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Login to post Forums » Sprockets » ratghia's benelli pitbike

Feb. 8, 2009 10:56 p.m. ratghia New Reader

I took a break from working on the corvair this weekend to start rebuilding the engine from my 1970 benelli dynamo. It is a 1/3 scale motorcycle with a 65cc engine and a 3 speed. I bought it last September at a swap meet for $65. When I bought it the engine was seized and the intake was missing along with the shifter being broken. The bike was also missing all of the lights so they won't be going on it when it is done. I have the right side cover on the engine and fixed the shifter assembly today and just need piston rings, the carb and to finish making the intake to have the engine completely together. The pictures below are what it will look like when i put the bike back together and the engine as it is now.
Feb. 9, 2009 6:37 a.m. John Brown SuperDork

You are the coolest high schooler since SlickDizzy
Feb. 9, 2009 6:40 a.m. Grtechguy SuperDork

neat little toy
Feb. 9, 2009 1:11 p.m. Jensenman SuperDork

Benelli. Haven't heard that name in a long time. That bike was their answer to the Honda Monkey Bike which was called the Mini Trail over here. They had folding bars and a quick drain on the carb and a manual fuel tank vent, that way you could lay it on its side in a car trunk.
Feb. 9, 2009 7:16 p.m. RussellH Reader

What is the source of parts for bikes like this?
Feb. 9, 2009 8:38 p.m. ratghia New Reader

Some parts are available on vintage cosmo everything else comes from ebay or has to be made.
Feb. 9, 2009 8:52 p.m. Woody Dork

If there are parts that you can't find, you may be able to adapt something from here:

http://dratv.com/info.html

Pit bikes rule.
Feb. 10, 2009 8:25 a.m. stuart in mn Dork

Those Benelli minibikes were pretty cool. They had a version of that same bike called the Volcano that had a 180cc engine.
Feb. 10, 2009 9:21 p.m. ratghia New Reader

I reassembled the shifter cover and put it on the engine. I also ordered a set of piston rings. There is a problem with finding gears that i hope to have solved by the end of the weekend so I can finish putting the engine together. Today I went down to the basement and started to clean the bike. The paint is rough but original and i plan to leave it like that for now.
Feb. 16, 2009 3:55 p.m. Tom Heath Production Editor

I had never heard of a Benelli mini-bike. (My Benelli belches lead)
Awesome find, I need to shop at some of your swap meets!
Dec. 12, 2009 6:50 p.m. ratghia Reader

I was looking around for something to do to occupy myself for the next month before the Ghia comes back. There is nothing to do to the Rabbit and working on the zwitter would be pointless because it is going away. I then found this in the basement and realized that if I was coming to the challenge in 2010 I needed a cool pit bike.

I couldn’t get the trans to find any gears except first and the engine had some play in it and didn’t feel right. I just gave up on it and threw the trans/engine away. I was wondering what might be cool to put into it. It looks like the engine from a Honda Trail is too long to fit but might be possible if there is nothing else. What ideas do you guys have?
Dec. 12, 2009 9:19 p.m. clownkiller New Reader

I wanted to try an Ebay 80cc moped motor on something. They seem to sell for $100. It might work on the mini bike.
Dec. 12, 2009 9:23 p.m. zipty842 Reader

yamaha PW50 might fit
Dec. 14, 2009 10:52 p.m. Mental SuperDork

I picked up a 1965 Suzuki on craigslist for a vacum cleaner in Colorado. I am slowly buiding that into my pitbike, now I hafta finish it and bring it to the hotel to race yours.

I forsee epic carnage in 2010.
Dec. 15, 2009 7:52 a.m. 4cylndrfury Dork

you could go all EV and have ZOMGINSTANTTHROTTLE. it would be cool, and a challenge. Other than that I vote B&S off an old mower and a Puch trans from a moped.
Dec. 15, 2009 6:16 p.m. ratghia Reader

I need to decide between Puch or Honda engine. I am leaning towards a Puch engine because I believe it would fit with less modifications but I can only find a 1 or 2 speed. It would also look more vintage. With the Honda engine I could get a 4 speed, but it would require more welding. I would also like to find a Mitsubishi td-02 turbo.
Dec. 15, 2009 6:33 p.m. Grtechguy SuperDork

what are you going to do with the mini turbo? I thought single pistons didn't turbo well
Dec. 15, 2009 6:46 p.m. ratghia Reader

I found a few people who have used the same type of turbo on a Honda Trail. I doubt I will get one but I think it would be cool to get, and try to get it to work. It would probably take a while to tune it though.
Dec. 15, 2009 11:37 p.m. SlickDizzy SuperDork

ratghia wrote:

I need to decide between Puch or Honda engine. I am leaning towards a Puch engine because I believe it would fit with less modifications but I can only find a 1 or 2 speed. It would also look more vintage. With the Honda engine I could get a 4 speed, but it would require more welding. I would also like to find a Mitsubishi td-02 turbo.

That turbo was used on the Honda CX500T (500cc turbo bike) and didn't exactly make a lot of boost. I've looked into this a few times, you need a somewhat large displacement 4-stroke to run a TD-02. The guy that put one on his Honda trail bike never got it to run right, IIRC.
Dec. 15, 2009 11:41 p.m. xci_ed6 Reader

use a few of these in a sequential arrangement.

excessively loud music warning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3Ymdn5XeV0
Dec. 16, 2009 5:17 p.m. wheelsmithy New Reader

Rockin Project, Ratghia. I had a Benelli "suitcase" bike when I was a kid. same color, and similar tank design. My old man filed down chainsaw rings to get the 2-stroke running. The handlebars folded in and down, and the seat was adjustable. Italian bikes RULE! You are doing great work.
Dec. 18, 2009 5:31 a.m. Jay Dork

ratghia wrote:

I need to decide between Puch or Honda engine. I am leaning towards a Puch engine because I believe it would fit with less modifications but I can only find a 1 or 2 speed. It would also look more vintage. With the Honda engine I could get a 4 speed, but it would require more welding. I would also like to find a Mitsubishi td-02 turbo.

Awwwwwwww, that's so cute. It's like a puppy.

Well, maybe not.

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