Bimota is selling motorcycles in the United States again, and this time the bikes are street legal in all 50 states. Two models are in stock now, and we have the prices: the KB998 Rimini, a World Superbike homologation special at $65,399 MSRP, and the hub-steered Tesi H2 at $76,349. Three more models are due later this year: the Tesi H2 TERA, the KB4, and the KB4RC.
Bimota Spirit of Raleigh, North Carolina, is the exclusive US dealer for the iconic Italian brand headquartered in Rimini. Kawasaki has held a 49.9% stake in Bimota since 2019, with Italian ownership retaining the majority.
For years, the only way to get a late-model Bimota in the US was through gray-market channels or as a 49-state bike that California would not register. The current machines are homologated by Bimota USA and can be titled anywhere in the country. Bimota Spirit ships to all 48 contiguous states.
The Dealer: Bimota Spirit
Bimota Spirit is not a new arrival on the scene. Bob Steinbugler has been buying, selling, restoring, and collecting Bimotas since the late 1970s, and Bimota Spirit was the brand’s official US dealer before Kawasaki invested in the company. His son Sean, a mechanic, builder, and track rider, is now co-owner and runs the restoration and service side.
“For more than 50 years, Bimota has been designing emotions,” Steinbugler writes on the company’s website, “and for the last 46 years, we at Bimota Spirit have been dedicated to collecting and preserving these ‘emotions’ — to be one of the stewards of the ‘spirit’ of the company that built ‘no-compromise motorcycles for enthusiasts who wanted nothing less than the best!’”
The operation splits into three parts:
The dealership sells new bikes from a showroom in Raleigh’s ArtMoto complex; parts and service extend back to the earliest Bimotas.
Bimota Spirit’s Atelier arm restores, services, and customizes older machines, along with building bespoke Vyrus motorcycles. Bimota Spirit is also the official US representative for Vyrus.
The third piece is a museum of motorcycles, photographs, factory documents, and racing memorabilia that Steinbugler started when he bought his first Bimota, a Tesi 1D SR, in 1992. Bob and his wife Gayle have since put the collection into the Bob and Gayle Steinbugler Motorcycle Foundation, a nonprofit set up to keep it together permanently. The physical museum stays open in Raleigh while the couple digitizes the archive for remote access.
Availability and Pricing
Available now:
Bimota KB998 Rimini: $65,399 MSRP
Bimota Tesi H2: $76,349
KB998 Rimini: Winglets That Move
The KB998 Rimini exists because Bimota needed 500 street bikes to go World Superbike racing. Those 500 are being built over three years. The racing version is the factory Kawasaki entry, run as Rimini Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team with Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani riding.
The engine is Kawasaki’s ZX-10RR inline-four, the platform behind seven WorldSBK riders’ titles. In US trim, Bimota Spirit quotes 197 horsepower and 82 lb-ft of torque, with a curb weight of 427 pounds. Bimota’s European figures put peak power at 200 horsepower at 13,600 rpm. A close-ratio gearbox and a titanium Akrapovič muffler built specifically for this model round out the package.
What makes it a Bimota is everything wrapped around that engine. The frame is a one-off chromium-molybdenum steel trellis, and the swingarm is billet aluminum. The suspension is Showa’s WorldSBK-derived kit, a 43mm Balance Free Fork and a BFRC lite shock. Marchesini forged wheels, Brembo M50 monobloc calipers, and Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tires handle the rest. Every frame and body panel is hand-painted in Rimini.
The headline piece is the aerodynamics. The KB998 Rimini is the first production motorcycle with variable winglets. The outer sections of the front wings pivot on electronic command, with no input from the rider. At high speed and small steering angles, they lie flat to cut drag; on a twisty road, they angle up for downforce. A dedicated control unit from Athena’s GET electronics division reads the bike’s sensors and makes the call in real time.
Tesi H2: Fork Off
The Tesi H2 is Bimota’s signature motorcycle, and its most expensive. Instead of a fork, steering happens at the front hub, on a swingarm that bolts straight to the engine through machined alloy pivot plates. A bonded carbon-fiber bridge ties the two sides together for balanced stiffness.
