2020 Bimota Tesi H2 Motorcycle
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 42,476
Likes: 321
From: California
2020 Bimota Tesi H2 Motorcycle
Bimota's long-rumored comeback bike is a technological marvel
It's got a supercharged engine and front swing-arms
Meet the brand new, 2020 Bimota Tesi H2. Kawasaki have today confirmed they’ve purchased a 49.9% stake in legendary Italian firm Bimota, revealing this new supercharged, hub-steered monster based on the Japanese brand’s supercharged 227bhp Ninja H2.
Stylists gave the Tesi H2 a menacing, fighter jet-like design characterized by winglets that add downforce at high speeds, and numerous aluminum components to keep weight in check. Full technical specifications remain under wraps, but the Tesi H2 doesn't honor its predecessors with a Ducati-sourced two-cylinder engine. Motorcycle News learned Bimota's unmuzzled comeback bike is closely related to the Kawasaki Ninja H2. That means power comes from a 998cc, water-cooled straight-four supercharged to develop over 206 horsepower and 95 pound-feet of torque. Like the H2, the Tesi is expected to tip the scales in the vicinity of 525 pounds, so it offers a jaw-dropping power-to-weight ratio and lightning-quick acceleration. It's certainly not a bike for novice riders.
The first new Bimota model since the BMW S1000RR-derived BB3 superbike in 2014, the new machine, finished in the traditional red and white, uses a striking hub-centre steering set-up, with what appears to be two semi-active Öhlins shocks at the rear of the bike, braced under the single seat.
Details remain scarce, however the front swingarm appears to be connected to its designated shock via a linkage running down the left side of its four-cylinder Kawasaki engine. Wires protruding from each of the suspension units would suggest some form of electronic damping, with remote adjusters also accessible for preload.
Although unconventional, the advantages of including hub steering is that it provides a narrower front-end, as well as the ability to trail brake into a corner, with braking forces kept away from the front suspension, leaving it free to deal with bumps in the road. The disadvantage of this though is that with so many linkages, front-end feel can be reduced.
The brakes themselves are also neatly hidden within the front mudguard, with the front swingarm preventing the calipers from being positioned conventionally.
Alongside revised suspension, the new machine also appears to use the Kawasaki engine as an integral part of the chassis, with the front swingarm mounted to a front frame, also housing the Kawasaki-derived clocks, via steel tubing.
The rear arm also appears to bolt directly to a pivot point towards the rear of engine, with the Bimota DB8-styled rear cowling held in place by a carbon fibre subframe.
Sources from Bimota at the Eicma show have told MCN that the bike is homologated to the same specs as the latest H2, meaning similar power and weight, with prices expected to sit in the region of €50,000 (around £43,000). Bikes are set to arrive in June 2020. Keep an eye out for the Bimota Tesi H2 review coming soon on MCN.
Stylists gave the Tesi H2 a menacing, fighter jet-like design characterized by winglets that add downforce at high speeds, and numerous aluminum components to keep weight in check. Full technical specifications remain under wraps, but the Tesi H2 doesn't honor its predecessors with a Ducati-sourced two-cylinder engine. Motorcycle News learned Bimota's unmuzzled comeback bike is closely related to the Kawasaki Ninja H2. That means power comes from a 998cc, water-cooled straight-four supercharged to develop over 206 horsepower and 95 pound-feet of torque. Like the H2, the Tesi is expected to tip the scales in the vicinity of 525 pounds, so it offers a jaw-dropping power-to-weight ratio and lightning-quick acceleration. It's certainly not a bike for novice riders.
The first new Bimota model since the BMW S1000RR-derived BB3 superbike in 2014, the new machine, finished in the traditional red and white, uses a striking hub-centre steering set-up, with what appears to be two semi-active Öhlins shocks at the rear of the bike, braced under the single seat.
Details remain scarce, however the front swingarm appears to be connected to its designated shock via a linkage running down the left side of its four-cylinder Kawasaki engine. Wires protruding from each of the suspension units would suggest some form of electronic damping, with remote adjusters also accessible for preload.
Although unconventional, the advantages of including hub steering is that it provides a narrower front-end, as well as the ability to trail brake into a corner, with braking forces kept away from the front suspension, leaving it free to deal with bumps in the road. The disadvantage of this though is that with so many linkages, front-end feel can be reduced.
The brakes themselves are also neatly hidden within the front mudguard, with the front swingarm preventing the calipers from being positioned conventionally.
Alongside revised suspension, the new machine also appears to use the Kawasaki engine as an integral part of the chassis, with the front swingarm mounted to a front frame, also housing the Kawasaki-derived clocks, via steel tubing.
The rear arm also appears to bolt directly to a pivot point towards the rear of engine, with the Bimota DB8-styled rear cowling held in place by a carbon fibre subframe.
Sources from Bimota at the Eicma show have told MCN that the bike is homologated to the same specs as the latest H2, meaning similar power and weight, with prices expected to sit in the region of €50,000 (around £43,000). Bikes are set to arrive in June 2020. Keep an eye out for the Bimota Tesi H2 review coming soon on MCN.
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Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 857
Likes: 47
From: Oregon
Well, it sorta looks to me like a California stylist's fantasy.
What would matter more to me is whether this thing gets around a track faster than its predecessors, and on that criterion I'd doubt it. So then beyond that it's just a fun exercise, sort of like how we boys would draw fantasy cars in the margins of our notebooks in Junior High.
But, hey, it would be fun to try it out and it would certainly make a statement at the Rock Store on Mulholland in the Malibu hills about an hour west of LA, where hundreds of bikes of all sorts congregate on weekend afternoons.
What would matter more to me is whether this thing gets around a track faster than its predecessors, and on that criterion I'd doubt it. So then beyond that it's just a fun exercise, sort of like how we boys would draw fantasy cars in the margins of our notebooks in Junior High.
But, hey, it would be fun to try it out and it would certainly make a statement at the Rock Store on Mulholland in the Malibu hills about an hour west of LA, where hundreds of bikes of all sorts congregate on weekend afternoons.
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