One time RSBFS contributor and long-term RSBFS friend Marty pointed out this pretty SB6R in the UK with the following note: “Back in the day, the joke on RSBFS was that Bimota SB6’s couldn’t be counted as a Rare Sport Bike because there were always ones for sale on eBay and other sites. Sadly those days are gone…” And this was generally true; the Bimota SB6 series was one of the most popular bikes from the Rimini brand, and were regularly found on eBay and other sites. Today that is not longer true, and one has to look considerably longer to find a decent example (if any at all). And to top it off, today’s SB6 variant is the desired R-spec model. So quicker than you can say “Robert is your father’s brother” let’s dig into it.
1998 Bimota SB6R for sale on eBay
From the seller:
1998 BIMOTA SB6R (not to be confused with the cheaper SB6)
For sale is this HPI CLEAR SB6R
Vehicle Registration Mark: P*** ***.
HPI Category: This bike is HPI clear with no outstanding finance.
V5 present: Yes, the V5 and owners manual are here.
Keys: 1x Genuine Bimota key.
Does bike run: YES and it sounds really good.
Mileage: Just 1562 miles (backed up by MOT history) although I cannot guarantee it. Close inspection of the hidden areas of the bike suggest that it may be true as its very clean.
MOT: All of our bikes are untested and sold as projects. Despite this Im happy to get it through a MOT for the FULL asking price.
More from the seller:
Bad points/Damage: This bike has a few light marks around it from usage. The right hand mirror, right edge of the petrol tank and the right hand frame spar all have some scratching on (see pics). This was all done before I bought the bike so I cant explain it. Please study the pics as this description is just a guide!
More from the seller:
Good points/Extras: This is a Genuine UK bike from new and has just 2 former keepers. Ive ridden it and it goes well. Being the R model it has loads of carbon fibre (including the entire subframe) and has the uprated motor over the standard SB6. It is very low mileage (although I cannot guarantee it) and these rare bikes are currently appreciating in value. I am in no rush to sell this bike as its a lovely thing to own and it wont go down in value.
For those not well versed in their Bimota nomenclature, the “S” in the SB6R stands for Suzuki. In this case, the power is supplied by Suzuki’s mighty 156 HP GSX-R1100 drivetrain. This is the 6th generation of Suzuki-powered Bimotas (the B6 in the title), offering Bimota’s sublime aluminum twin-beam frame and that beautiful embossed aluminum swing arm. The huge front forks are Paioli, rear shock is Ohlins, and the beefy big brakes are, as expected, top-shelf from Brembo. The rest is pretty much carbon fiber.
Located in the west midlands area of the UK (think more Birmingham than London), today’s SB6R is being offered as a 2 owner bike with only 1,562 miles on the LCD counter. This bike has seen some use, and exhibits some minor bumps and bruises. The current ask is £11,000 – which equates to about $13,300 in US greenbacks. You can check out all of the details here. Good Luck!!
MI
for those that dont know, this is not a 600cc bike. Bimota sequenced their bikes so this is the sixth model they built with a suzuki engine (SB = suzuki, YB= Yamaha, KB = Kawasaki, etc)
Why the Lockhart Phillips looking front signals?! Those can’t be OEM! I’ve seen better looking trim lights on the freeway bigrigs!