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Benelli at Indy Show

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Well,
I was surprised to see Benelli represented in the US. Apparently the new importer Motopoint will soon begin selling them in the US in the coming few months. A representative also said that the factory is working hard to restore faith in the bikes and addressing the engineering problems that they have been having. News is that there is supposed to be a Benelli factory day event sometime this year - maybe. I have not been able to get any details about it.

There were three bikes in the booth, two of which are in the attched pics and the third was Goddard's old race bike. Nothing new to you guys, but new to us here in the US.

Their booth was back to back with the new Chinese owners and I had a the opportunity to speak with a few of them. They were extremely nice and were aware of some of the problems the bikes have been having under the Merloni regime. They are currently trying to learn more about the company's operations and it's market and are not ready to divulge any plans about the future of the company. The good thing is now I have official contacts in the parent company as well as for some really cool guys from the factory and on the US distributor side.

I have pointed all of them to this forum and have encouraged them to look at the posts here for a deeper understanding of the market that they are in. Hopefully I can convince them to allow some sort of dialogue with us so that we could help them with some of the more common issues that Benelli owners have to deal with.




 
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Discussion Starter · #3 ·
Thanks Roland!!! Do you think it'd help if I start a few threads in Chinese?! :D

How exactly are the Chinese involved with Benelli production? Who is behind the drawing board? What kind of innvoation can we expect from Benelli in the near future? It's nice and all to see Peter Goddard's '01 (or '02?) WSBK bike on display, but that's in the past. Would Benelli campaign their bike in WSBK again? 'Cause if they do, we all heard of this great Benelli TNT racer who might be right for the job ;)
 
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Discussion Starter · #7 ·
Re: Racing

From what I can gather, they have a pretty hands off approach. They have very few of their own staff at the factory. Choosing to not alter too much of the way things are being done there. I do suspect that there were some personnel changes from the old regime.

My impression of the new owners is that they are extremely sharp and know exactly what they have gotten into and definitely have a plan. My gut feeling is that they are still trying to figure out where the leaks in the boat are and where all of Merloni's skeletons are buried. :rollin

...and when they do they'll be swift and decisive in dealing with them.
 
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Discussion Starter · #8 ·
Having an official importer is nice, but it does folks who already own the bikes no good at all. I won't be satisfied that the new owners mean business in the US until they set up some dealerships - at least one in each major region of the US. It's a bit risky owning a bike for which one has absolutely no dealership anywhere to turn to should a problem arise. The only reason I own one is that I love the bike and lusted after it for 4 years. But lack of any dealership support pretty much sucks. Where do I go for service? The only place I know of on the west coast of the US who has even worked on the Benellis is down in LA, which is a 7-hour drive for me. That's pretty useless if I just need to take it in for a service. I certainly hope establishment of a real dealership network in the US is a priority for the new owners...
mark
'05 US Tre #11
 
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Discussion Starter · #9 ·
hey saloe. perhaps just a quick translation... key points of that letter would be nice. Thank you.

I agree with Mark here. Unless we collect bikes like antique pieces or coins... lack of dealership support is very difficult to deal with. So the question is why did we still purchase a Benelli?
 
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Discussion Starter · #10 ·
Partial Translation

Best I can do I'm afraid!!!

BENELLI IN the CHANGE Ladies and Gentlemen, how you surely pursued in the media, was sold BENELLI on 1 October 2005 to the two-wheeler and engine manufacturer QIANJIANG/to China.
However it came again and again with the reports to inaccuracies and misinterpretations. Therefore we would like to inform you briefly about the actual conditions of the things. In the early summer 2005 supply and demand gaped far, straight regarding the celebrated TNT models with BENELLI: o the TNT 1130 Café Racer did not even go into production. o of the TNT 1130 Titanium were built only 25 pieces. o the TNT 1130 sport was manufactured likewise only in small numbers of items and was after short time sells off. o to Germany came only about half as many TNT 1130 as ordered.

How could happen such a thing? A young company, which had created the straight break-through, produces far less, than the market requires! Afterwards we know around the reasons. The past owner wanted to sell BENELLI and went out of the fact that he would be at the latest in April 2005 with one of the four prospective customers united. New projects like the Café Racer were put therefore on ice, production from cost reasons to a minimum was driven down. Unfortunately it came differently.
A preliminary agreement burst, new negotiations was necessary. Only they led finally on 1 October 2005 to the assumption through QIANJIANG - nearly a half year later than planned! And now calculated a new owner from China, a country, which does not admit for Billig-und for High Tech products is! But slowly: The QIANJIANG group quite understands something about the thing. The largest two-wheeler manufacturer of China one, that builds approximately one million vehicles and two million engines of 50 ccm to 250 ccm with 8.000 persons employed per year, concerns.

The work is in Wenling in the southeast of China, approximately 500 kilometers far away from Shanghai. QIANJIANG BENELLI transferred among other things therefore, in order to seize to Europe foot. Production remains therefore naturally in Pesaro/Italy and this location even to the technology center is developed. Therefore the engines are produced in the future no more with FRANCO MORINI (Bologna), but directly with BENELLI in PESARO. Also the fear, BENELLI could diminish now to the cheap mark, is unfounded.

QIANJIANG, its BENELLI does not plan own products under the label name to marked out. BENELLI will remain also in the future independent thus. The fact that it goes again upward proves the motorcycle fair EICMA in Milan (15.11. - 20.11.2005), where BENELLI shows its whole product range and in addition novelties offers:
 
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Discussion Starter · #12 ·
Re: Partial Translation

Way Cool!! Thanks Lawrence!

Very positive indeed. I wonder why there was not an English Version released to the media?
 
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Discussion Starter · #13 ·
Re: Partial Translation

Hey Laurence,

thanks for the translation. At first I was having a hard time understanding what it's saying, but then I started reading the letter with our Jedi Master Yoda's voice, everything became clear 0] "hmmm... a preliminary agreement burst, new negotiations was necessary... patience, my young padawan..."
 
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laurencewhite
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