelli model when they see one. They are renowned for their engaging designs and unmistakable sporty looks. The most innovative design concepts are implemented in all the models of the business of Pesaro because of the expertise of its R&D center.

Back in 2005, Qianjiang Group (QJ), the largest Chinese group for size and manufacturing capacity in the motorbike world, purchased Benelli. Its production reaches 1.2 million vehicles per year, and it has 14,000 employees. But Benelli has retained its approach that combines Italian ingenuity, style, and engineering with QJ's business approach and global vision. The brand new models still receive the DNA and the history of Benelli, celebrating the company's original looks, innovation, and brand strength.

Prior to 2005, Benelli had an incredible history. Let us look back at the brand and see how much readers may or may not already know about them.

RELATED: Here's Everything you Need To Know About The 2021 Benelli 1200GT

The Emergence Of Benelli

Benelli
Via Benelli/YouTube

As mentioned already, Benelli is an Italian motorcycle manufacturing company. It was founded back in 1911 in Pesaro, Italy. When Teresa Benelli became a widow, she invested all of her money into a business for her six sons to get a decent job. Two of those sons went to Switzerland to study engineering too, all at Teresa's expense. At the beginning, it was called Benelli Garage and the company handled the repair of motorcycles and cars, and it could also produce the spare parts required for those repairs.

Money Inc. highlighted that Benelli does not just produce bikes, but they also manufacture shotguns too, and the Benelli family forged a connection to the Beretta Gun Company to make automobiles. The prototype they created was called Beretta, Benelli Casterbarco.

Over time, they developed a reputation for being excellent manufacturers and somewhat engineers. The Benelli brothers came up with their first engine produced completely in-house back in 1920. It was a 75 CC single-cylinder two stroke engine and it was modified to a bicycle frame. A year later, the company constructed its first motorbike, based on the 75 CC motor, which had transformed into a 98 CC one.

Benelli then decided to expand into motorsports in 1923 and sent Tonino Benelli on the track to ride a racing version of the business's first bike. Tonino soon became a star in a few years' time and used his Benelli 175 to win the Italian championship in 1927, 1928, 1930 and 1931. He then won again in 1932 only to tragically die in a road accident that year.

RELATED: These Are The Fastest Electric Motorbikes, Ranked

The Post-War Era Of Benelli Motorcycles

Benelli Tnt135
Via: Instagram

World War Two brought bad luck to Benelli despite the fact that they presented a four-cylinder supercharged 250 CC in 1940. But the start of the conflict hindered their plans. Their production continued until 1949.

1949 should have been a great year for the Italian motorbike manufacturer, but Giuseppe Benelli quit the company and founded Motobi. But their fortunes changed in the 1950s when they started selling the 98 CC and 125 CC Leoncino bikes, available in both two-stroke and four-stroke. And then there was the Tornado 650, an impressive bike that was able to generate 57 hp and reach a top speed of 17 mph. At the time, that was considered remarkable. Business boomed up to the 1960s when Benelli and Motobi were able to manufacture around 300 motorcycles and had a total of 550 employees by 1962.

The 1970s were a tough time for the world economically, and Benelli halted production because they were unable to compete with the arrival of Japanese bikes from Yamaha, Suzuki, and Honda onto the European market. Business was quiet until 1995, which was when the Italian bike manufacturer underwent a transformation under Andrea Merloni. He developed the Tornado 900 Tre super sport bike in 2002, but that was not enough for the business to survive on its own, as they were eventually acquired by QJ a few years later.

Benelli's history has been a mixture of fortune and bad luck, but they came through and with QJ's help, they will likely maintain their established reputation in years to come.