1966 Benelli Barracuda 250 - 3-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article for Sale

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1966 Benelli Barracuda 250 - 3-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article For Sale

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1966 Benelli Barracuda 250 - 3-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article:
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1966 Benelli Barracuda 250 - 3-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article
Original, Vintage Magazine Advertisement / ArticlePage Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm)Condition: Good
BENELLI250 BARRACUDAOne observer remarked, “Now that sounds like a real motorcy-cle!” He was referring to the 250cc Benelli Barracuda as com-pared to other new lightweights. The reason this bike is identifiedin the tradition of the accepted motorcycle sound is that it is asingle cylinder 4-stroke with a healthy sounding muffler thatdoes not restrict the pulsing, throaty roar of power.How much power does the Barracuda have? Twenty-four horse-power does not sound like a great deal, but another factor entersinto the picture: weight. This bike weights a mere 232 lbs. whichmeans that the horsepower goes a long way. To quote Benelli dis-tributor (western states) Frank Cooper. “It's like having an extrafive horsepower in the toolbox!”It’s good to know that there is such a wide variety of lightweightmotorcycles available, especially in the 250cc class, enabling therider to choose the type of power and engine design he prefers.There are bikes with twin cylinders, singles, 2-strokes, 4-strokes,vertical cylinders and horizontal cylinders. All run comparativelywell. But some ears prefer the high pitched whine of a 10,000 rpm2-stroke while to some the steady drone of a high torque single ismusic. To the latter, our test machine will have wide appeal. Thisis truly a he-man's 250 in terms of the punch it delivers and thecontrol it demands.The first hint of robustness comes during the initial kick start.The left-foot lever requires a sincere kick, thanks partially to the8.5:1 compression ratio, but also to the starting gear ratios. Ourtest bike kicked into life rapidly and we found that best results areobtained on this machine by allowing about a two-minute warm-up at idle speed. In the photos you will note that no air cleaner isevident, and this fact enabled us to manually choke the enginewith a gloved hand to speed up warming time. No choke is pro-vided, but a tickler is. and it is essential to easy starting. (AllBarracudas are currently fitted with good air cleaners.)Power is quickly available at low engine speeds and a smallamount of throttle coupled to a swift release of the clutch will putyou well ahead of traffic. Maximum horsepower is developed ataround 8000 rpm which is reached fairly soon in all four gears.We felt that even greater off-the-line “go” could be achieved withminor sprocket changing and with little adverse affect upon topspeed, which is claimed to be 95.Aside from the high performance that this bike delivers, it mustbe noted there are certain inherent advantages in the horizontalengine layout. Hanging under a backbone-type frame, the alloyengine looks somewhat unusual to the average person. But to peo-ple" “in the know” it is a good design because this gives optimumcooling by exposing the entire surface area of the engine to thewind. Also the engine placement improves handling because of thelower center of gravity. A "hemi” engine head is employed withlong pushrods being actuated by a camshaft in the crankcase. Bylooking at the engine from the side another obvious advantage isnoticed: the smooth, direct flow that exists from the carburetor tocombustion chamber to exhaust. Ignition is by an efficient alter-(far left) REAR SUSPENSION isprovided by these exposed springsand adjustable shocks. Looking likepart of the machine is the air pumpjust like the kind similarly-mountedon lightweight bicycles.(left) CLUTCH AND FRONT BRAKELEVERS have knobs. Note that thegrips are dissimilar. Gas cap is thetype you cannot lose; if swings openon a hinge in front after the leveris turned 90 degrees to the right.nator-magneto system. All this points to where those 24 horsescome from.Rider position and seating is fairly comfortable with the west-ern-style bars and the narrow seat. For longer rides other thanaround town a wider and softer seat would be helpful.We can add another “plus” to the Barracuda’s features by stres-sing how this bike stops. The brakes are slightly over-sized alumi-num drums. The rear brake in particular should be mentioned forits tremendous ability to safely stop the bike on its own. Thismeans that the work of braking is more evenly distributed frontand rear. Smoother stops are more apparent with less wear andtear on the front brake.The Barracuda employs (as most motorcycles do) the tried andproven telescopic front forks and the swing arm rear suspension,which work very well in conjunction with the highly-regardedPirelli Universal tires. The overall feel of the bike is one of a firm,yet light touch.SUMMARYThree important things come to mind when thinking of theBenelli Barracuda: light weight, good over-all design, and power.This combination gives a rider what he wants for the street, name-ly performance. The wind-in-the-face. roar-in-the-ear feel delightsanyone who rides, and is what especially attracts new riders. TheBenelli Barracuda gives you this and much, much more. «SPECIFICATIONSBENELLI 250cc BARRACUDAEngine................4 stroke, horizontal single cylinder, (14.9 cu. in.)Bore ratio @ 8,000 rpmOil capacity pintsOil sumpStarting system............................Kick, folding wet plateTransmission speedPrimary gearFinal chainGear ratios, overall...............18.0:1, 10.9:1, 8.6:1, 7.2:1Frame ..............................Double channel backboneFront hydraulic forksRear suspension.................Swing arm, adjustable shocksTire size......................3.00-18 (front), 3.25-18 (rear)Saddle base 5"Ground clearance height lbs.Fuel gal.Fuel consumption (claimed)...........................100 mpgMaximum speed mphList price..........................$659 (West): $649 (East)
17197 RL-mb6718-6602-04