Difference between revisions of "Bimota DB2"

The DB2 won't be cheap, you can be sure of that. But it will be much less expensive than models such as the Tesi and Furano. It is intended to sell in big numbers, at least by Bimota standards.The format is simple, and similar to that of the DB1. Take a suitably charismatic two-valve V-twin from Bologna, in this case the air/oilcooled motor from the 900SS. Resist the temptation to meddle with its internals but tune slightly, with airbox mods and a new exhaust system, to give a couple of extra horses and a peak output of 75bhp at 7000rpm.Bolt the engine into a ladder frame of chrome-molybdenum steel, similar to the standard Ducati trellis but with racier steering geometry. Equip with high-quality suspension parts - innovative Paioli forks, a multi-adjustable rear Ohlins unit - plus top-notch wheels, brakes and tyres. Complete the package with striking bodywork and meticulous detailing.For my money this bike doesn't quite match the sensational looks of the DB1.. Perhaps there's a little too much Yamaha in the front end, which uses a headlight obviously sourced from an FZR. I wasn't keen on the maroon colour-scheme, either, especially the way it clashed with the scarlet frame tubes.

The exhaust runs up past the Ohlins shock, which sits at a 45-degree angle and like the standard SS's Showa uses no linkage system; instead it gains some [[rising-rate]] from a dual-rate spring. The DB2 swing-arm pivots on the crankcase, in familiar fashion, although the swinger itself is made of steel instead of aluminium.Dimensions at the rear are unchanged, but at the front the forks are steepened from the 900SS's 25 degrees to just 23.5 degrees, Bimota's most radical roadster geometry yet. This trims trail from 103 to 95mm, and wheelbase is reduced by 40mm to just 1370mm. Weight distribution is evenly spread between front and rear wheels.Forks are 41mm Paiolis that look conventional but, like upside-down units, hold their damping mechanisms in the top part of each leg. Sliders are machined from billet aluminium, allowing a further reduction in unsprung weight. Each leg contains both compression and rebound damping, but adjustment is by just two fork-top screws: left leg for compression, right for rebound.The forks are held in a typical monogrammed Bimota top yoke, complete with choke knob in the centre. Alloy clip-ons are Bimota's own, too, and give a slightly lower, more aggressive riding position than the standard SS crouch.

So if the Martini designed DB1 Was bimota's entry-level bike for the 1980's, the DB2 is not only its 1990's counterpart, but his successor Pierluigi Marconi's variation on the theme. As such, the two bikes are completely different hardware, even though the DB2 like its predecessor employs a chrome moly tubular steel space frame rather than a fabricated aluminium twin spar chassis which bimota were the first to produce for the street. However, unlike the DB1, Marconi has extended this theme through to the swing arm, which instead of being an alloy fabrication is also made from steel tube. And in perhaps the most external difference from the 80's bimota Duke, the DB2 is available in two different versions. One with half fairing which makes full use of the V Twin engine as a styling feature, the other a full fairing job where the chassis and engine are only partly exposed. A bike of its time, as signalled by the change in styling and colour a=scheme. The bike will be available in two colours, both with the chassis painted bright red; white was considered and rejected - its Ducati's trademark. The metallic maroon on the prototype, with a more traditional paint options the same shade of red as the chassis, both with white headlights. Even now there is still some doubt over the maroon tint, which looks a bit flat on a dull day and can sit uneasy with the red frame out of the sunlight: expect a green option.

There is an undeniable Japanese look to the front of the DB2 - perhaps a product of the Yamaha FZR headlamp? But the rest of the styling is distinctive, even innovative, especially the rear end. I cannot say the colour of the prototype really turns me on, but the beauty lies, etc. and what really counts is what the bike is like to ride. On the basis of a short run, Marconi has really got his sums right. The mirrors look good (and work), there are lots of bimota type good bits, like the footrest hangers and upper yokes, hewn out of solid metal, the prototype feels extremely intergrated and taut to ride, a comment you could also apply to the bikes general construction, and the lithe build and suspension make the DB2 a joy to hustle through winding country roads.

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.

The 1993 sports an air-cooled, four-stroke, 904cc, 90-degree V-Twin desmodromic powerplant paired to a six-speed manual transmission and can produce a claimed 86 horsepower and 90 Nm of torque. It also comes standard with features such as a 41mm Paioli telescopic fork, an adjustable mono-shock in the rear, dual front disc brakes, an aerodynamic full-fairing with a windscreen, an analogue instrument cluster, a single seat with lumbar support for the rider, forged-aluminium wheels and a single headlight.