Comments on: Bimota About to Debut a “TERA” Supercharged Adventure Bike?

By: Our_Man_In_Bangkok

Our_Man_In_Bangkok — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 00:08:26 +0000

In reply to Stuart.

I’m in agreement with you….
Sadly, the day of Bimota has passed. They grew out of the era of bigger brands having great engines and terrible chassis… offering an upgrade that handled and offered a new take on design. With most bikes in recent history, Bimota is no longer offering a significant upgrade in handling, only ‘looks’… and in many cases not even that, just simply ‘novelty’ factor.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 20:51:01 +0000

I’ve seen quite a few Bimotas on the road. The “common” and “cheap” ones only, mind (!). Like the BB1, DB2/4, SB6 and YB-something. In the UK you used to be able to pick up a 10 year old SB6 for maybe 4k (GBP) but in the last 15+ years the prices have just gone one way only. Mind you, there’s a couple for sale right now and there’s a lightly used road ready example going for 8.5k (GBP) which isn’t terrible…

The SB6 was the most common Bimota ever, I believe. This is because it was sold at a sane price on a par with a “common as muck” 916. What I like about it, is by using an old lump (the aging GSXR1100 motor) they made a bike that doesn’t have to compete directly with the superbikes of the day (leave that to the SB8R) but is a real world charismatic machine and beautifully made and should be pretty robust.

Imagine if Bimota made a retro roadster using the whopping Vulcan/Vaquero 1700 and putting that into the King of Baggers race series? Or offering a sweet handling 650 twin sportsbike to take on the Aprilia 660/new R7? Or a lightweight Z900RS with near Rickman-esque Z1 CR looks? A lightweight KX450 in road focused supermotard trim? These would all be Bimota doing what they do best – making light(er)weight exotic road bikes, using other peoples’ engines (Kawasaki’s), aiming for a weird niche market that they could charge exotic money for, without having to directly compete with anyone else.

But going into the FauxVenture bike market which is a crowded market for the first time with a machine that sounds very un-Bimota-ey for big $$$s is a big ask and sounds like a lot of develoment is required if it is to be a better option than the (already quite nuts but very good) 170bhp Duc MS V4. They need to look for the outliers in the market.

By: alessandro borroni

alessandro borroni — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 04:38:42 +0000

By: Will

Will — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 16:41:53 +0000

Before it launched, I thought the Multistrada V4 was a ridiculous idea. But now that I have a Verys 1000, I think it would be really nice if it were super-charged. I hope they keep it road focused like the Versys.

By: Killa Hurtz

Killa Hurtz — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 20:18:03 +0000

LOL they’ll make maybe seven of these that nobody will buy. In today’s current supply scenario? This late attempt to cash in on the ‘Venture fad will conclude in quiet failure for this tiny firm with not a lot of resources or manufacturing capability. Hence, this is not newsworthy news since nothing will come of it guaranteed. Bimotas are cool, but they’re not really great bikes at the end of the day. Novelty items at best. Also they’re using Kawi engines now. Kawi engines are not bad, also not good. So-so, just like the brand itself. Certainly no lauded engines in their lineup. No ‘Desmosedici Stradales’ in their repertoire. Nothing vaunted or special about their inline 4s, especially over other brands. I think Bimota should be using their own engines, if they want to compete in this space in earnest. But Bimota hasn’t the ability to do that because Bimota never bothered to engineer an engine for themselves, instead taking the easier way and using other mfrs engines. This gets no respect from me. A supercharged ‘Venture bike? Why though?

No, they are not a serious motorcycle company. Not even a real motorcycle company. ‘Their’ (Kawasaki’s) dirt bikes will wind up in basements with appropriate downlighting, and that will be it until the remorseful ‘collector’ can sell it off for the least amount of loss

Edit: Kawi is heavily invested, so maybe they will enable Bimota to do some stuff beyond what they have previously been capable of doing, but I doubt it.

By: kyle

kyle — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 12:06:42 +0000

Now we’re talking!