Bimota DB8 1198 2012 — Specifications

When Ducati unveiled the 1198 to succeed its 1098, Bimota found itself in a delicate position. The Bolognese twin that powered the DB7 had just been superseded by its own manufacturer. Rimini could have taken offense. Instead, the small firm simply sourced the new engine, slipped it into a steel tubular trellis frame braced by aluminum side plates, and christened the whole package DB8. The eighth Bimota-Ducati alliance, and still the same philosophy: take the best that Bologna has to offer, and magnify it.

The 90-degree L-twin displacing 1198 cc runs here to its own score. The mapping has been reworked to give it a more direct, more immediate character. On paper, 170 horsepower at 9,750 rpm and 131.4 Nm at 8,000 rpm is exactly what the Ducati 1198 claims. But on the road, a remapped engine in a 171 kg dry frame behaves differently. That weight, in itself, is remarkable for a twin of this displacement. The Ducati 1198 quotes the same figure, but it doesn't have this chassis, these billet-machined plates, this feeling that every component was chosen rather than simply bolted on.

The DB8 nonetheless marks a turning point in the brand's recent history. To make the machine more accessible and accommodate a passenger, engineers reinforced the rear structure and accepted a few compromises that purists will greet with a grimace. The fairing trades carbon fiber for plastic. The suspension — a 43 mm inverted fork and an Extreme Tech monoshock with 120 mm of travel each — remains well-specified but steps down a notch from what the DB7 offered. These are not ordinary components, far from it, but they no longer play in the same league as the Öhlins units fitted to the 1198 S Corse.

This is where the debate becomes meaningful. At €25,990, the DB8 finds itself squarely in the crosshairs of the Ducati 1198 S Corse with its premium suspension. On purely rational grounds, the comparison is brutal. But buying a Bimota has always operated on a logic that transcends the spreadsheet. The logo on the tank, the rarity of the machine in a parking lot, the hand-crafted parts from Rimini, the feeling of belonging to a restricted club: all of this carries a price that figures cannot capture. The DB8 targets the sporting rider who wants performance without compromise on originality, who will occasionally ride two-up, and who accepts paying for exclusivity without hanging the bike on the wall like a painting.

Visually, anyone familiar with the DB7 will feel right at home. The lines are identical, the taut and thoroughbred silhouette unchanged. A more understated color scheme, a revised exhaust, and a large red "8" nestled beneath the ram-air intakes are the only visual cues distinguishing the two generations. This stylistic conservatism is intentional. When a motorcycle is beautiful, changing it for the sake of change serves no purpose.