Bimota Motorcycle reviews

Having covered a good few miles on my bike, I can truely say I have yet to find a bike that beats it in all departments. My engine is lightly tuned at 143bhp at the back wheel and you can use the power. Standard brembo goldline brakes are great stoppers (not standard pads). I had the forks & rear shock setup to suit my riding style, awesome. It looks a bit dated, but still sexy & with under seat pipe & carbon fibre all over, this is a very special bike. Hope to have many more miles of fun on her. Show less

Stock SB6R's deliver 156HP at the crankshaft and 145HP at the rear wheel, but only weigh 449 pounds dry. My particular SB6 has been significantly updated to produce 184HP at the rear wheel. Although small bikes (though not as small as the SB6 or many other sport bikes), Bimota did a good job of design. They are beautiful, well crafted, and the most comfortable thoroughbred sport/racer I have owned. Quality of the fit and finish is what can be expected from a premium hand-made Italian motorcycle, and well in excess of production bikes from other manufacturers like Ducati, Triumph, Honda, Buell, Suzuki, etc. Particularly telling is the quality of the core components. While a Ducati might sit in the dealership with bent sheet-metal linkages and popped-out push-in jets, the Bimota keeps turning out well-machined laps. To be fair to the SB6R, it is more than an expensive Italian bike or simply an improved SB6, it is really a new bike altogether with many improvements from the original SB6, and numerous components taken from the best manufacturers in the world. Perhaps one of the best features overall, is the fact that Bimota uses the bullet-proof GSXR-1100 engine, and major performance components like Brembo brakes, Paioli Forks (although I favor Ohlins), Brembo master cylinder, etc. Any quality performance shop is able to provide service, and any Suzuki dealership can service the engine in the very unlikely event that a performance shop is not well acquainted with GSXR motors. The gearbox is solid and locks heavily into gear with a hard "clunk", but acceleration is smooth with ample power in low and mid-range RPM's. Roll into the throttle though, and the power comes on hard as you move into higher RPM's. This is a forgiving machine, but it isn't for amateurs. Red line is 11500. At 100MPH, the tachometer is still in the 5000 RPM range. 200MPH? Yes, and then some. The bodywork is exquisite, beautiful in form, and entirely made of carbon fiber. In fact, because of the structural strength of the carbon fiber tail, no rear frame is required; it is its own load-bearing structure. Problems/squawks: After updating the bike, a connector for the taillight was left loose. This was easily traced down and simply corrected in about 30 minutes with the use of a screwdriver and metric Allen wrench. The earlier SB6 had some issues with stress-cracks in the tail from bearing the weight of the rider in hard use (easily corrected by reinforcing the bolt holes with washers). The SB6R tail has been strengthened significantly at the mounting points, so this no longer seems to be an issue. Like any race-tuned machine, the SB6R is not designed to sit and idle, as this will tend to cause fouling. Either shut the engine down, or tweak the throttle periodically to "clear its throat". The steering damper is effective, but I have a preference for Ohlins dampers. The stock SB6R is delivered with a 190-50R17-rear tire and 120-70R17 front. In my opinion, 190's are too wide for the 5.5" Antera rim (Antera also makes the wheels for Ferrari). I feel that the 190's were specified for marketing reasons, as 190-200's are more "stylish". Bimota tried to use a 6" rim to support the wider tire, but found that handling was adversely impacted. Most serious racers don't run anything wider than 180's. The stock tires are Z-rated Michelin High-Sports. After the front began to "cup", I swapped them for Michelin Pilot H2's (120-70R17 front and 180-55R17 rear). The side stand is a bit short; adding maybe another 1/4"-1/2" might be beneficial. don't break anything on the bike. Parts are still available, but very expensive. If you are not a responsible motorcycle owner, look elsewhere...buy a Buell, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, or Kawasaki. Get a cheap crotch-rocket that you can abuse and then throw away. Overall: A great bike, superior to any other production sport/racer. Collectible, now is the time to buy a used or new-old-stock Bimota. Bimota declared bankruptcy in 2000 and stopped production, but the marquee is being revived and production appears to be restarting. In 2000-2003, remaining stocks of Bimotas were being dumped for ridiculously low prices. Now, Bimotas are back and winning races. The prices of used and NOS "Bimmers" is on the rise. Show less

