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Difference between revisions of "Bimota DB2"
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There is some detectable stiction when you brake hard into a turn, but to be honest this was not enough to freeze the suspension or affect response. Even when panic-stopping downhill into a tight hairpin corrugated with bumps which Gianluca had lured me into at what felt like the speed of sound they were fine. Bet he also arranged for the Alfa 75 driver that headed round the bend halfway over the white line just as I got there, necessitating a quick tug on the bars and a swift change if direction. Yes I know - it is the show bike, right? The only one in existence, I wonder how quickly the truck would have arrived to pick up the Tesi if I had decked the DB2? | There is some detectable stiction when you brake hard into a turn, but to be honest this was not enough to freeze the suspension or affect response. Even when panic-stopping downhill into a tight hairpin corrugated with bumps which Gianluca had lured me into at what felt like the speed of sound they were fine. Bet he also arranged for the Alfa 75 driver that headed round the bend halfway over the white line just as I got there, necessitating a quick tug on the bars and a swift change if direction. Yes I know - it is the show bike, right? The only one in existence, I wonder how quickly the truck would have arrived to pick up the Tesi if I had decked the DB2? | ||
With its conventional forks the DB2 does not brake as well as the Tesi of course, but it has a pretty good stab at it thanks to its lighter weight (168 kgs dry, against 184 kgs for the 900ss) and the same massive 320mm Brembo's up front, gripped by four pot | With its conventional forks the DB2 does not brake as well as the Tesi of course, but it has a pretty good stab at it thanks to its lighter weight (168 kgs dry, against 184 kgs for the 900ss) and the same massive 320mm Brembo's up front, gripped by four pot [[caliper]]s. However, the fact that the discs are fixed and not floating, plus the budget priced master cylinder and [[caliper]]s, make the DB2's brakes all or nothing. It stops very well: only the amount of effort required to make the bike do so is unexpectedly high. And at least unlike the DB1 with its fat little tyres, it does not sit up and head for the hedges if you brake on the angle into a turn. How did we put up with that nonsense for so long? Where the DB2 really comes into its own, is the fabulous handling in fast or medium speed turns, this is the true ticket to hustler's heaven. Marconi's combination of 23.5 degree head angle and 97mm trail hits the difficult target of combining superb high speed stability round fats turns, with surefooted, quick turning handling in slower bends. | ||
He seems to have maximised the inherent advantages of a lengthways V Twin by concocting a slim agile machine that just flows through turns without undue rider effort. To me, the DB2 is more a descendant of the Pantah engined generation than the 900ss in the sense that it does not have so many inherent compromises. Hard nosed yes, even narrow focused, in the way the old 900ss or even the DB1 and Ducati F1 were. The DB2 is actually a very practical motorcycle for everyday use though, not a term one has been able to apply for a long time, apart from the two-seat Bellaria. No chance of a pillion pad on the DB2, look at those exhausts! | He seems to have maximised the inherent advantages of a lengthways V Twin by concocting a slim agile machine that just flows through turns without undue rider effort. To me, the DB2 is more a descendant of the Pantah engined generation than the 900ss in the sense that it does not have so many inherent compromises. Hard nosed yes, even narrow focused, in the way the old 900ss or even the DB1 and Ducati F1 were. The DB2 is actually a very practical motorcycle for everyday use though, not a term one has been able to apply for a long time, apart from the two-seat Bellaria. No chance of a pillion pad on the DB2, look at those exhausts! | ||
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Following the success of the 750 F1 engines DB1 of 1985; Bimota reached an agreement with Ducati for the company to supply 900 Supersport engines for the second Ducati-Bimota, the DB2, during 1993. Designed by Pierluigi Marconi, and first displayed at the Cologne Show at the end of 1992, the DB2 used a red painted steel trellis frame with cantilever swing arm, and pioneered the twin exhaust exiting underneath the seat. Unlike the DB1, though, the bodywork was not full coverage, and two versions of the machine was available, one with a full fairing and the other with a half-fairing and belly pan. While the engine was a stock 900 Supersport, a different air filter for the Mikuni carburettors and the exhaust system saw the power increase slightly to 