11:29 PM
Bimota DB5 1000 (2006)
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Forgive me, but I was sceptical about pitching up on this launch. Bimota is a fairly well-known Italian bike manufacturer but not necessarily for all the right reasons. A history stretching back as far as I do (1973, to be exact) has produced some extraordinary motorcycles including a WSB winner (piloted by American dope fiend Anthony Gobert), a couple of astonishing models which you never, ever see anywhere plus a series of bikes which made poor use of perfectly good Japanese motors. In short that – plus financial chaos – is what I know about Bimota.
Every Bimota has an extraordinary price tag and when I learnt the Bimota DB5 1000 has an RRP of £17,945 fuel was added to the already smouldering fire. It'd be easy to pull a comparison like 'you could buy two Honda CBR600RRs and some new leathers for that money', but, as usual, that's missing the point. This rare thing of beauty cares not for the easy pleasures of a Japanese sportsbike. With its saucy spec sheet and spectacular looks, the DB5 1000 is interesting in a way Jap bikes never are. And with a new, rather secretive, Swiss finance company called Novafin backing the cause, the 'will they, won't they' company from Rimini is making some bikes for a change.
Launching the Bimota DB5 1000 at Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit was both a good and bad idea. The circuit's twists and curves lent themselves beautifully to the DB5's strongest assets; sharp, light, neutral and easy handling making it feel almost as easy to live with as either of those two CBR600RRs. I immediately felt comfortable and the greatest pleasure of all came from letting off the brakes too early and berrying the foot pegs towards the apex in a way you can't easily manage so easily on a stock Jap bike. Ohlins kit front and rear is de rigeur for bespoke Italian curiosities like this, and it suits you to behave like that, sir.
The front sits a little high in standard set-up and the whole bike felt too soft for track use to me but both these problems can be adjusted out simply enough. For comfort I could have done with more room to sit further back. This stopped me from getting my knees and elbows fully tucked in, but generally the riding position feels OK for a sports bike and you're easily buoyed by the size of the thing. Also, the lack of anything behind your heel except the Ohlins shock and exhaust pipes, means when you're riding, all your feet feel is the pegs. With hands on the bars and arse on the minimalist seat the whole experience of riding the bike is very direct.
The Brembo brakes felt good from the off with a strong feel for the front tyre grip and even though the front suspension felt soft, hard braking didn't affect the neutral way the bike entered corners. Admittedly the Ducati Multistrada motor is never going to trouble it too much but getting on the power again is no hardship for the obscure-looking trellis frame and swing arm.
But while all that is going on you can't help notice that launching the bike at Valencia circuit was bad from the engine's point of view. Any sort of straight does nothing to promote the lacklustre performance of the Ducati engine and even in 32° Spanish sun the chances of sliding under power were as remote as a dry weekend for the Glastonbury festival. It felt flat, under-powered and was frankly pedestrian past the pit wall. Based on this impression alone I'm pushed to say Bimota might have been better off using another of Ducati's motors, like the 749's for instance, which could have matched the chassis pound for pound. The Desmodue lump may be steady and predictable, but so are diesel Peugeots.
And then there was the constant smell of oil from behind the fairing of all three bikes I rode through the day. Three laps into my second session that smell turned to a plume of blue smoke followed by a slide round the next left where I was quickly greeted by frantic marshals waving oil flags right in my face. I wasn't surprised to learn my bike had blown its guts out. Bimota technicians were quick to point out these bikes were pre-production models but a sceptic would say this is typical of an exclusive Italian bike, and you can call me sceptic if you like.
These 'pre-production' bikes were also suffering from intermittent stuttering problems around 7,000rpm (it varied on different bikes). It was a problem the Bimota dudes 'fessed-up to in the morning press conference before we even rode the bike. They say the problem is just days from being solved and certainly shouldn't affect the production bikes. I'm inclined to say they perhaps could have sorted that before they organised a press launch and if they can do it once then…
However, I don't wish to be that harsh on this useful little tool. For once I'm tempted to use the old journalist clich̩, 'it should sell on looks alone'. The styling is gorgeous, fascinating and unique and I'm glad the DB5 exists for that reason. The bike is barely wider than the width of its crankcases making it feel as slender as a Ducati 749. Poke around the thing and you pick on all sorts of details; the machined aluminium yokes, footrests rear brake and footrest mountings, the separate rear wheel holder (separate from the unique, steel tube trellis swing arm) and the fork bottoms. It's easy to see why it won the design award at last year's Munich show. It's a bike which loves to be ridden round corners Рa classic Italian sports bike trait. Bimota staff are adamant this bike is for people who share their clear passion for the Bimota brand. While we didn't take in any road work at this launch, I'd hazard a guess that the disappointing motor will work far better there. The dichotomy between the chassis and the engine is clear and there's no reason why an Ohlins/Brembo-shod chassis with this much poise shouldn't be ridden round a track, it'd just be a shame for the motor to hamper you as you plod down the straights.
THE FINAL ANALYSIS:
Potential buyers will want to consider how much effort they're prepared to put into buying one in the first place (there's a waiting list and Bimota only plan to make 300 bikes initially).
To my mind the DB5 is amongst such Italian lovelies as the Mondial and Benelli, while a couple of rungs further up the ladder sit Ducati and Aprilia. Each of those manufacturers has a history of financial turmoil but Bimota has more than most. New managing director Gigi Bonini assured me that, “The future is bright,” (now they have their Swiss bank account to rely on) and that, “anything is possible.” So if you're interested in Italian exotica it's probably worth considering despite other Italian sports bikes out there with smaller price tags. Personally I'd leave it a bit and see how things go.
Technical Information
Engine
The 992cc, air-cooled, twin spark motor is a Ducati stalwart which most recently features in the Multistrada. 92bhp isn't exactly setting the world on fire but Bimota claims the engine was chosen for its torque and road riding characteristics plus the slender proportions help the overall scale of the bike. At no point did they mention they got the engine at a decent price, knocked out the back of the Ducati factory gates
Chassis
The steel tube trellis frame has more than a hint of Ducati about it but looks both more complicated and more interesting. The whole thing is held together at the footrest hanger points and the end of the swingarm with machined aluminium plates that look meaty and gorgeous. Ohlins fully adjustable suspension front and rear is as you'd expect on a bike like this and as effective as it should be. USD forks are 43mm in diameter
Brakes
The 298mm floating front brake discs are slightly smaller than you might find on other sports bikes but Bimota says this is a reflection of the dimensions of the bike and its minimal weight. They are Brembo calipers however with one pad for each of the four pistons in the front calipers and one each for the twin piston rear. They are, of course, radially mounted although the conventional piston lever (as opposed to radial piston lever) seems a little out of touch
Electronics
The main ECU is the same Marelli system as you'll find on Ducati bikes with this motor, for instance the Multistrada. The rest is Bimota made and therefore not technically as good as the full Marelli system found on Ducatis. The reason? Bimota isn't a big enough manufacturer so Marelli won't supply it
Styling
Designer Sergio Robbiano, who also designed the ill-fated 500 V-Due, delivered the finished DB5 project in December 2003. The development team took less than a year to make it a reality and when it was unveiled at the 2004 Intermot show it duly won a Motorcycle Design Association award as the most 'beautiful bike of the show' in the super sport category. The air-cooled motor accounts for its skinniness (no radiator, see?). Two air intakes either side of the stacked head light cool the engine while an induction scoop under the bottom yolk feeds the airbox. The racey-looking rear end's twin pipes have a rorty note without being too loud
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