Etc.
ETC.
ROUNDUP
BIMOTA BITS
Italian sources say Bimota will use BMW's four-cylinder K-series engine as the basis for a sporttourer, which could debut as early as this summer. Bimota refuses to confirm or discuss the project, but a source says the bike’s styling is at least as exotic as that of the company’s Mantra (see Cycle World, January), as it was apparently drawn by Sacha Lakic, the Frenchman who styled Bimota’s newest sensation.
Meanwhile, Bimota continues to promise the imminent appearance of its twin-crank, 500cc two-stroke, now fitted with fuel-injection. This engine, the first of Bimota’s design, has been under development for more than five years. Aurelio Lolli, Bimota's sales chief, asserts that the motorcycle will hit the market next year in street form, but adds that some decisions regarding the bike have not been made.
"We haven’t decided whether the 500 will be introduced with a Tesi chassis like the prototype, or a conventional frame with a telescopic fork,” he says. “We can go either way, but it will depend on some intensive market surveys, which we shall be conducting in several of our key markets.”
Lolli says the new engine will form the basis for a family of bikes, all of which will be voluntarily restricted to 100 horsepower.
Bimota is also expanding its range of bikes, with two-passenger and fuel-injected versions of the YZF600-powered YB9.
GET THE SCOOP ON THE ST1100
From Houston, Texas, comes the STIIOO Newsletter, a quarterly publication filled with maintenance tips, product evaluations, sporttouring information and more. A sample copy is $5, with a one-year subscription costing $16. For more information, contact W. Grant Norman, RO. Box 840566, Houston, TX 77282:713/463-3794.
TRICK NEW TRIUMPHS COMING SOON
Triumph is considering new frame designs, having rejected a twin-spar alloy chassis for being "too Japanese" in the eyes of company boss John Bloor. Word from England is that a tubular spaceframe will be used for the company’s secondgeneration sportbike, which will be powered by a 900cc Triple.
The new Triumph Superbike was set to debut in 1996, but pressure from Triumph's U.S. dealers reportedly has pushed the introduction up one year. Look for the motorcycle at November's Milan Show.
American Triumph dealers are anxious to see the company return to racing in this country, but the AMA says it has no rules governing Triples. That could change, though. Merrill Vanderslice, the AMA’s director of professional competition, says the AMA is always willing to talk to new manufacturers who want to race.
Triumph’s technological developments aren’t limited to frames. Rumored to appear on at least some of the 1996 models is the company’s own fuel-injection system.
MOTORCYCLES IN THE GALLERY
As if Southern California wasn't already a major tourist destination, motorcycle enthusiasts now have another reason to visit. Pasadena, California’s, Art Center College of Design will sponsor a museumquality exhibit titled, “The Art of the Motorcycle,” scheduled to run from February 26 through April 23 in the Art Center’s Williamson Gallery.
The exhibition, put together by guest curator and CW Senior Editor Jon F. Thompson, will display a small but select number of bikes and motorcycle paraphernalia. The idea, Thompson says, is to exemplify the artistry inherent in motorcycle design. The exhibit is free. For more information, contact the Art Center, 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena, CA 91103; 818/396-2200.
