Even a storied manufacturer with a portfolio of glorious bikes can make a misstep. A trend of questionable taste taken just a bit too far, a design compromised by budget, a stylist given too free a hand. The Bimota Mantra may have been all of these things working against it: it’s a bit of an overwrought mess, powered by a twin but with four exhaust pipes, giving the usual low-mount cornering-clearance problems with but additional weight and complexity, included at no extra charge! Although considering the price of these new, there may have been a line item on the original sticker for “Reduced Cornering Clearance”, too… The dash is walnut. And what were they thinking with that storage cubby at the back of the dummy tank?
All that being said, these are distinctive motorcycles and no mistake, and I do like that Bimota was trying for something different. This was their first bike intended purely for the street, they went a bit overboard making this bike’s street intentions visually clear…
Thing is though: it’s still a Bimota. Weird exhausts and extroverted styling aside, a stiff frame, quality suspension, and strong brakes mean this will get a serious wiggle on, if you want it to. And they’re rare, with only 454 made between 1995 and 1998. Powered by Ducati’s air and oil cooled, two-valve v-twin, maintenance and hop-up parts are readily available, so you can at least leave the people laughing at you in a roiling cloud of tire smoke leaving intersections.
From the original eBay listing: 1998 Bimota Mantra for Sale
Original price was $ 20,000.|
BIN is less than half of that. Reserve a bit lower
Added it to my collection in 2004 with only 8010 miles.
Rare red color with only 25 made from what I have read, with a total of 454 made, mostly yellow.
Looks and runs well, but there is some paint blister on tank.
Can’t see in pictures, so may have to circle areas after I look at bike, tomorrow.
It’s dry and paint original from 1998.
A re-paint would be an easy color to match, or leave as – is.
Look, I have to be honest: I thought these were really cool when I was young and these were brand new. They were different, something exotic, but useable: a practical fashion statement. And having not yet been indoctrinated into motorcycle aesthetic standards, they looked exciting to me.
If I had a big bike collection, I’d probably still want one, although I’d remove that taller windscreen tout de suite and look into some other solution for those exhausts… Or maybe I’d just fit some little two-stroke carbon cans to really confuse people.
If you’re looking at starting your Bimota collection and realize you’ve no intention of spending time at the race track, and actually want to ride your acquisition, this might be a great place to start.
-tad
the pontiac aztek of motorcycles
Hit the nail on the head Marty. The exhaust alone must way 80 lbs! I give them credit for designing outside the box but going from full carbon fiber bikes and carbon fiber frames to this thing…? Ummmm?
Surprisingly somebody must want it. $7,000 bid, 13 bidders.. It is . . . unique . . . and . . . justifiably rare
From the articles of the time, this may be one of the sweetest handling STREET bikes Bimota ever made, and it is comparatively comfortable. The price of everything exotic seems to be going up a lot. I think you could have found these for $5000 in 2008. I bid on it, but it’s too rich for my blood even though I’m in the same town as it. Probably should have asked for a test drive…..
Oh, man: that’s so COLD, comparing it to the Aztek. The Aztek was such an ugly, overstyled mess that wasn’t sure what it really wanted to be, fully of gimmicky flourishes and… Okay, so maybe the Mantra really WAS the “Aztek of motorcycles…” Really do love that tank/dash/headlight combo though. On the Mantra, I mean, not the Aztek. That thing was just brutal, although at some point, they’re going to be considered classics…
Ahh yes, a Mantra- widely agreed to be the all time most tasteless, ugliest, least valuable, and least desireable Bimota ever made. A one off by hired designer Lakjic, full of bizarre design and material choices that have not, and will not, ever age well. Four exhaust pipes for a Ducati twin? A blatantly dishonest design. Wood dash on sportbike? Inappropriate use of materials that fails aesthetically and conceptually.
But…the bones of this bike are solid and wonderfully Bimota- the DB4 uses the same frame. Look at what Analog Motorcycles created out of a Mantra: http://thebikeshed.cc/2013/12/18/analog-mc-bimota/
Another Chris Dolan flip here, with the usual laughably poor and inept marketing. A 1:17 video, and some genius chooses to spend :38 of battery life showing us how the horns and lights function. Here’s a clue: it ain’t that important- just tell us they work if you think that it is, and spend the video time showing closeups around the engine, wheels, under seat, etc., that give a true idea of actual condition.
I remember seeing that build on TV. It’s like they thought they could throw some expensive parts at it and make it “better”. The subframe looks goofy and the angle on the seat is going to make the tank intimate with your bits all the time. I’m pretty sure they coated the frame to cover the poor welds they did. People with no experience modding aluminum frames probably shouldn’t start. (in a completely different episode I remember Guy the French guy banging on a steering head lock with a screwdriver (surely boogering it up) instead of the proper tool–these guys make better artwork than rideable bikes) The Analog Bimota is better than most “cafe” conversions, but not my cup of tea. I think the stock Mantra will age well in the way RE5s and other goofy bikes do–they become famous for how outlandish they are. Bimota succeeded in outlandish. Ride up on that and you’ll get more attention than a MHRe. Maybe not good attention, but attention. I think the walnut dash may be lighter weight than you think it is. A conversion to 2 pipes, if you could maintain the style would definitely be a good thing. I think SB6s with similar mileage might be worth less but I could be wrong. Again, I haven’t ridden one and my only information is from reviews–it’s not like it’s all that easy to get test rides on one.
Good comments. I have not seen the Analog build on tv, and will take your word that they were hacks. Your examples certainly support that, but I saw that bike in person at the Rockerbox Show in Milwaukee last year, and it looked very good in reality. I only offered it as an example showing that the Mantra is likely the only Bimota considered a candidate for a complete custom build and change from original- that says a lot in itself. Point taken on the possibility of it becoming famous in the future for being outlandish and a negative attention getter. It could happen, but it’s not something I’d bank on or want to look at in my collection every day.
Walter White drove an Aztec.
The market has spoken: $7100- reserve not met.