Bimota, 25 Years of Excellence
Bimota, 25 Years of Excellence
A WISE MAN ONCE SAID THAT KNOWLEDGE ISN'T KNOWING the answer to a question, but knowing where to find it. And when it comes to questions about Bimota motorcycles, the answers can all be found in Bimota, 25 Years of Excellence.
Author Giorgio Sarti is vice president of the Bimota Club of Italy, so he's well versed in the history of the legendary Italian coachworks. It's all here, too, from the company's humble beginnings in the heating and air-conditioning business to its recent reorganization and plans for beyond 2000. The hard-cover book is divided into eight basic sections, with subsections devoted to each and every one of Bimota’s 84 street, racing and prototype
models. It’s fascinating reading, complemented by numerous artists’ conceptions, technical drawings and photos, many in color, often with Latin lovelies draped over the machines. Various appendices list production figures, racing achievements, clubs, even individual owners.
If our rivals at Motorcyclist magazine had consulted this book, for example, they’d have known better than to include the Ducati-powered DB1 in their recent guide to $10,000 Bargain Classics. As the DB1 chapter clearly explains, just 453 examples of this first all-Italian Bimota were produced, 360 of which were shipped to Japan. Even if the remaining 93 were imported to the U.S. (and they weren’t), they’d still sell for closer to twice that price.
Of course, should you find a nice, clean example for under 10 grand, give me a call. Brian Catterson
Bimota, 25 Years of Excellence, Giorgio Sarti, 336 pages, $85; Moto Point, 11 Brilliant Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15125; 412/782-6191
