25/20 mm chrome-molybdenum steel trellis with
aluminium machined plates
Front Suspension
50 mm Marzocchi upside-down with TiN
treatmentm 120mm wheel travel
Rear Suspension
Straight connection with full adjustable
monoshock, 130mm wheel travel
Front Brakes
2x 320mm discs 4 piston calipers
Rear Brakes
Single 220mm disc 2 piston caliper
Front Tyre
120/90 ZR17
Rear Tyre
180/55 ZR17
Rake
24°
Trail
100 mm / 3.9 in.
Dry weight
170 kg / 374.8 lbs
Wet weight
(Approx) 176.9 kg / 390 lbs
Seat height
830 mm / 32.7 in.
Wheelbase
1425 mm / 56.1 in.
Dimensions
Length:
2045 mm / 80.5 in.
Width:
750 mm / 29.5 in.
Height:
1230 mm / 48.4 in.
Fuel Capacity
16 Litres / 4.2 US gal
Standing 1000 m
23.0 sec / 206.8 km/h /128.5 mph
Standing
¼ Mile
12.1 sec / 182.9. km/h / 113.6 mph
Top Speed
214.1 km/h / 133mph
From its early beginnings, the Delirio project has been
conceived as the creation of a piece of art, and as a challenge to all
conventions. Everything created by Bimota to this date has been built to
the extreme, emphasizing perfection beyond rationality. Delirio is a
motorcycle that gives new value to the companies rich heritage, and
traditions. The goal has been to realize a Bimota for the future,
presenting engineers, designers and everybody involved with an equally
exciting and challenging task. Once again in Bimota’s history, the result
has been shaped by passion, imagination, and extraordinary craftsmanship.
Technology Of Emotion
The Delirio has become a reality - from Sergio Robbiano’s pencil to
Alberto Strada’s computer to Enrico Borghesan’s golden hands - and the
minds, souls, and hands of all at Bimota. Technical data of the Delirio
confirms what is obvious at first sight: Delirio delivers outstanding
performance. Engine and framework blend together in perfect harmony.
Performance and handling are complimented by an aggressive but nonetheless
comfortable riding position. The first biposto of the new generation.
The Bimota Delirio project had been born even
before its supersport counterpart, the DB5, was completed. The esthetics and
function-driven design of the DB5's bare chassis did not only suggest but
demanded the creation of a naked bike.
The process of designing the DB6 was bound to go far beyond just re-designing
the DB5. Having identified the trellis frame, swing arm, and fork as the basis
of the new motorcycle, we started all over again.
The finished design had to be distinctively different, setting the DB6 uniquely
apart from all naked bikes on the market. A Bimota has always been immediately
recognizable, today following the path set by Sergio Robbiano, proven by the
success of the DB5, defined by low weight, esthetic proportions, and outstanding
performance.
The challenge creating a naked bike is the balance between engineering necessity
and design esthetics. The DB6 displays in a unique way the care that went into
hiding essential functional auxiliary parts from plain view, directing attention
to the most prestigious elements of the motorcycle. This process requires a
radical approach positioning all functional parts, leaving no room for
compromise.
Front-end, trellis frame, new bored out and lightened plates of the swing arm,
as well as the passenger foot-rest supports are the most refined and exclusive
parts of the new DB6.
The exhaust system of the DB6 has been completely redesigned and fitted with
special silencers positioned under the seat. Tank and tank cover with fully
machined lock-nut contribute to the overall aggressiveness of the DB6. Battery
and fuse box are hidden by the side covers, making maintenance extremely simple.
The front view of the DB6 gives the motorcycle the personality of a predator
through its low positioned front light with integrated indicators.
Seating position and the ergonomics of footrests and handlebars provide the
rider with the feeling of domination and absolute control. Riding the DB6
yourself, you will experience that the design of each single element is the
expression of the pleasure to ride.
Review
From its red trellis frame and swingarm to its angular tank and mimimalist front
fairing, the 2007 DB6 Delirio is the lastest in Italian engineering artistry
from Bimota.It somehow doesn't seem right. Bouncing the tach needle off the rev
limiter as I snatch another clutch-less upshift before pinning the throttle back
to the stop. With my leg inches from the family four-door to my right, and a
large truck filling my horizon, it's not how I anticipated the first few miles
would be riding the new 2007 Bimota DB5 Delirio. With a $60,000 Tesi 2D hot on
my tail, I stayed tucked to make my pass and get back on my side of the road. I
certainly didn't want to "modify" the hand-made Italian motorcycle with the
grill of the oncoming truck, so grabbed another upshift and kept the throttle
pinned. Wheelying over every speed bump we could find, spinning the rear end out
of the tight corners, and frequently heading into small villages hard on the
brakes at 100 mph, testing motorcycles on public roads in Italy is an
exhilarating experience to say the least.
