The Bimota Story

Auteur
Ian Falloon was born in New Zealand in 1952 and studied engineering and music at Victoria University, Wellington. After a career as a symphony orchestra oboist was brought to an end by a motorcycle accident he began writing articles about motorcycles for magazines. His first book, The Ducati Story, has run to several editions and has been published in three languages. The success of The Ducati Story led to a series of Ducati books and histories of Honda, Kawasaki, BMW and Moto Guzzi motorcycles. He has now written many books about motorcycles, mostly historical but also restoration guides. With an interest and passion spanning decades he now concentrates on collecting and restoring older Italian motorcycles, particularly Ducati, MV Agusta, Laverda, and Moto Guzzi. Ian Falloon lives in Australia, and is ably supported in his projects by his wife Miriam and sons Ben and Tim.

Texte du rabat

The full story of Bimota, covering all the street and racing models from 1973 onward. Bimota started out modifying existing bikes, and then building its own high-performance machines. Its bikes were known for excellent handling, innovative design, and cutting-edge technology, and soon gained a loyal following.

Résumé
The definitive story of one of the most iconic Italian motorcycle marques. Bimota was founded in 1973 by three friends: Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri, and Massimo Tamburini. The company specialises in producing high-performance motorcycles, incorporating exotic materials and cutting-edge technologies. Bimota quickly gained a reputation for producing limited edition, hand-built motorcycles that were prized for their exceptional quality and design. Throughout its history, Bimota has collaborated with several well-known brands, including Yamaha, Suzuki, and Ducati, to produce unique and innovative bikes. The company has also won numerous awards for its innovative designs, including the prestigious ‘Motorcycle Designer of the Year’ award in 1992. Despite facing financial difficulties in the 1990s and 2000s, Bimota continues to produce motorcycles, and has maintained its reputation as one of the premier brands in the motorcycle industry. Bimota motorcycles are prized by motorcycle enthusiasts and collectors for their exceptional quality, design, and engineering excellence. The company's commitment to innovation and excellence has earned it a place in the hearts of riders and fans around the world, and it continues to be a source of inspiration for the motorcycle community. With a 50 year passion for Italian motorcycles Ian Falloon tells the full story of Bimota, covering all the street and racing models from 1973 onward.

Échantillon de lecture
The Adriatic coast has always been a thriving centre for the Italian motorcycle industry; the Benelli factory was situated in Pesaro and in the post-war period the streets of Rimini hosted many racing events. Three partners, Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri, and Massimo Tamburini established Bimota in Rimini in 1966. The name BI-MO-TA came from the first letters of each surname and Bimota was initially a company specialising in heating and air conditioning systems. This business was very successful but Massimo Tamburini was more passionate about motorcycles than air conditioning. He would soon take the company down a different path. With the gradual demise of the British motorcycle industry, the late 1960s was a tumultuous time for motorcycling. Tamburini always admired four-cylinder engines and both MV Agusta and Honda introduced exotic four-cylinder production models. Released in 1967, the MV Agusta 600 in particular was a paradox. Hailing from the most successful racing marque in history, the production MV Agusta 600 four-cylinder was about as far removed from racing as possible. MV Agusta’s chief, the enigmatic Count Domenico Agusta, was determined no one could race the 600 and potentially embarrass his 500cc factory machines so he stipulated a 600cc displacement and shaft final drive. Dominated by a large automotive rectangular headlamp, the touring 600 was expensive, slow, and ugly. After seeing an advertisement in July 1971 issue of Motociclismo magazine, Tamburini purchased an MV 600. This was already significantly modified, with Menani bodywork, a Fontana four-leading shoe front brake, racing Ceriani front fork, and a 750cc conversion with four Dell’Orto 25mm SSI carburettors. Tamburini modified the MV further, incorporating chain final drive and a building a low dual cradle frame. Tamburini took his MV to an International race meeting at Modena on 19 March 1972, where it created a sensation. HB1 PROTOTYPE (1973) The positive reaction to this modified MV Agusta saw the company split into two divisions; Bimota would continue producing heating and Bimota Meccanica would produce motorcycles. Valerio Bianchi left the company in June 1972, and soon Morri and Tamburini decided to concentrate on motorcycles. The impetus came in September 1972 when Massimo Tamburini crashed his Honda CB750 four entering the Curva della Quercia at Misano. This prompted him to consider designing an improved frame that was more suited to the power of the new generation of Japanese Superbikes. After recuperating from three broken ribs, the construction of a new frame for the Honda 750 four began in October 1972. Tamburini worked with Dervis Macrelli bending the tubes by hand with a pipe bender. This first example was initially a racing version, and it was ready for a test at Imola on 13 April 1973, just prior to the Formula 750 Imola 200 race. On 21 January 1973, the heating and air conditioning business was closed and the 100 square metre building at via Covignano 103 was now devoted solely to motorcycles.