Bimota DB11 1198 2015 — Specifications

Rimini has always known how to play a dangerous game: taking the best of Ducati and dressing it in bodywork that makes the Bolognese V-twin look like a haute couture jewel. The DB11 continues this tradition with an assumed frankness, without seeking to revolutionize a formula that has worked for years.

Compared to the DB8, from which it descends directly, the DB11 marks a clear stylistic softening. The fairing flanks gain roundness, the headlight abandons the aggressive shapes of previous generations for something more classic, and the exhaust returns to less sculptural proportions. A little of the visual tension of the ancestors is lost, but consistency is gained. The result remains very beautiful, especially with the generosity of the carbon fiber that dresses the whole. It’s a motorcycle that attracts the eye in a paddock without needing to shout.

Under the skin, the DB11 reinvents nothing, and that’s very well. The trellis frame in chrome-molybdenum steel coupled with the lateral plates in aluminum is a proven, rational architecture, and it accommodates, without surprise, the Ducati mechanics. However, pay attention to a precision that is important: it is not the L-twin of the 1198 that resides here, despite what the model designation might suggest, but the engine from the Diavel. The same 1198 cc displacement, the same 90-degree architecture, 106 mm bore for a 67.9 mm stroke, compression ratio of 11.5:1, but a different character. The 162 horsepower arrive at 9500 rpm and the torque of 127.5 Nm manifests itself from 7700 rpm, which gives this machine a wider range of use than a pure track sportbike. The 43 mm Marzocchi inverted fork at the front, the Extreme Tech mono-shock at the rear, and the radial Brembo calipers complete a specification without compromise.

The dry weight of 175 kg positions the DB11 in a very serious register. For comparison, a Ducati 1199 Panigale of the same era has a similar weight with comparable power, but without the exclusivity of Bimota and its entry ticket of 30,390 euros. This is where the shoe pinches, or, according to the point of view, where the charm operates. Bimota sells an experience as much as a motorcycle: the rarity of the brand, the craftsmanship of Rimini, the conviction of belonging to a very closed club. For this price, the average rider might expect more sophisticated electronics or more refined suspension adjustments. But that is not really the target audience. The DB11 is aimed at an experienced enthusiast, a confirmed rider, who knows what he is buying and why he is paying for it.

With 290 km/h announced as the maximum speed and a power-to-weight ratio that would make many of its competitors blush, the DB11 1198 remains a coherent proposition for those seeking a full-fledged sportbike, produced in a small series, that looks like nothing else on the market. The 18-liter tank even allows for a few excursions on open roads, away from the circuits. It’s not a perfect motorcycle, but Bimota has never claimed to build perfect motorcycles. Just different motorcycles.