For Sale: 1991 BIMOTA YB10 DIECI
Rejoice RSBFS readers – April is Bimota month! No matter your engine preference, be it Suzuki, Ducati, Kawasaki or this Yamaha right here – there is a Bimota out there for you! Today’s bike, the 10th in a series of Bimota rockets to utilize Yamaha power, is best known as the YB10 or “Dieci,” which is the number 10 in Italian.
The Dieci follows the same frame layout as earlier YB series bikes, which started with the 750cc YB4. Twin aluminum spars wrap the engine (in this case, the 145 hp FZR1000 mill), with top-grade componentry sprinkled throughout: Marzocchi forks, Brembo brakes, and innovative Bimota wizardry like the eccentric chain adjuster.
From the seller:
RARE BIMOTA YB10 DECI ,BIKE HAS YAMAHA FZR ENGINE PRODUCING 145 HP WITH STOCK EXHAUST ,THIS BIKE HAS 4 INTO 1 YOSHIMURA SYSTEM ,BIKE RUNS STRONG ,EVERYTHING WORKS ,NEW BATTERY ,FLOAT ON RIGHT CARB STICKS ,WHINDSHIELD HAS CRACK , NEVER LAID DOWN ,10K ORIGINAL MILES , 230 PRODUCED , FRONT CARBON FIBER FENDER HAS SMALL SCRATCH
Despite the pretty appearance in pictures, all is not completely kosher with this bike. As the saying in Latin goes, caveat emptor – or let the buyer beware. Ignore the fact the seller listed this as a “Deci” as opposed to Dieci. Rather, compare today’s YB10 with this post from over a year ago. There are some subtle differences. Today’s bike is missing a rear mudguard – I assume to give it that “clean” deleted fender look. It is also missing the rear turn signals, which normally mount to the now-missing mudguard.
The big warning signs are up front, however. This appears to be a repaint as the leading edges of the lowers should be sliver and contain the word “Dieci.” The front turn signals, integrated into the fairing above and outside of the headlights, are also missing. The mirrors are missing. The Bimota logo, normally central on the windscreen just above the headlights is missing. To my knowledge these bikes also did not come with a carbon fiber front fender, so the fact that it is scratched is not as worrisome as the fact it is there at all. All these minor points indicate potential accident damage to me, but that is only speculation from the pictures. As always when dealing with these rare models, best ask the seller for more details.
This auction started with a price of $200, and has quickly climbed into the high $5k territory. The reserve has not yet been met, so there is still something to play for here. Expect a good example to fetch about $9,000. The YB series Bimotas are really wonderful bikes – great handling and fantastic power – but spare parts can be expensive and hard to find. Time will tell if this is really a deal, but
MI
This listing smells strongly. As a former Dieci owner, I can absolutely assure you that ALL of the graphics were factory clear coated. Which means that when somebody repainted this thing, they didn’t do it correctly, and that they didn’t take the time or care to replicate and replace the original graphics. Sloppy workmanship that’s visible even on lousy eBay pics- wonder what it looks like close up in person? “Never been down?” Right- somebody just decided to just half-assed repaint a perfect Bimota, and leave off the flush turn signals, the mirrors, and graphics just for the hell of it. Doesn’t even bother to replace the cracked windscreen (available from Gustaffson). WTF? Seller is totally insulting our intelligence here. Lots of red flags and warnings, indeed.
Hey Truth – cool that you had a Dieci. I am very fond of the YB line in general; these are just great riding bikes.
As far as this one goes, all we can really say is it is not stock. The picture cannot tell us much about the “why.” Speculation is a popular online pastime, but for me it is all about the bike.
Thanks for the details on the graphics and the reminder about Gustaffson – that is the kind of factual info that RSBFS readers like to hear.
They are still nice bikes, and made FZR1000’s seem like crude overweight pigs. There were and are some real downsides to these YB Bimotas, though. Let’s just say they have “less than excellent” Marzocchi suspension, the vintage Brembo brakes feel real wooden even with steel lines and a good bleed job, the stock Antera wheels are shockingly heavy, and the carburetors were a major hassle to extract to work on beacuse the frame wraps so tightly around them. That would explain the seller’s reluctance to fix the sticking float before selling the bike. Bodywork is tricky to remove without cracking as well. The YB series was designed to be small, compact, and stiff. Those gorgeous frames are the main reason why they were so superior to the Japanese sport bikes of the time. That said, there was zero thought given by the designers to ease of maintenance or disassembly- they just didn’t care, and it’s an extra hassle to do any work on them. Trade off, the price you pay. Here’s an example: I saw one YB series Bimota that had the frame cross member in front of the carbs CUT OFF so that the carbs could be removed easier! Huge mistake to hack up a Bimota frame in frustration.
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