Bimota Motorcycles with BMW S1000RR Powerplant
At this week’s EICMA in Milan, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Bimota will unveil the initial concept for its newest inline-four sportbike, which is yet to be named.
Though not a lot of details were released, BMW Motorrad confirmed that it will supply S1000RR engines to Bimota for the new machine.
By selecting the inline 4-cylinder power unit of the BMW S 1000 RR, Bimota has gone for the technologically most innovative straight-four engine currently available. Its low weight of just 59.8 kilograms (132 lbs.), an output of 142 kW (193 bhp) at 13,000 rpm and an extremely speed-resistant valve gear with two overhead camshafts and weight-optimised cam followers make it the perfect power source for the new Bimota project.
Bimota boasts a long tradition of 4-cylinder supersports motorcycles. The very first Bimota models back in the 1970s were powered by in-line 4-cylinder engines. For around four decades, the name Bimota has stood for technologically innovative and painstakingly crafted supersports bikes made for motorcycle enthusiasts – in spite of an eventful history.
BMW Motorrad and Bimota engaged in a collaborative partnership once before. In 1995 the Italian company presented the BB1 Supermono, a supersports single-cylinder model powered by the engine of the BMW F 650.
The BB1 Supermono with BMW engine had an output of 35 kW (48 bhp), weighed just 167 kilograms (368 lbs) and achieved a top speed of 196 km/h (122mph). Only 376 of this light supersport were built between 1995 and 1996.
Pic of a Bimota DB8
