Cafe racers, custom motorcycles and classic motorcycles

The motorcycle in front in this wonderful image is Benelli‘s glorious 1969 250cc four racer. It was a remarkably advanced machine for its day, with an eight-speed gearbox and a 16-valve cylinder head that boosted power to 64bhp at 14,500rpm. If that figure is correct—it’s reported in Mick Walker’s seminal Italian Racing Motorcycles—it equates to a staggering 250bhp per liter. This lovely bike has the number 2 roundel associated with Australian rider Kel Carruthers, who won the 250cc Grand Prix Road Race World Championship in Europe. The motorcycle behind the 250 appears to be a 2005 Tornado Tre LE, and it looks like this shot was part of a marketing campaign for the Tre. Only 150 editions of this model were produced, for WSB homologation.