The design separates steering from suspension. A conventional fork dives under braking. That changes rake, trail, and ride height at the exact moment a rider is asking the front tire for the most grip. The Tesi layout barely dives at all. Its swingarm pivot pushes braking loads into the chassis instead of compressing the front end, so steering feel stays consistent from turn-in to apex. Fully adjustable Öhlins shocks handle suspension at both ends. Eccentric adjusters let owners change ride height and footpeg position.
The engine is Kawasaki’s supercharged 998cc inline-four from the Ninja H2. Bimota’s stock claim is 231 horsepower at 11,500 rpm, rising to 242 horses with ram air. US-bound Tesi H2s arrive with a full-titanium Arrow exhaust and a map developed by Bimota Spirit that the dealer says lifts output to 245 horsepower while retaining street legality. Track day riders can remove the muffler baffle and bag 259 horsepower. Bimota Spirit also offers a $5000 supercharger upgrade that raises boost and claims 295 horsepower.
The suite of IMU-informed electronic rider aids is from Kawasaki and includes cornering management, traction control, launch control, engine braking control, and a quickshifter.
Brembo Stylema radial monobloc calipers work on 330mm front discs. Bridgestone Battlax RS11 tires and a full-color TFT display finish it. Each US Tesi H2 also ships with a bespoke rear stand, a work stand, and three special tools.
The bodywork and the fuel tank cover are carbon fiber, allowing a curb weight of about 472 pounds. The Tesi H2 is available in two colorways: Carbon and Tricolore.
Bimota Spirit says the US bikes are the last of the 250 Tesi H2s ever built.
Expected Late 2026
Bimota Tesi H2 TERA: $56,399 MSRP
Bimota KB4: $53,199
Bimota KB4RC: $50,999
The TERA is a supercharged adventure-crossover on the Tesi chassis. The KB4 is a faired sportbike, and the KB4RC is its café-racer naked sibling. Both KB4 variants use a 1043cc inline-four with the radiator under the passenger seat, a layout that buys an unusually short wheelbase. We will tell you more about these models when they become available.
How to Buy One
If you want to visit in person, Bimota Spirit is at 5151 Old Timber Road in Raleigh, North Carolina. You can also contact the company by Phone (919-247-8514), email, or the website.
The 2026 Harley-Davidson Deadwood is the newest cruiser in the Softail lineup, and it arrives with a familiar recipe. The Motor Company took the Heritage Classic, lowered the rear end, chopped the windshield, fitted a solo seat, and painted nearly everything Denim Black. The name comes from the Black Hills town with an outlaw history of its own and a strong connection to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Don Williams goes riding and discovers what the 2026 Harley-Davidson Deadwood is all about.
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Speaking of rallies, here’s one you absolutely cannot miss—yes, we’re rapidly approaching the 34th Annual Biketoberfest Rally in Daytona Beach, sunny Florida.Biketoberfest this year runs October 15th through the 18th. We take a few minutes to chat with Lori Campbell-Baker and Brian Bentley from the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Biketoberfest is all about the beautiful Florida weather, live music, the industry’s top vendors, bike shows, and motorcycle racing at Daytona International Speedway. And don’t forget, there are miles of spectacular rides along the famous A1A, the historic Main Street and the Ormond Beach Scenic Loop. There really is something for everyone here, and almost every event and attraction is free to attend. So, if you want a fun few days out in the Florida sunshine, Biketoberfest really is the place to be. Make sure you download the Biketoberfest mobile App from Apple or Google Play or visit www.biketoberfest.orgfor more details.
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Keith Code founded the California Superbike School in 1980, and it has subsequently grown to be the largest motorcycle track training school in the world. Teejay Adams is an experienced rider, but has still found that she has hangups and limitations to her riding. So, she called Keith’s son Dylan, who now runs the Superbike School with his wife Lara. Teejay went to the 2-day school at the Ridge racetrack in Washington state recently, and absolutely loved it. She tells us exactly what she found out and how it has helped her riding.
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Here’s quick reminder to check out our monthly digital magazine. It’s filled with everything you want to read on motorcycling, including some things you’ve probably not seen elsewhere. It’s absolutely free and you will find it on the Apple App Store and of course on Google Play as well.
Don’t forget to leave us your comments on our social media—we’re on all the usual platforms at Ultimate Motorcycling. We love hearing your feedback… so good or bad, please let us know what you think. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, we’d love to hear those ideas too!
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