Benelli is one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in the world. It is also the oldest Italian motorcycle manufacturer in business. Established in 1911, despite the difficulties encountered, including wars or economic crises, it has practically never stopped producing motorcycles and scooters.
Benelli racing motorcycles were renowned in the 20s & 30s winning a number of Italian and World Championship titles. The factory, destroyed in WWII, was completely rebuilt, the company restructured, and again in the 50s and 60s returned to its championship position in world racing. By the 60s it was producing 300 motorcycles per day and was a leading innovator in motorcycle design.

Like many European manufacturers, Benelli suffered somewhat of an eclipse in the 70s and 80s under competition from Japanese manufacturers. However, in 1996, Andrea Merloni took over the company and relaunched it with a new image. Today, we can safely say that in recent years Benelli has brought a refreshing breath of innovation and change to the motorcycle industry.

Benelli was established in Pesaro, Italy in 1911. In the beginning, it was just the Benelli Garage, which repaired cars and motorcycles, but was already able to produce all of the spare parts needed for repairs. In 1920 the company built its first complete engine in-house, a single-cylinder two-stroke 75 cc model, immediately adapted to a bicycle frame. A year later in 1921, Benelli built its first motorcycle, using their own engine which had by then become a 98 cc model.