If simply going fast is your thing, you probably don’t spend much time on this site. You went out and bought a Suzuki GSX-R1000, threw some sticky rubber, rearsets, and a Power Commander on it, then went out to dominate road and track, with stone axe reliability and off-the-shelf parts availability. But in a sea of same, some of us want to have our cake and eat it too, and exotic bikes don’t necessarily have to cost a fortune to buy and own. Bimota’s exotic SB8R generally trades for south of $10,000 and offers up v-twin character and midrange punch, light weight, sophisticated handling, and the reliability of a Suzuki.
Styling is striking, if not actually pretty, and the view from the seat is dominated by those huge carbon intakes that recall the ZX-7R of the late 80s and early 90s. Handling was much improved compared to the TL1000R: it weighed a good bit less than the donor Suzuki and, if nothing else, it replaced the famously troublesome rotary rear damper with a more traditional unit.
The SB8R is surprisingly wide for a twin, but the bulbous fairing at least provides some wind protection but, like all Bimotas, the frame was the real centerpiece of the SB8. In this case, it was a sophisticated variation on the beam frame often used by Japanese superbikes. But here the construction is composite, with aluminum spars and carbon fiber side plates. The tail piece is self-supporting and also made of carbon. If that headlight looks familiar, Bimota wisely cribbed the part for their SB8, along with that very ordinary-looking, but functional dash. Suzuki obviously also lent the bike their eight-valve, liquid-cooled 996cc v-twin engine, modified with different injectors to produce a claimed 138hp, and a real-world 124whp.
Keep in mind that, until World Superbike twins grew to 1200cc and started chasing hp at the expense of the midrange that was previously their forte, 124hp was considered huge power for a twin. Especially when the only traction control was your sensitive right hand…
From the original eBay listing: 2001 Bimota SB8R for Sale
I hate to let my dream bike go, but I have to do it. It’s got the factory fuel trimmer and full Arrow exhaust. I have the stock mirrors and rear fender/taillight/blinker assembly. I installed a lithium battery less than a year ago. It makes servicing/accessing the battery a TON easier.
As far as Bimotas go, these are pretty common, but that’s not saying very much. The listing is pretty spare, but the photos are good and should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect. Obviously, the engine should be easy to service, but bodywork will be difficult and/or expensive. As always, Bimota experts are welcome to weigh in and point out anything for potential buyers to be aware of but, aside from some slightly faded carbon as you’d expect on a bike this old, everything appears to be in order, or available from the seller. Bidding is very active but currently up to just north of $4,000 with the reserve not met and just a couple days left on the auction.
-tad
