Return of the Rumi

RETURN OF THE RUMI

ROUNDUP

Alan Cathcart

OSCAR RUMI WANTS TO win races. He also wants to build motorcycles. As the man behind Fred Merkel’s 1988 and 1989 World Superbike championships, he’s proven he knows how to win, and as the nephew of Dr. Donnino Rumi, who built motorcycles in Bergamo, Italy from 1948 to 1962, he has a genetic involvement with the business.

That involvement has led to the Rumi RM701, which is based around Honda’s NX650 engine, the same engine now being used in the XR650L dual-purpose bike. But in the

RM701, there’s not much left that’s Honda-just the crankcases, balance shaft and transmission. The remainder of the powerplant is all-new, designed by Rumi co-conspirator Carlo

Facetti, who has converted the engine to liquid-cooling, raised its capacity to 701cc, and developed an all-new, four-valve, dohc

cylinder head. The engine is fed by

Aspiring Singles racers take note: Ducati’s stunning Su per mono won’t be the only stylish Italian on Sound of Singles grids next year. The Rumi RM701 also will be on hand. Like the Ducati, it, too, may eventually become a roadbike.

a dual-trumpet, dual-injector fuel-injection system, and the bottom line is a claimed 75 horsepower at 9000 rpm.

The engine is hung in a tidy twin-spar aluminum frame that uses a Forcella Italia fork, an Öhlins shock and Brembo brakes, and weighs a claimed 265 pounds dry.

Rumi says he’ll run an extensive test program over the winter, and if that’s successful, will begin production of 20 racebikes. What’s even better, however, is that Rumi plans to develop a road-going version of the RM701, which now tentatively is scheduled to be shown at the Milan Motorcycle Show in November.