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Bimota Motorcycles

About Bimota

Bimota is a small, Italian manufacturer of custom and production motorcycles. It was founded in 1973 in Rimini, Italy by Bianchi, Morri and Tamburini. The company name is a portmanteau derived from the first two letters of each of the three founders' surnames, i.e. Bianchi Morri Tamburini.

Bimota concentrated initially on building high-quality motorcycles around existing engines. From the beginning they customised the top models of Suzuki, Honda and Kawasaki. During the late 1970s, Bimota also helped develop and build motorcycles branded as Lamborghinis. In the 1980s they also customised Yamaha and Ducati motorcycles.

Bimota's co-founder and long-time chief designer Tamburini has been an influential player in the development of other Italian brands, most significantly his work on the popular Ducati 916, the Ducati Paso, and the MV Agusta F4; other designers such as current Bimota chief Sergio Robbiano have also been involved with larger-volume manufacturers.

Bimota models currently in production include the DB5, DB6, DB7 and the Tesi, with a DB8 featuring the Ducati 1198 engine in development. The latest model features the Vyrus which is said to be the only bike on production to house Hub Steering.

Bimota first experienced international racing success in 1980 when Jon Ekerold, a true privateer, won the 350cc world championship on a Yamaha-powered Bimota. They also experienced success in the early years of the Superbike World Championship. Virginio Ferrari won the 1987 Formula TT title aboard a YB4 EI, partnering with Davide Tardozzi. Tardozzi won five races in the inaugural 1988 world superbike championship, more than any other competitor, but inconsistent results relegated him to third place in the final standings. After many years without success, the Australian rider Anthony Gobert caused a major shock in 2000 by winning a wet race at Philip Island on a Bimota SB8R.

The V Due, introduced in 1997, had a design flaw with their engines. Bimota was forced to ditch the novel fuel injection system and re-engineer the entire engine. Bimota ultimately recalled the entire run of the motorcycle. While this was occurring, during the 2000 World Superbike season, one of Bimota's main sponsors disappeared, owing the company a great deal of money. The combination of events forced Bimota to file for bankruptcy and close their doors.

In 2003, a new group of investors purchased the rights to the Bimota name and designs and restarted the company.

Moto blog

FIM to Revise WSBK Homologation Requirements

Fri, 17 Jan 2014

The International Motorcycling Federation is considering modifying its homologation requirements for the World Superbike Championship following Bimota‘s somewhat surprising plans to re-enter the series. Under current regulations, manufacturers must produce a minimum number of motorcycles for it to be eligible to compete in the production-based WSBK championship. The official regulations currently require a minimum of 125 units produced for an initial homologation inspection, 500 units produced by June 30 of the current year, 1,000 units by the end of the current year and 2,000 units by the end of the following year.

Bimota Entering WSBK Championship with Team Alstare

Mon, 13 Jan 2014

Bimota is returning to the World Superbike Championship after signing a five-year research and development deal with Team Alstare. The Italian company was one of the original manufacturers in the series’ inaugural 1988 season but Bimota hasn’t competed since the 2000 season. Team Alstare will enter two Bimota BB3 superbikes in the EVO class, playing a leading role in developing the sportbike.

EICMA 2013: 2014 Bimota BB3 Featuring BMW S1000RR Engine – Video

Thu, 07 Nov 2013

Italian manufacturer Bimota celebrates its 40th anniversary this year with a new change in ownership and the EICMA unveiling of the BB3 sportbike. “Bimota is really charming with an incredible brand that deserves to go back to its former glory by combining technological innovation with its rich history of passion, heart and outstanding achievements,” says Marco Chianciani, new president and c0-owner of Bimota with Daniele Longoni. “We are working to organize better all business processes to meet this challenge with the right enthusiasm and preparation.

Batman’s Batpod Is Real!

Wed, 10 Jul 2013

Any fan of the latest series of Batman movies will recognize the two-wheeler above. Straight from The Dark Knight Rises comes the Batpod, Batman’s crime fighting motorcycle. Ok, well, not quite.

2013 Bimota DB10 B.Motard First Impressions

Tue, 11 Jun 2013

You can’t get much more exclusive and exotic than Bimota, with every bike dripping over with carbon fiber and billet aluminum pieces of art. Big motards excites me and none more so than the Bimota DB10 B.Motard. Take the 95hp Ducati DS1100 engine from the old Monster and Hypermotard models and put it in a Bimota chassis and you have instant riding nirvana.

1998 Bimota 500 Vdue

Fri, 04 Jan 2013

How could you not love Bimota's 500 Vdue. Launched in 1998 at a cost of £14,500 it didn't so much come with a list of optional extras, more a lottery list of factory-spec problems, longer than the accessories list on a 1200GS. To me, it sums up Bimota perfectly: ambitious, exotic, problematic and almost impossible to justify and because of this: addictive and alluring.

EICMA 2012: Bimota BB2 Concept Revealed with BMW S1000RR Engine

Fri, 16 Nov 2012

Bimota revealed a new concept sportbike at the 2012 EICMA Show equipped with a BMW S1000RR engine. The Bimota BB2 concept is the first product of a new partnership signed with BMW that would see the German manufacturer supply S1000RR engines for Bimota. The S1000RR engine has class-leading numbers, with the 172.4 hp we measured in our 2012 European Literbike Shootout a 10.4 hp advantage over any literbike we dyno’ed for that shootout or the Japanese Literbike Shootout.

A real Monster of a bike

Wed, 13 Jun 2012

The bike above was once a Ducati Monster S4. It was restyled by Italian custom builder Ferruccio Codutti who took a year crafting the look out for aluminium for one of his customers. Ignoring the grotesque nose, Codutti's work is impressive as the front end was made by the man himself.

Ruben Xaus and Bimota Target WSBK Entry in 2013

Mon, 23 Jan 2012

Italian manufacturer Bimota is looking to return to racing, with plans to compete in the 2013 World Superbike Championship as either a wild card or full time entry. Helming Bimota’s racing project is its sporting director and former WSBK racer Ruben Xaus. Speaking with Italian website Motoblog.it at the Motor Bike Expo in Verona, Italy, Xaus says the team would like to race full time in 2013 but may start as a wild card before fielding a full entry in 2014.

Xaus tests Moto2 Bimota

Thu, 22 Dec 2011

World Superbike regular, Ruben Xaus was impressing some track day regulars with his skills earlier this month at Almeria. The lanky Spaniard (who is now apparently a part owner of Bimota), was putting the Rimini manufacturer's Honda CBR600-powered Moto2 machine through its paces in the December sunshine. The short term plan if for it to be raced in domestic championships but I for one would love to see it on the MotoGP Moto2 grid.