UPDATE: Apparently our favorite concept designer has been looking at these old beauties for inspiration!
From the days when you could buy a “real” motorcycle at a department store or out of a mail order catalog. What a fantastic example. And yes that’s a rebadged Benelli.
Motorcycle Photo Of The Day 
almost shed a tear, i had one just like it back then, i used to work for wards and sold those old bikes, used to bring it up north in michigan and ride the trails, thanks for the memory
i have a picture of me and that bike back then when i was young im 69 now
I traded a 20′ sailboat for a BSA 441 Victor and the 360 Wards Benelli was thrown in just to get rid of it. Of all the motorcycles I’ve owned in 45 years of riding, the 360 Benelli was my least favorite. I think I rode less than 50 miles in the 10 years I owned it. I rode it to work and home ONCE. A 35 mile round trip. So why would I look up this bike? The reason I have loving memories of this bike was that I ‘flat-tracked it’ in the snow every winter…street tires, low pipe and all.
This was my first motorcycle. I graduated fm HS in 1969 and rode the Benelli fm Minnesota to explore the west coast fm WA to CA and the deserts of AZ, CA, TX for 3 months before coming home and going into the military. I will always be grateful for the experience made possible by this affordable bike from Montgomery Wards.
Interesting motorcyles. No, I won’t say they were great. But the Italians made a lot of motorcycles in the lower CC range to compete with the Japanese bikes. I had a Honda CT-90 and my neighbor had a 90 CC Harley. The Harley? Yep. Made in Italy. I think he parked it at the curb about 30 years ago for the junk man to take away. He’s probably wishing he had kept it now.
It occurs to me that you can find this gastank on an awful lot of Cafe Racers these days.