The other day a Vyrus 985 caused quite a stir in the comments. It seems that having all that engineering on display was polarizing. Hopefully this Tesi 1D has all of the engineering appeal, in a more visually pleasing package. The Bimota Tesi series of motorcycles stands high water mark for the design of the brand. The core idea behind the striking front end is to better control the forces acting on the motorcycle while turning or under braking. With conventional telescopic forks the suspension geometry changes under braking load. The front end of the Tesi aims to isolate the braking force from influencing the suspension geometry. The design also allowed for the center of mass to be lower, and in latter versions the overall front end was lighter then a traditional front end. Obviously this all was wildly complicated and costly to manufacture and never really gained traction in mass produced motorcycles. The Yamaha GST1000 used a front swingarm for a sport touring applications, and BMW incorporated some of the concept into their duolever front ends.
In total 418 Tesi 1Ds were manufactured across a couple of different model variations. All but 51 were powered by a version of the Ducati Desmoquattro engine. The early bikes with a 851cc displacement and the latter 904cc. The 51 utilized the 400cc Ducati motor from the Japanese market 400SS to meet tax and import laws. The demand in Japan for Bimota has always been strong and often Bimota has created smaller displacement models specifically for Japan. It appears that the example today started life as one of these 51 Tesi 1Dj and at some point a 904cc engine was swapped in. The add also mentions that the OEM fuel injection was removed and replaced with FCR carburetors.
From The Seller’s Listing:
It is an exhibition of the art work Tesi 1Dj Kai of bimota.
It is a hub-center steering type bimota Tesi without a front fork .
It is a very valuable vehicle.
It is a custom vehicle equipped with ZDM904 on Tesi 1Dj with 50 production units exclusively for Japanese specifications , and has been certified. We have obtained a vehicle inspection.
It has been maintained and has been inspected, so you can drive it anytime, and of course it is stored in the garage. It is a rare vehicle that is rarely distributed in the used car market.The mileage is unknown because the engine has been transshipped, but the mileage of the car body is currently 4,552 Km .
Engine ZDM904
Carburetor FCR
Wheel front and rear Marquezini
Brake brembo
Tires Replaced with new tires before and after vehicle inspection Obtained Traveling about 200 kmFor reference, this is an article published in recent years on bimota Tesi hub center steering.
https://ride-hi.com/pickup/bimota_tesih2_211011.htmlIf you have any questions or concerns, please be sure to ask questions in advance and bid after you are satisfied.
You can check the current car at any time.
As of posting no bids have come in on the $40,320 opening price. The bike is located in Japan, so many buyers will have to factor shipping and import taxes. These bikes rarely pop up for sale, but the price seems inline with other data points. The paint is a non standard design, but the Japanese importer was know to paint bikes in a similar fashion in period. The images of with the bodywork off are a welcome addition and showcase some amazing billet work. Eagle eyed readers can spot and opened clutch cover exposing an aftermarket pressure plate, or maybe a slipper clutch set up. The price point and the location are sure to limit the number of people in a position to add this to their garage, but it is nice dream sometimes. A quick look around eBay did yield a Bimota Tesi 1D that can be bought much easier because it is 1/12 the size of a real one.
If anyone in Japan buys this, please let us know and take extra pics…This thing is awesome!
A solution in search of a problem. Why would you not want your steering to quicken for turning and to slacken for straight line stability? This whole anti-dive thing is a big fat nothing burger with nothing on the side.
I agree! This bodywork looks so much better than the more recent models with sharp and angular styling exercises, in my opinion. Nevertheless, they are all always out of my meager disposable income range, so all I do is return to the site and dream!
I think the Tesi qualifies as a doctoral thesis, not a masters.
I agree. Alot of mechanical engineering and some physics in this design.
It’s very amusing to read the comments on these bikes. But unless you have ridden one of these practically unobtainium machines, you simply do not understand what your talking about! I’m not a motorbike journalist. Not even a current, or racer from the past. Just someone that’s been riding and living bikes for 50 some odd years. And the absolute highlight of my riding career was the day that the BIMOTA factory aloud me to spend an afternoon on a brand new Tesi !! It will never be forgotten. Yes, it’s a bit different. But only took me about 30 minutes to feel completely comfortable! Zero front end dive is a sensation that any experienced rider would enjoy immensely, guaranteed! I’m not saying that the Tesi makes a perfect race bike. But It feels, and actually IS, a much lighter machine that it appears to be. It’s perfect for back road canyon carving. Riding one the way it was intended is a fantastic experience.
What version of the Tesi did you spend time on?
I recently bought a 1D 904SR and am very excited for the weather to break so that I can finally experience this type of machine.
That dash looks like a little bitty version of KITT from Knight Rider…
I really don’t want to own something like this but would love to experience a forkless bike. Very curious what the experience is like. Very curious… maybe I should look again for a gts1000 on CL for a taste.
Hello William. In response to your question, the version that I had the privilege of riding was the Tesi 3D. And I don’t think I will be content until own one!
I tend to be long winded. And wanted to say quite a bit more than I did about my experience on the 3D. But didn’t want to bore your audience. This isn’t the place for long stories.
But please allow me to just say that I was not able to leave the factory without purchasing my second Bimota. A brand new DB6 Delirio.
Keep up the great work that you guys do.
This machine, and the later V Due two stroke, both answers to questions nobody asked, brought the original Bimota factory to the graveyard.
The Tesi was referred to as the Tossy, as serious riders/testers/racers confirmed the odd lack of feedback from the front end left the brave pilot being unpleasantly surprised when getting evicted from the plot.
They are a brave engineering tour de force and deserve acclaim just for the boys being brave/daft enough to build it(delete as appropriate) – but most conservative riders have continued along quite happily with Ye Olde Fashioned telescopic forks.
Bimota also suffered from erratic quality control. Working on these machines can be a testing experience, and I have first hand experience of this, earlier models were beautifully crafted and assembled well, but there were several periods and models that were of much lower general quality.
Each to his own, a DB1 would be on my wishlist.