Baby Bimota
BABY BIMOTA
DOES THE WORLD REALLY NEED A 400cc DB2?
WHEN A EUROPEAN MANUFACTURER LAUNCHES A SMALL-bore version of a large-displacement model, it does so for only one reason: to increase sales in Japan, where a tiered licensing system based on engine size makes riding any bike with an engine bigger than 400cc an expensive endeavor. So when Bimota decided to launch the 400cc version of its Ducati-engined DB2 as the DB2-J, it seemed certain that the “J” stood for Japan, right? Wrong. What does it stand for, then? Would you believe, “Junior?”
Why does Bimota bother with a model that might seem to have very limited sales appeal? First, if someone else has done all the mechanical work concocting a smallercapacity engine-as Ducati has done in developing the 400SS version of its six-speed, two-valve engine-producing a smaller version of your existing model can be done
quickly and inexpensively. Second, Ducati has enjoyed surprising success with its halffaired 350SS/400SS machines in the past year. Might a similar market exist for a downsized DB2-J acting as an entry-level Bimota? To find out, a very limited number of DB2-Js have been built and sent to Bimota distributors worldwide-one each, roughly-to see if there’s enough interest to put the bike into full-scale production, which by Bimota standards means a 100-bike minimum run.
Frankly, I thought riding the baby Bimota, beautiful as it may be, would be a let-down of epic proportions. I was wrong. Not only is the DB2-J a looker, it's a goer, too.
To concoct the J-type, which is only avail able with a haif-fairing, Bimota used the same chrome-moly spaceframe and swingarm. Ohlins shock and Paioli fork as oil the bigger bike, but with a 4.5-inch rear wheel rather than the 900's 5.5-inch rini. Front wheel is the same 3.5-inch rim used on the bigger bike. Instead of the twin 12.6-inch rotors and four-piston calipers as on the 900, there's only one of each on tile J-type. The J also does without an oil cooler, and has no chill fairin~z. What it does have is a massive 47-
tooth rear sprocket which is 10 teeth bigger than the final drive-setup on the 900 and looks like something off the back wheel of a hiliclimber. The airbox is different from the 900, even with the same pair of 38mm Mikunis fitted as on the bigger bike. The Birnota-developed exhaust system is the same.
The biggest single difference is the 398cc motor. claimed to deliver a very healthy 49 horsepower at 10,000 rpm. The i-type's motor won't pull cleanly below 4000 rpm without some transmission snatch, bitt it comes on strong at 4000 rpm, and from 6000 rpii~ upwards, the acceleration is sur prisingly\ brisk.
With a claimed top speed of 118 mph. the little DB2-J is able to keep up with almost anything on four wheels. It's a perfect country-roads bike. If you use the gearbox to exploit that surprisingly punchy midrange, the excellent-handling DB2 chassis lets you swing through twisting lanes as quickly as any bike, and a lot faster than most.
Still, I wonder how many people will opt for a DB2-J at about $18,000 when, for about $3000 more at current British prices, they can have the haif-faired DB2 900. Market forces will answer that question, but the only way Bimota can really find out is by making the bike and seeing if anyone will buy it. Put it this way-if you buy one, and nobody else does, at least you'll have an instant collector's item.
Alan Cathcart
