Bimota made their name building lean, spare, race-oriented bikes with only the barest nods to streetability. So the DB3 Mantra was a bit of a left-turn for them, as it was purely meant to be a road bike and had no track pretensions. Unfortunately, released from the requirement to make the bike aerodynamic for speed and simple for ease-of-maintenance, the stylists went a little bit… mad with the looks of the bike.
The walnut dash, while a beautifully-finished piece, is a bit out-of-step with the sporty image Bimota had been cultivating up until this point. I mean, does a twin really need four exhaust pipes? Aside from being heavy, they look pretty low-slung. I realize the early Monsters aren’t exactly known for the impressive lean-angles they can generate, but I bet they’ve got the Mantra beat easily, although Bimota’s superior suspension probably makes angles up to that point much more pleasant. And period reviews back this up, describing the handling in very positive, if somewhat limited terms.
But the motor is classic Ducati v-twin, with character, power, and torque. The frame is light and stiff. And it’s rare, with just 454 ever made, although by Bimota standards, that’s actually pretty high-volume.
From the original CraigsList posting: 1998 Bimota Mantra for Sale
For sale 1998 Bimota Mantra, about 50 of this model in the US. About 10 were red the rest were painted yellow, this is an investment bike. Want to know more about this bike Google “1998 Bimota Mantra.” All deals cash only. I have 10 classic Italian motorcycles for sale if you are looking for something else.
The bike has 12,000 miles on the clock, which means it’s been properly used, and while the photos are somewhat poor, it looks like the carbon is glossy and the paint is shiny. And I don’t care what Marty thinks: I like that wood dash!
So is it worth $9,000? Well that’s not much money for a Bimota and, considering how few were made, you won’t see yourself coming and going. You’ll certainly be the focal point of any bike gathering, for better or for worse, and the air/oil-cooled Ducati underpinnings mean it’s reliable and easy to maintain, apart from unobtainable bodywork.
If you don’t plan to thrash your purchase and have a thick skin impervious to the barbs of riders jealous of your exquisite taste, this might make the perfect affordable exotic!
-tad
Proof even Italian bike makers can have an off day.
Ditto… Love the overflow tube routing, pure genious!
Yeah, it’s like the designers, freed of any need to be practical, went off the rails and tried to include every weird detail they hadn’t been able to use previously. I kinda like these, but I like a lot of weird things.
I said it before, I will say it again…the pontiac aztek of motorcycles 🙂
why are those vent hoses just hanging by the oil dipstick?
I’m still trying to think of a more apt comparison. There’s gotta be something equally weird-looking, but better-handling than an Aztek, but I can’t think of what…
In response to: There’s gotta be something equally weird looking, but better handling than an Aztek…Grumman mail truck maybe? I can’t believe those frame welds on a bimota.
Did anyone mention that the dash has a timber veneer finish…now that’s weird.
I wonder if the current MV Agusta Dragster RR will become the Mantra of the current generation of bikes.
The vent hoses were cleverly put there to oil your boot! This bike just plain sucks…
The Mantra was actually designed by a Frenchman
Yup. But I didn’t include his name because I was afraid the commenters would try and look him up to send hate mail…
And that explains everything.