75 bhp at 7000 rpm. Compared to the DB1, however, the DB2 lacked many of the finely crafted individual components and shared more with the stock Ducati. Where the DB2 was superior was in the suspension. | Following the success of the 750 F1 engines DB1 of 1985; Bimota reached an agreement with Ducati for the company to supply 900 Supersport engines for the second Ducati-Bimota, the DB2, during 1993. Designed by Pierluigi Marconi, and first displayed at the Cologne Show at the end of 1992, the DB2 used a red painted steel trellis frame with cantilever swing arm, and pioneered the twin exhaust exiting underneath the seat. Unlike the DB1, though, the bodywork was not full coverage, and two versions of the machine was available, one with a full fairing and the other with a half-fairing and belly pan. While the engine was a stock 900 Supersport, a different air filter for the Mikuni carburettors and the exhaust system saw the power increase slightly to 75 bhp at 7000 rpm. Compared to the DB1, however, the DB2 lacked many of the finely crafted individual components and shared more with the stock Ducati. Where the DB2 was superior was in the suspension. | ||
The front forks were 43 mm Paioli, while not being upside down they were high quality and provided compression and rebound damping adjustment. At the rear the cantilever suspension was controlled by a single Ohlin's shock absorber, offset to the right to allow for the routing of the exhaust. The white painted wheels were 17 inch shod with Michelin 120/70 ZR17 TX11 and 180/55 ZR17 TX23 tyres. Front brakes were 320 mm fully floating cast iron discs with the usual street specification Gold P4 30/34 Brembo | The front forks were 43 mm Paioli, while not being upside down they were high quality and provided compression and rebound damping adjustment. At the rear the cantilever suspension was controlled by a single Ohlin's shock absorber, offset to the right to allow for the routing of the exhaust. The white painted wheels were 17 inch shod with Michelin 120/70 ZR17 TX11 and 180/55 ZR17 TX23 tyres. Front brakes were 320 mm fully floating cast iron discs with the usual street specification Gold P4 30/34 Brembo [[caliper]]s. At the rear was a 230 mm disc and Brembo 05 [[caliper]]. Surprisingly, the brake and clutch master cylinders were the standard Ducati budget items. | ||
Dry weight was a claimed 168 kgs (370 lbs), and the wheelbase was only 1370 mm (54 inches). The steering was also quicker than a Superlight, with a 23-degree steering head angle with 3.8 inches (96.5mm) of trail. A six speed, 49 bhp 400cc DB2J (Junior) was also produced, tis being identical to the larger version but for a single front disc brake and narrower (4.5 inch) rear wheel. Production of the DB2 between 1993 and 1995 was 408 units. | Dry weight was a claimed 168 kgs (370 lbs), and the wheelbase was only 1370 mm (54 inches). The steering was also quicker than a Superlight, with a 23-degree steering head angle with 3.8 inches (96.5mm) of trail. A six speed, 49 bhp 400cc DB2J (Junior) was also produced, tis being identical to the larger version but for a single front disc brake and narrower (4.5 inch) rear wheel. Production of the DB2 between 1993 and 1995 was 408 units. | ||
In 1994 a fuel injected DB2 sr became available, offering an increase in bhp to 89.4 at 7500 rpm. As Ducati was not yet offering an electronic fuel injection system for the two valve, air cooled engine, Bimota used its own TTD system. The colours of the DB2 sr were more radical, with either purple red and white or red white or green. Both the wheels and frame now black. A wide range of accessories were available for the DB2 sr. These included an engine tuning kit, suspension modification kit including spacer and springs, carbon mufflers. 157 DB2 sr were produced between 1994 and 1996. The final series DB2 was the EF (Edizione Finale) of 1997-8. Painted black and silver, with a red frame, this had polished Marvic aluminium wheels. Only 100 were produced, presumably to use up spare parts, each carried a numbered plaque. | In 1994 a fuel injected DB2 sr became available, offering an increase in bhp to 89.4 at 7500 rpm. As Ducati was not yet offering an electronic fuel injection system for the two valve, air cooled engine, Bimota used its own TTD system. The colours of the DB2 sr were more radical, with either purple red and white or red white or green. Both the wheels and frame now black. A wide range of accessories were available for the DB2 sr. These included an engine tuning kit, suspension modification kit including spacer and springs, carbon mufflers. 157 DB2 sr were produced between 1994 and 1996. The final series DB2 was the EF (Edizione Finale) of 1997-8. Painted black and silver, with a red frame, this had polished Marvic aluminium wheels. Only 100 were produced, presumably to use up spare parts, each carried a numbered plaque. | ||