Light, agile, fantastic brakes and suspension. Looks great and exclusive in a mass production world. Engine needs some work to get really well running, but when it's sorted out you don't miss the 20 hp less than a 748 or a 916. High speed cruising at 180-190 km/h is no problem and torque is massive. Still it really feels at home sharp curves and on a racetrack where you can go to the limit, that only is set by the tires. The framework of the bike itself has no limits a normal rider will go over. A beautiful bike to cherish, enjoy and never give away. Go get one now you still can find one. Show less

Our "almost stock" SB8R won the 2001 MRA Supertwins Championship against all the tricked out TLs, Ducatis and Aprilias - Pedro Bravo was the rider. We put on some Arrow mufflers, Marchesini wheels, Carbon Dream bodywork, PFM brake pads, braided brake lines and more aggressive rear-sets - no engine work! If that doesn't sum up what this bike is capable of... For the street rider there is one thing to be aware of - some of the bodywork is plastic (mixed with a lot of carbon fiber) and these plastic pieces have a tendency to stress crack at the bolt holes. One fix is to have them replicated in either carbon fiber or fiberglass, but if you don't have the $ to do so, you can epoxy a thin washer behind each bolt hole to help distribute the surface stress. This is a small problem that is easily overcome and shouldn't deter you from getting this bike. Show less

This bike deserves a 5 star rating on it's own merits but having ridden both the SB6 and the SB6R on the street I had to give it a 4 because it is no SB6. Performance wise, the SB6R is everything and then some - power comes on very abruptly, tips into corners with just a thought and the suspension is top notch. HOWEVER, if you park it next to a SB6, people will kick it over like it's a 996 just to get a better look at the SB6. Bimota should have called it the SB8 and the TL powered bike should have been the SB9 . The SB6 and SB6R share the same motor, chassis and similar suspension, but the two are miles apart visually - no wonder the SB6 was the most successful Bimota ever (unit sales wise). And of course the SB6 will hold its own on the street with any bike out there. If you can find either bike - grab it, but if you are lucky enough to choose between an SB6 and an SB6R - I know which I would take. Show less

Only got to ride the bike 2 miles in the city but in those few miles I experienced a lot. 1. The motor, chassis, ergonomics and suspension are all top notch. The DB3 Mantra shares the same motor, chassis and suspension with the DB4 racer. Awesome torque and very comfortable but still "sporty" riding position. 2. The four pipe system sounds great - pulled up next to some "harley dudes" at a stop light and they started tripping out on the bike and complimented the "noise". I think a little creative drilling could add something to the note. 3. I parked it on the street within a line up of bikes, initially with the OEM mirrors on it - comments were varied between "ugh" to "ok." I then yanked the mirrors off and the comments changed to "whoa - that's wicked!" Hope the mirror guy got fired. Show less

By my definition of "sport bike", this has to be the best ever produced - well, once you put the "performance kit" on it an a few other minor modifications, that is. It's shockingly beautiful, feather-light, super torquey and handles like a R6. Though it won't hang with the big bikes in long 100+ mph straights, it will leave them all hanging in the canyons. And talk about wheelies! There is a reason it has a solo seat - you couldn't enjoy the abilities of this bike if you had a passenger on back. Show less

Tested this beautifully proportioned and crafted Italian exotic. Indeed easily THE best handling sports bike around, bar none. And I tested virtually all contenders thanks to some time off when changing jobs. Have unfortunately not tried the later fuel injected versions, which should relieve some of the concern (irregular running at low enigine speed resulting in driveline chatter)of the carb engine. Other than that quibble, I can't imagine any bike going around a particurarly twisty mountain road any faster than this one. It seems to tiptoe - but in a very sure way - it's way around. Never ridden a bike that felt so light and nimble. Needs to be experienced to be grasped. Pure Art On Wheels as far as form goes. Lovely frame, lovely shape, perfect proportions and ergonomics. Beautiful double exhaust (though it's seems more restrictive than necessary or wanted). Bike does not really need more power; if you can use all it's got on the twisties, you're going pretty fast for public roads! Show less

It's easily the best-handling road bike around. I've ridden all the sports bikes and the DB4 as some thing special. You can go harder, with less trouble, than any of the sharp powerful sports bikes. A totally sane but insane bike to ride. Pity this bike doesn't save Bimota! My business partner has one and my brother will replace his db1 with one soon. Here in Australia they are excellent value. Same price as a 748 Ducati but not everyone can see the value with the two-valve motor. Ciao from Sydney. Show less