1980 Bimota SB-3 for Sale
Posted on July 18, 2013 by tad
Well here’s a bit of a rare thing. This 1980 Bimota SB-3 was considered a pretty seriously rare piece of kit in its day, and is even more so now. And when I say “kit”, I mean that exactly: Bimota shipped the bikes sans powertrain, and the buyer had to supply a donor bike for the engine and some other assorted bits.
Powered by Suzuki’s powerful GS1000 motor and transmission, the SB-3 combined reliable Japanese four-cylinder power with sophisticated frame and suspension geometry, then cloaked it futuristic, aerodynamic bodywork. Take a look at that one-piece tank cover and tail section!
Most of the eBay listing is just specs for the bike: 1980 Bimota SB-3 for Sale
Bimota SB3 1980 Bimota SB-3 #118 of 402 built. Very rare Bimota in perfect condition. Please see photos for vehicle condition. The odometer is shown in kilometers = 2503 miles.
This bike is ex-Hodgson and is now in my Bimota collection.
If you’re not familiar with them, except as makers of angular, forkless, Ducati-powered exotica, the name Bimota was derived from the three founders; Valerio BIanchi, Giuseppe MOrri, and Massimo TAmburini. Bimota was originally established in 1966, but not as a motorcycle manufacturer: they specialized in heating and air-conditioning systems.
In the 70’s and 80’s, many of the major manufacturers were still figuring out frame and suspension technology and, while their machines often had powerful, reliable engines, their handling was sometimes lacking. This allowed small, boutique companies to step in and provide frame and bodywork kits to fit existing powertrains.
Bimota first wrapped its innovative, stiff frames and swoopy, aerodynamic bodywork around the Honda-powered HB-1 in 1973 and the rest is history.
For your edification: the first letter in any Bimota’s name indicates the motor manufacturer, the second is for “Bimota”, and the number indicates how many bikes have powered by that manufacturer. So a Bimota DB-5 would be the fifth Bimota with a Ducati motor.
Bimota has been in-and-out of bankruptcy several times since its creation, but it currently offers a broad lineup of achingly beautiful machines. Handling deficiencies in modern motorcycles can generally be handled by minor or significant suspension upgrades, so Bimota has focused instead on innovative design and exotic construction to sell bikes..
Just 402 of these were supposedly made, and they don’t come up for sale very often. While contemporary reviewers criticized the suspension as being far too harsh for the street, a bike this valuable and rare is reasonably more of a museum piece than a rider. But I’ll bet a set of updated forks and a new shock would make this into something that could compete with modern machinery at the track…
1977 Bimota SB-2 for Sale
Posted on December 20, 2012 by tad
Well this is something you don’t see everyday: a swoopy Italian confection with a Japanese heart from that era of synthetic fabrics and bottoms of bell, the 1970′s. Some consider the fashion and style of this era at a nearly all-time low. But while the clothing of the 1970′s is still considered by some to be laughably tacky, chances are no one would have noticed whatever disco-riffic rayon abomination you were wearing if you showed up on something like this.
1970′s fashion was of debatable taste, but the era spawned some undeniably gorgeous cars and motorcycles.
For a detailed history of the SB-2 copy-and-pasted from the interwebs, hop on over to the original eBay listing: 1977 Bimota SB-2 for Sale.
The name Bimota was derived from the three founders; Valerio BIanchi, Giuseppe MOrri, and Massimo TAmburini. Bimota was established in 1966 and specialized in heating and air-conditioning systems. They got their start working with motorcycles by wrapping innovative, stiff, and light frames around reliable and powerful Japanese motors, beginning with the Honda-powered HB-1 in 1973.
If you’re seeing a pattern here with the alpha-numeric naming, you win a wide-collar, polyester paisley sports shirt: the first letter indicates the motor manufacturer, the second is for “Bimota”, and the number indicates how many bikes have powered by that manufacturer. So a Bimota DB-5 would be the fifth Bimota with a Ducati motor.
Like many Italian manufacturers, Bimota has been in-and-out of bankruptcy since its creation, but it currently offers a broad lineup of achingly exotic machines, including a new BMW-powered bike.
I really love the way the seat clings to the self-supporting, aluminum one-piece seat and tank. And check out those cool quick-release straps on the sides! The frame, really one of the bike’s most innovative features, looks amazing when shorn of bodywork to reveal the monoshock rear suspension and tightly wrapped engine.
Lighter and better-handling than the original Suzuki GS750 that donated its motive force, the bike was almost impossibly far ahead of its time.
The “Buy-It-Now” price is at $48,000 with current bidding at $35,500 with “Reserve Not Met” still mocking us with its blue lettering. I’ve no idea what these are currently worth, as they only rarely come up for sale. But with only about 100 ever built by one of the most storied manufacturers in history, this is surely a rare opportunity.
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