It was clear that Ducati had a lock on the “sexy v-twin” market in the mid-90s, selling basically every 916 they could make at a very premium price. But, aside from the funky, springless valves, they weren’t really offering anything all that innovative, and Suzuki figured they could do something much better for cheaper. And…
As the 1990’s wound down Bimota ventured into powerplant development, and produced a race-derived 500cc two-stroke mill for their 1997 V-Due. Not for the meek however, fuel injection difficulties forced a recall and Bimota re-fit the entire production with carburettors, leaving them mostly outside emissions regulations for street machines, and ultimately forcing the partners to…
2000 Bimota SB8R on eBay Bimota managed to carve out a nice little niche in the sportbike market by taking existing engines from established manufacturers and packaging them in their own sexy Italian style. The Bimota SB8R might be the epitome of that idea. Starting with the positively stonking 135hp 996cc v-twin from Suzuki’s Tl1000R, Bimota…
2003 Suzuki TL1000R on eBay DISCLAIMER! Let me start by saying that I actually owned a ’98 TL1000R. I had the first one in Michigan and rode it for almost 6 years. So this post is will be love/hate for me. I went into the dealership to buy an R1 and despite having left…
Happy Happy…here are two versions of one of my favorite bikes, the Sukuki TL 1000R. The TL is a bike that even today reminds me of the “old” days of motorcycling; big, fast and something that didn’t suffer fools gladly. As noted in previous RSBFS posts, the Suzuki TL1000 series were V-Twins built in response…
Every once in a while someone produces a bike that truly harkens back to the old days of motorcycling, a bike that requires concentration and skill to master and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Or as one of my favorites writers wrote, bikes from a time “when men were REAL men, women were REAL women, and…
We often joke around here that the SB8R is like the Honda Civic of Bimota’s with so many having been available over the years. Today we have another spotless example with only 947 miles covered since new. These pack Suzuki’s TL1000R motor at the core and the rest is the usual Bimota recipe sprinkled with…
While we know we are always bordering on Bimota fatigue with RSBFS readers it looks like we haven’t had a SB8R Special posted here since 2011. This one meets all the usual Bimota requirements, including not being ridden. The odometer hasn’t clicked over 900 miles yet. 2000 Bimota SB8R Special Those with a carbon fiber…