BIMOTA

20 entries

Italian motorcycle maker from Rimini, founded in 1973 and known for chassis built around other makers' engines.

Founded: 1973, in Rimini
Founders: Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri, Massimo Tamburini
Owner: Kawasaki holds a 49% stake since 2019
Name: From the founders' surnames

Bimota was founded in Rimini in 1973 by Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri and Massimo Tamburini; the name takes the first two letters of each surname. The company concentrated on building high-quality chassis around existing engines from Suzuki, Honda and Kawasaki.

A design flaw in the V Due and the loss of a main sponsor forced Bimota into bankruptcy in 2000. Kawasaki Heavy Industries bought a 49% stake in October 2019, and from 2025 the two have raced together as Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team.

1973Bimota founded in Rimini
1980350 cc world championship won on a Bimota
1997V Due introduced
2000Company files for bankruptcy
2019Kawasaki buys a 49% stake

BIMOTA Bimota KB2: the Kawasaki-engined 500 of 1981–1984
BIMOTA Bimota DB2: the Ducati 900 SS-engined Bimota of 1993–1998
BIMOTA Bimota SB6: the 1994–1998 Suzuki-engined superbike
BIMOTA Bimota DB9 Brivido: the Ducati Diavel-engined naked
BIMOTA Bimota HB4: the Moto2 racer of 2010–2012
BIMOTA Bimota YB11: the 1,002 cc Yamaha-engined Superleggera
BIMOTA Bimota BB3: the BMW S1000RR-engined superbike
BIMOTA Bimota SB7: the 749 cc Suzuki-powered Bimota of 1994–1995
BIMOTA Bimota DB6 Delirio: the Ducati-engined naked of 2005–2012
BIMOTA Bimota DB8: the Ducati 1198-engined superbike
BIMOTA Bimota DB7: the Ducati 1098-engined superbike
BIMOTA Bimota Tesi 3D: the hub-center-steering Bimota
BIMOTA Bimota DB10 B.Motard: the Ducati-engined supermotard
BIMOTA Bimota DB5: the Ducati-engined sport bike of 2005–2012
BIMOTA Bimota YB9 Bellaria: the 600 cc Yamaha-engined Bimota
BIMOTA Bimota 500 Vdue: the two-stroke V-twin with direct injection
BIMOTA Bimota YB6: the 989 cc Yamaha-engined Bimota of 1988–1990
BIMOTA Bimota SB8R and SB8K: the Suzuki TL1000R-engined Bimotas
BIMOTA Bimota BB1 Supermono: the BMW-engined single of 1995
BIMOTA Bimota YB8: the 1,002 cc Yamaha-engined Bimota of 1990–1994