LoudBike Redux: 1985 Bimota DB1 SR for Sale

Update 2.21.2016: We last saw the LoudBike DB1 SR listed in October of last year. Back on the market with an opening bid of $16k. -dc

We featured this bike a while back and my post generated a bit of, ahem… Controversy in the comments. Mainly because one of our readers felt I was possibly a bit too enthusiastic about this little gem of a Bimota DB1. Anyway, it’s for sale again and definitely worth a second look, with a bunch of beautiful photographs of the machine to drool over.

If you aren’t familiar with the history of Bimota, they were founded way back in 1966 by three men: Bianchi, Morri, and Tamburini, to make heating systems, of all things. But by the 1970’s they were busy stuffing reliable Japanese engines into state-of-the-art frames with top-shelf suspension at either end, then wrapping the results in quick-release bodywork. Bimota quite literally built race bikes for the road.

But this Ducati-powered Bimota DB1 no longer has any roadgoing pretensions…

From the original eBay listing: 1985 Bimota DB1 SR for Sale

92 honest-to-goodness rear wheel horsepower in a perfectly set-up package that weighs less than 300 pounds.  Arguably the fastest DB1 in North America and likely the only one set-up for serious track day work. 

Noted moto journalist, Chief Instructor at Yamaha Champions Riding School and Sport Riding Techniques author Nick Ienatsch rode the bike at Mosport last week and had this to say: “Buy it. My experience on Steve’s DB-1 at Mosport couldn’t have been more positive. He rolled it off the trailer Saturday morning, we rode the hell out of it all weekend, and he rode it back onto the trailer Sunday night. All Steve did was add gas. Bulletproof and extremely fun, surprisingly quick…probably the fourth-quickest lap time in the fast group at DOCC. The motor pulls strong, the bike sounds right and the chassis is sorted and composed at the limit. The problems?  All the new sport bikes in the way during lapping!!”

The machine started out as a pretty tired and far removed from stock DB1 that was brought over from Europe by the previous owner and as such, it made an excellent candidate for a full-on hot-rod.  The bike was completely stripped-down and I started on the process of renewing all the rolling chassis components and rebuilding the motor over a period of 22 months.  The end result is an absolute riot on the race track – really sharp handling as would be expected with a platform as short as the DB1, but with excellent stability.  With 93hp and 63ftlbs of torque, the little bike goes like a scalded cat.  Given that the Montjuich cams are being used, I would have expected a more peaky delivery, but the Meyers Performance 790 kit beefed-up the bottom end significantly.  As you can see by the dyno chart in the pics, peak torque is at 6,500rpm and there’s usable stuff as low as 5,500.

I’ve ridden the bike at the Ducati Owners Club events at Mosport in 2013, 2014 and 2015 as well as at NHIS in October 2013 – and have been amazed at how well the whole package worked at speed.  The DB1 Is surprisingly comfortable and easy to ride fast – and absolutely gorgeous sounding.   My log shows 12 hours of riding time on the motor and I just completed a full post-season service.

Here are the specs on the build:

Motor:

• 750 F1 (Montjuich) base with Meyers Performance 12:1 790cc kit
• Lightened clutch basket, clutch housing, primaries, flywheel and clutch cover
• JPrecision heads (Stage IV Pantah) with new valves, guides & seats
• Montjuich (“P”) cams with Bucchi adjustable pulleys – timing set at 102.5 degrees at lobe centers)
• Mikuni Pro-Series TM 41 Flat Slide (installed this season)  –  Malossi 41mm carbs available as an alternative
• Modified Old Racing Spares cam end covers
• Top-end lubrication via cam end cover feed
• Exact Fit timing belts
• New Kokusan pick-ups
• Aluminum & Titanium fasteners throughout
• Dyno tuned to 93hp and 63ftlbs of torque (I terminated the pulls at 8,500rpm, so there’s more on tap)

There’s much more over at the original listing, including a bunch of links to the build and this video of the bike being dynoed. Seriously, I want LoudBike to build my engine…

So pop on over and take a look quick: the clock is counting down on this one. Current bidding is up to $15,000 with the Reserve Not Met. It’s hard to put a really clear value on this one: it’s obviously not anywhere near original anymore, and I’m not sure if it’s eligible for any racing classes considering the modifications. And if it is, should you really risk something this nice rubbing fenders with a bunch of track rats?

Basically, this is a Bimota distilled, or a Ducati in its purest form, punching well above its weight. Although I’m still not sold on those spun-aluminum wheels…

-tad