Nice Price: 1997 Bimota YB11 for Sale

Those of us who grew up in the 80s would remember, that aluminium frame was the answer to everything. It’s light, and with proper engineering and selection of appropriate process, it can also be made very strong. ELF did a whole lot of test on that front, so did Bimota. NSR and YZR ruled the GP scene, and F1 class, endurance racing, and superbikes were chock full of GSXR, FZR, ZX, and of course, RC30 and RVF. We admired the beauty that was Ducati’s trellis frame, but we all knew it was inferior. Then at one point, it was either NSR or RVF, I can’t remember, but HRC started experimenting on how to make them more rewarding to the riders. On a race track, during a race! They could have done this because at that point, either NSR or RVF (sorry, I can’t remember which!) was so competitive and developed to the point of perfection. And also, it was experiment in different philosophy about rider-bike interface. Instead of just making the frame stiff and rigid, which was the 80s, HRC started controlling the way it flexes, so as to transmit more physical information from the tires to the chassis to the rider, so that the rider could have much more communication with the machine, and the road surface, in turn that HRC believe that it could make the machine faster. I’m just using HRC as an example, because I used to know a few people who worked at HRC’s R&D back then, but I’m sure that there was a bit of the zeitgeist in that sort thinking. Anyway, the point is, that I look back now, I just marvel at how the idea and philosophy of riding motorcycle has changed. That kind of reflects on the current offerings by manufactures, too, because you don’t see a lot of aluminium framed bikes, instead, sports bikes often talks about how stiff but gentle, and they talk about controlled flex, and a lot of technology now is in the electronics, that make bikes easier and safer to ride. I do miss the days that the manufactures were trying to out do each other with frames and swingarm designs and how high can an engine rev and stuff like that, and really Bimota was that king of the hill. Sorry, it was just a very long winded way of saying how much I appreciate Bimota’s almost unhealthy obsession with aluminium frame designs.

Bimota built some right beauties of bikes – but either their accountants or their managers couldn’t cope cos they went bust so many times over the years and brought some real turkeys to market – remember the V Due?
Also the bikes could be a curse to live with in the real world if you actually wanted to use it to go places – quality went down and up over time with all the financial shenanigans that only the Italians can give you-the 90s Yamahas would not be regarded as a high point but(and this is the important BUT) every Bimota has the input of Massimo Tamburini who has been elevated to God-like status since his death so over time every Bimota, always fairly rare and made in low numbers, will rise in perceived value and as they become fittings in peoples living rooms and offices it will be forgotten how flawed some of them may have been.
Which is a long way of saying buy this if you want a slice of proper Italian engineering.
And I couldn’t agree that aluminium frames are any better than steel, Ducati managed to win many many World Superbike Championships with good old fashioned steel. Aluminium has to be 4 times thicker to provide the same strength which is why they are such huge things. They are pretty, but so is steel in the right hands.
Check out the liker of a Seeley framed Commando racebike if you want pretty-or the early Manx Norton – sweet and simple.

I had a couple of these YB11s. Handled ok, had adequate power. This is a good deal for someone who doesn’t want to deal with a tricky Ducati powered Bimota. Just watch the exhaust valve…they always stick and cause all sorts of bullshit.