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German power, Italian style
German power, Italian style
Newly reorganized Bimota S.A. is already showing great promise. While the press kit distributed at the EICMA show may have contained one too many overly strong statements, the buzz around the reborn make is indeed positive.
Biggest news at the Bimota booth was the BB3, a from-scratch project that had been hanging around for a couple of years and was finally released in concert with the arrival of new Swiss owners Marco Chiancianesi and Daniele Longoni.
Arguably the ultimate BMW/Bimota blend, the BB3 shoehorns a claimed 190-horsepower 999cc inline-four from the S1000RR into a classic, steel trellis frame. Side plates machined from aluminum billet clamp the rear engine mounts, solidly locating the swingarm pivot and double-link-actuated Öhlins shock.
Elegantly styled, the BB3 is alleged to be the hottest, best-performing Bimota ever. Steering-head angle is 25 degrees, wheelbase spans 56.3 inches, and claimed dry weight is 394 pounds. Seat height measures 32.6 in. Appealing numbers, for sure.
With exciting new ultra-high-performance sportbikes like the BB3 rolling off the assembly line, will Chiancianesi and Longoni be able to pluck Bimota from its historically low financial waters? We’ll have to wait and see.
