Bimota DB11 1198 2014 — Specifications

Rimini, 2014. While most Italian manufacturers attempt to expand their lineups with standardized derivatives, Bimota persists in its artisanal logic and presents the DB11. Eleventh iteration of a lineage whose generations are known by enthusiasts, this machine does not claim to revolutionize the genre. It refines. It sands. It seeks a form of maturity where its predecessors assumed a certain visual brutality.

The most immediate change is the styling. The fairings, less cut than on the DB8, draw more continuous and softer curves. The headlight abandons angular shapes for something more conventional, almost classic. The exhaust pipe finds a sobriety that was not necessarily expected on a sportbike at €28,190. The result is a less aggressive design, more sensual according to some, too tame according to others. On this point, everyone will judge according to their sensitivity, but it is difficult to deny the quality of execution of the carbon parts that dress the machine.

Under the bodywork, the foundations remain in direct continuity with the DB8 and DB9. The mixed frame, chrome-molybdenum trellis combined with aluminum side plates, constitutes the structure of a machine that has proven its worth. The 43 mm Marzocchi inverted fork and the Extreme Tech mono-shock handle the masses in motion with the precision expected at this price level. Brembo radial-mount calipers do the job with authority. The technical equipment is that of a true hypersportive, without visible compromise. At 175 kg dry, the DB11 even outperforms some direct competitors like the MV Agusta F4 or the Ducati 1199 Panigale, which display less flattering weight figures once equipped.

The engine deserves a closer look. One might have expected to find the L-twin from the Ducati 1198, of which the DB11 officially borrows the 1198 cc displacement. It is actually the twin from the Diavel that is installed between the side plates, with its 106 mm bore for 67.9 mm stroke, a compression ratio of 11.5 to 1, and four valves per cylinder. This engine, more oriented towards torque than the Panigale's, delivers its 127.5 Nm at 7700 rpm, which gives the DB11 a frank and passionate response to corner exits. The maximum power of 162 horsepower arrives at 9500 rpm and propels the machine up to 290 km/h according to the manufacturer's data. On a platform of 175 kilos with 18 liters of fuel in the back, there is little room for compromise.

The DB11 is aimed at a very specific audience: experienced riders, capable of appreciating the rarity of a machine produced in small series in Rimini, and ready to assume a price that places Bimota well above Ducati or Aprilia in the price hierarchy. This is not a motorcycle to start with, nor even to progress on. It is a motorcycle for those who already know exactly what they are looking for and have not found elsewhere this mixture of artisanal chassis, proven engine, and visual personality. The compromise, for those who can afford it, is rather well balanced.