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Difference between revisions of "Bimota DB3 Mantra"
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This is a Bimota, after all, and that oval-section alloy frame looks massively rigid. But handling was less quick steering than previous Rimini bikes. Presumably that was intention, as the Mantra is aimed at city dwellers and sports touring types who wouldn't normally consider a Bimota.Not that you'd suspect a thing from a glance at the spec sheet. With 24 degrees of rake, trail of just 92mm and wheelbase of 1370mm, this bike's vital statistics are almost identical to those of the super-sports DB2. Adjusting the length of the Paioli rear shock, though, so those steering geometry figures are only approximate, can alter geometry. The bike I rode was set up to turn fairly quickly and easily, but required noticeably more effort than the ultra-[[flickable]] DB2.The multi-adjustable shock sits diagonally on the right of the bike and is worked directly by the oval-section alloy swing-arm. Front suspension is similar to that used by other Bimota models, with 43mm diameter Paioli forks whose sliders are machined from solid billet.Both ends were softly sprung, at least by Bimota standards, and superbly controlled, making the bumpy hill roads south of Rimini feel deceptively smooth. Either that, or they'd all been resurfaced since my last visit. If anything the forks were slightly soft for aggressive riding, using up much of their travel under hard braking. In the absence of spring preload adjusters (optional kits are available for both preload and rebound damping), winding on a little extra compression damping helped slightly | This is a Bimota, after all, and that oval-section alloy frame looks massively rigid. But handling was less quick steering than previous Rimini bikes. Presumably that was intention, as the Mantra is aimed at city dwellers and sports touring types who wouldn't normally consider a Bimota.Not that you'd suspect a thing from a glance at the spec sheet. With 24 degrees of rake, trail of just 92mm and wheelbase of 1370mm, this bike's vital statistics are almost identical to those of the super-sports DB2. Adjusting the length of the Paioli rear shock, though, so those steering geometry figures are only approximate, can alter geometry. The bike I rode was set up to turn fairly quickly and easily, but required noticeably more effort than the ultra-[[flickable]] DB2.The multi-adjustable shock sits diagonally on the right of the bike and is worked directly by the oval-section alloy swing-arm. Front suspension is similar to that used by other Bimota models, with 43mm diameter Paioli forks whose sliders are machined from solid billet.Both ends were softly sprung, at least by Bimota standards, and superbly controlled, making the bumpy hill roads south of Rimini feel deceptively smooth. Either that, or they'd all been resurfaced since my last visit. If anything the forks were slightly soft for aggressive riding, using up much of their travel under hard braking. In the absence of spring preload adjusters (optional kits are available for both preload and rebound damping), winding on a little extra compression damping helped slightly | ||
[[Image:Bimota DB3 Mantra 4.jpg|400px|thumb|Bimota DB3 Mantra 4]] | [[Image:Bimota DB3 Mantra 4.jpg|400px|thumb|Bimota DB3 Mantra 4]] | ||
The Mantra certainly stopped as fiercely as any race-replica, too, thanks to its light weight plus a front brake combination of twin 320mm floating discs and four-pot Brembo [[caliper]]s, backed up by a 230mm rear disc. Its 17-inch wheels wore fat Michelin Macadam's, which gripped well although they're not pure sports tires. Ground clearance was excellent, with just a corner of the belly-pan touching down under extreme provocation.Despite its relaxed riding position and slightly slower steering, there's no doubt that the Mantra is a seriously quick machine that, if well set-up and ridden hard, could keep up with most sports bikes. It's a true Bimota, even if it doesn't look anything like any of the others.All of which, of course, is pretty much what its creators intended. The Mantra achieves Bimota's aim of broadening the marque's appeal, providing great performance and handling in a stunning visual package that some riders will love, others will hate and few will ignore.Naturally it's also expensive, costing considerably more than Ducati's similarly powered M900 Monster. But for riders who've always appreciated Bimota's dedication to high performance and engineering excellence, and prefer a more rounded bike to the normal Rimini diet of racy sportsters, the Mantra could just be the answer.}} | The Mantra certainly stopped as fiercely as any race-replica, too, thanks to its light weight plus a front brake combination of twin 320mm floating discs and four-pot Brembo [[caliper]]s, backed up by a 230mm rear disc. Its 17-inch wheels wore fat Michelin Macadam's, which gripped well although they're not pure sports tires. Ground clearance was excellent, with just a corner of the belly-pan touching down under extreme provocation.Despite its relaxed riding position and slightly slower steering, there's no doubt that the Mantra is a seriously quick machine that, if well set-up and ridden hard, could keep up with most sports bikes. It's a true Bimota, even if it doesn't look anything like any of the others.All of which, of course, is pretty much what its creators intended. The Mantra achieves Bimota's aim of broadening the [[marque]]'s appeal, providing great performance and handling in a stunning visual package that some riders will love, others will hate and few will ignore.Naturally it's also expensive, costing considerably more than Ducati's similarly powered M900 Monster. But for riders who've always appreciated Bimota's dedication to high performance and engineering excellence, and prefer a more rounded bike to the normal Rimini diet of racy sportsters, the Mantra could just be the answer.}} | ||
{{cquote|Designed by Frenchman Sacha Lakic, the Mantra was one of the most unusually styled motorcycles of the mid to late 90's. Using a standard 904 cc M900 engine with a special four-muffler exhaust system, the output was 85.7 bhp at 7000 rpm. Every other component was different to the M900, and the Mantra was lighter and more compact. The trellis frame was constructed of oval section tubes, with a cantilever aluminium swing arm ands single Paioli rear shock absorber. This gave a wheelbase of 1370 mm (53.9 inches). Front forks were 43 mm Paioli, these providing rebound adjustments. The wheels were black painted 17 inch Marchesini fitted with 120/70ZR17 TX11 and 180/55ZR17 TX23 tyres. Though fully floating cast iron 320 mm Brembo front discs were featured on the publicity vehicles, the front brakes were standard 320 mm stainless steel discs with the usual Brembo P4 30/34 [[caliper]]s. At the rear was a 230 mm disc with a brembo 05 Gold series [[caliper]]. | {{cquote|Designed by Frenchman Sacha Lakic, the Mantra was one of the most unusually styled motorcycles of the mid to late 90's. Using a standard 904 cc M900 engine with a special four-muffler exhaust system, the output was 85.7 bhp at 7000 rpm. Every other component was different to the M900, and the Mantra was lighter and more compact. The trellis frame was constructed of oval section tubes, with a cantilever aluminium swing arm ands single Paioli rear shock absorber. This gave a wheelbase of 1370 mm (53.9 inches). Front forks were 43 mm Paioli, these providing rebound adjustments. The wheels were black painted 17 inch Marchesini fitted with 120/70ZR17 TX11 and 180/55ZR17 TX23 tyres. Though fully floating cast iron 320 mm Brembo front discs were featured on the publicity vehicles, the front brakes were standard 320 mm stainless steel discs with the usual Brembo P4 30/34 [[caliper]]s. At the rear was a 230 mm disc with a brembo 05 Gold series [[caliper]]. | ||