Do you have the winter blues? Are you hoping for a European getaway? Are you jonesing for some Italian flair? Does one liter power rattle your wok? If so, we have the International combo platter for you! Nestled in a garage near Stockholm sits this beautiful Bimota SB3 – just waiting for an enterprising hero to come save it. While not perfect, the bones appear to be solid. Trim pieces may need to be sourced (or fabricated), but with only some 400 bikes produced over a three year span, this is a rare looker that could be the cornerstone of any collection.
1980 Bimota SB3 for sale in Sweden
What you got when you bought a new Bimota SB3: Chrome-moly frame by the sublime Rimini artists at the Bimota factory. Marzocchi suspenders with Bimota aluminum triple clamps, novel rising-rate single shock rear swing arm (a big deal back in 1980), Brembo binders, and miles of hand-laid, thin & lightweight fiberglass. And that’s it. YOU needed to supply the donor Suzuki GS1000 for engine, trans and electrical. And you needed to put it all together. You see, back in 1980, Bimota produced motorcycle kits. As a result, no two early Bimotas are ever exactly the same.
From the seller:
Up for sale is an old collectable sport bike. I have owned it since 2000 but it has been standing in my garage the last 7-8 years without touching it sad enough so the miles for 24000 km (Swedish) is probably correct. I don’t know remember where I put the back turn signals but I do think it is the same as some piaggio or something.
The bike need TLC but will be worth it big time !! It was a really joy riding it. My time is my problem and that is why I decided to eventuality sell it. The bike is in Sweden outside Stockholm and I am able to help loading it if the buyer takes care of the rest.
Italian grace and stunning looks motivated by the very best Hamamatsu had to offer in the day results in the usual RSBFS motorcycle porn. Sure, the pictures could be better – way better in fact. And the seller could have made a better effort to clean up the works to better showcase this Italianese merger of noise and speed. On the other hand, one has to acknowledge the refreshing honesty in providing photos of the bike in situ; you know it has been looked after since it sits indoors, and you don’t have to worry about the seller shining it up to make a quick, glossy buck. It is what it is and it is available now. Good luck!
MI
these pics make me sad…at least put a cover on it!
If the cladding on this bike is original, its a rare bird – only 9 out of 402 SB3s were colored white and red. The rest were silver and red. I don’t know how that will impact the price but that rarity will probably go a long way to justify the asking price.
You are somewhat correct in your statement about the SB3 coming only as a kit bike. The SB3 appeared in 1979 and through 1981 it was sold as kit bike only, which signifies about 85% of the entire SB3 production. For the 1982/1983 Bimota offered them as a turn key bike. This being 1980 came as a DYI kit…
Thanks Tirefriar – great info!