The Bimota is a small Italian manufacturer of production and custom motorcycles. The Bimota was founded in Rimini, Italy by Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri, and Massimo Tamburini. The company name is a combination derived from the first two letters of each of the surnames of the three founders, Bianchi Morri Tamburini.

Bimota DB 8

Bimota Logo

The state of the frame design was stagnant, Bimota initially focused on building high-quality motorcycle chassis around existing engines. From the beginning, they customized the top models of Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki. During the 1970s, Bimota also helped develop and build Lamborghinis-branded motorcycles.  In the 1980s they also customized Yamaha and Ducati motorcycles.

The co-founder of Bimota and chief designer for a long time, Tamburini has been an influential player in the development of other Italian brands, especially his work on the popular Ducati 916, Ducati Paso, and MV Agusta F4 other designers such as the current head of Bimota, Sergio Robbiano, have also been involved with high-volume manufacturers. The latest Bimota models include the DB5, DB6, DB7, DB9, and the Tesi, with a Ducati 1198 engine-powered DB8. in production that used the direction of the center of the nucleus.

Bimota first experienced the success of international racing in 1980 when Jon Ekerold, a true privateer, won the 350cc World Championship with a Yamaha-powered. They also experienced success in the early years of the World Superbike Championship. Virginio Ferrari won the  Formula TT title aboard a YB4 EI, partnering with Davide Tardozzi. Tardozzi won five races at the inaugural  World Superbike Championships, more than any other competitor, but inconsistent results relegated him to third place in the final standings.

After many unsuccessful years, Australian driver Anthony Gobert made a big impact in 2000 by winning a wet race on Philip Island with a Bimota SB8K. The Alstare team introduced a Bimota BB3 package to the World Superbikes in 2014 for riders Ayrton Badovini and Christian Iddon, but initially, the bike did not have enough units in production to pass the championship approval rules. As a compromise, motorcycles were allowed to enter the second round but were not eligible for points until approval was obtained. At the end of the year, the team ended up unclassified and disqualified.

The Bimota had a design defect with its engine. Bimota was forced to abandon the new fuel injection system and the entire engine.  Bimota finally remembered the whole run of the Bimota and made an improved version, the Evolution. Only 340  Two originals and 21 Evoluzione were built.  While this was happening, during the World Superbike 2000 season, one of the main sponsors of Bimota disappeared, due to the company’s lot of money. The combination of events forced Bimota to declare bankruptcy and close its doors. A new group of investors bought the rights to the Bimota name and designs and restarted the company.

The investors who bought Bimota, Marco Chiancianesi who is the current president, and his business partner Daniele Longoni are both active Scientologists. Recent reports paint a less optimistic outlook for Bimota’s future. The Rimini factory had closed,  with incomplete spare parts and bicycles elsewhere, possibly in Switzerland. Kawasaki Heavy Industries bought a 49% stake in the company and shortly thereafter announced its intention to manufacture Bimota bicycles with parts of the Kawasaki supply chain.

Bimota Impeto

The Bimota was a 500 cc V-twin two-stroke motorcycle first manufactured by Bimota. Technical specifications included the first electronically controlled direct fuel injection on a two-stroke bicycle, gearbox type cassette, and dry clutch. Its power-to-weight ratio surpassed nearly all sportbikes of the time. The first series of production of 150 bicycles suffered major problems, such as oil leaks, clogged pistons, and intermittent power supply. Many new owners simply returned their bikes at this time. Bimota managed to fix most of the initial breakdowns and made 26 units, but not all of them were legal on the road. Bimota renounced its problematic electronic fuel injection and equipped carburetors, first producing the illegal Evoluzione Corsa model for the road, of which only 14 were produced, and finally the legal Evoluzione model for the road of which 120 were produced and sold. Because of their rarity, most of V Two are in the hands of collectors.