First production Tornados to be built by March

Benelli’s long-awaited Tornado 900 will finally start rolling of the production line in March with first deliveries to the UK in May.

These first bikes will be limited-edition, hand-built machines with a higher specification than the full-production version and cost £22,500

Later, full-production bikes will feature lower-specification parts and less exotic materials, but as Benelli hopes to sell it for less than £10,000, it’s a relative bargain. Production of the cheaper bikes is scheduled to start in September, and they should be on sale in the UK before the end of the year.

Both machines will feature the same, 900cc three-cylinder engine, which is predicted to make around 140bhp in road trim.

If you are still trying to decide whether you should get your name on the waiting list for a Tornado, you can check the bike out in the metal at the MCN-backed Ally Pally show on January 26-February 3. The bike will be on the Powerhouse Motorcycles stand.