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Bimota Celebrates their Golden Anniversary

Happy 50th Birthday, Bimota!

It's 1977; a truckful of Bimota SB2's have been delivered to Suzuki importer SAIAD Turin. Media sourced from AMCN.
It's 1977; a truckful of Bimota SB2's have been delivered to Suzuki importer SAIAD Turin. Media sourced from AMCN.

Today, Bimota celebrates its fiftieth year on this good earth; from her founding year in 1966 by the incomparable Massimo Tamburini, Valerio Bianchi and Giuseppe Morri, to the tossing of air conditioner and heating system manufactury in 1973 to focus on two-wheeled beasts of speed, Bimota’s history is rich with the dream of taking quality bikes and decking them out in top-tier componentry.

Bimota’s legacy includes modding out motorcycles from the likes of MV Agusta (the Special) and Honda (CB750), to the exceptional work performed on in-house chimeras like the HB1 (Honda Bimota 1), the iconic SB2 (Suzuki Bimota 2), and the utterly insane BB2 (BMW Bimota 2).

Truly, AMCN couldn’t have put it better by saying that “in terms of frame, components, and concept… Bimota was in a class of its own.”

It's 1985; Martini and Giuseppe Morri pose next to the DB1. Media sourced from AMCN.
It’s 1985; Martini and Giuseppe Morri pose next to the DB1. Media sourced from AMCN.

The KB1 was the defining bike for Bimota’s relationship with Kawasaki; within a few years of this bike, Kawasaki became “the very first manufacturer to supply new engines directly to Bimota,” – a relationship all the more reinforced when Bimota sold a 49.9% stake in their company to Kawasaki Heavy Industries in 2019 (via WeBike). 

The Bimota KB2, personalized to Tamburini's specific preferences. Media sourced from AMCN.
The Bimota KB2, personalized to Tamburini’s specific preferences. Media sourced from AMCN.

With this, Bimota had come a near full circle; Kawi’s acquisition of 49.9% of Bimota meant that the marque’s process of wrapping a frame around a quality heart could be further localized while simultaneously stabilizing the company’s financial situ (via AMCN).

Bimota’s most recent machine is the brainchild of a project with Kawasaki: The 2023 BX450 – an enduro bike that was unveiled at 2022 EICMA.

We wish Bimota the absolute best on its golden birthday, and looking forward to what the bike brand gets up to next!

*Media sourced from AMCN*