Joop Berghorst's race-ready Benelli Sei

Of all the recent motorcycling anniversaries, one seems to have passed unnoticed. This year marks the centenary of the illustrious Italian marque Benelli—and according to my calculations, that makes it the oldest European motorcycle manufacturer in (more or less) continuous operation. Today the Chinese motor group Qianjiang owns Benelli, but the Pesaro factory still produces a handful of bikes each year—the Century, Café, Tornado and Tre models. Benelli’s finest moment, however, came with the launch of the Sei in 1972. Sold first as a 750 and later as a 900, it was a worthy competitor to the Japanese superbikes of...