Responsible for the sort of behavior that would see us all doing hard time in
the States, Anaclato Bernabe, the Bimota PR guy, was taking us to lunch. In a
hurry to spend two hours munching through a seven-course feast, there was no
time to admire the stunning Italian scenery streaking by to the sides.
Thankfully, we would lose Anaclato after lunch and get a better opportunity to
enjoy the $30,000 handmade Italian beauty, and the equally stunning countryside
inland from the scenic Adriatic coast.
As part of an aggressive re-birth of the company that three years ago was closed
for production and in the hands of the bank, Bimota had invited us to Italy to
tour the factory and ride the new bikes. Purchased by Italian businessman Ing.
Roberto Comini in 2003, the financial investment into this famous brand that
traces its beginnings back to 1973 is substantial. This is good news for Bimota
aficionados in America. With the radical Tesi 2D already on American soil, the
DB6 Delirio is hot on its heels, and it will be joined by the DB5 and DB5R sport
bikes.
The ergos on the 2007 DB6 Delirio had Bayly tucked in a tight racer's crouch but
the foot pegs were less than accomodating for his size 10s.As a naked standard,
the Delirio is the most practical and lowest priced Bimota. (If you can call
$30,000 a low price) Featuring a 90 horsepower air-cooled Ducati V-Twin engine,
a trellis frame, and conventional forks and shock, on the surface the price tag
looks exorbitant, especially when you can buy a standard S2R Ducati Monster for
$10,500. What you are buying for this King's ransom is a handmade motorcycle
built to the highest quality by a single Italian craftsman. Giving you a ticket
to an extremely exclusive club, even when Bimota hits peak production some time
next year, they will never build more than 1,000 motorcycles a year.
A household name in Europe, Bimota motorcycles are not so widely known here in
the States. Formed by three Italian gentlemen back in 1970, the Bi stands for
Bianchi, the Mo for Morri, and the Ta for Tamburini. And I am sure most of you
are familiar with Signor Massimo Tamburini, the man who brought the world such
machines as the Ducati 916 and the MV Agusta 750F4, among others.
By 1973, Mori and Tamburini had split from Bianchi and were manufacturing parts
for popular Japanese sportbikes. Also producing racing frames, by 1976 they had
won their first world championship with Johnny Cecotto using a Yamaha TZ350
engine in a Bimota frame. Business expanded to making complete kits for owners
of current Japanese bikes. Basically, customers would use their own bike engine
and electrics as donor parts and would buy everything else from Bimota. It
wasn't until the late '70s that Bimota eventually started selling complete
motorcycles built along these lines in house.
Influencing the world of motorcycle design more than most people would realize,
(Tamburini took Bimota's trellis frame to Ducati when he left) Tamburini's first
production Bimota was labeled the SB2. Featuring a Suzuki GS750 engine, his
original prototype had an undertail exhaust system. Unfortunately, Bimota
couldn't make it run correctly, and it wasn't until 1993 that Tamburini's vision
was realized with the introduction of the Ducati 916. Nowadays, undertail
exhausts are more the norm than the exception in the sportbike world.
Sergio Robbiano's swingarm design for the Delirio uses an amalgamation of thin
tubular sections mated to an alloy plate.
The history of Bimota has been one of great highs and lows, with some incredible
innovations and the odd world championship thrown in. The original Tesi designed
by Pierre Luigi Marconi is still radical today. Bimota's YB4 E.I was also pretty
radical in 1988 with a beam perimeter frame and fuel injection, and it went on
to win the F1 world championship with Virginio Ferrari in the saddle. (The
series that went on to become World Superbike)
History lesson over and back in the saddle of the Delirio, it is quickly
apparent that Europeans are smaller than Americans. The ride position is tight,
and the footpegs feel like race items that would suit people with smaller feet
than my size 10s. The bars are nicely positioned and the reach is just right. Be
prepared to have your legs tucked up in a racers crouch, and your family jewels,
if you are of the male persuasion, spending their day making out with the front
of the tank though.
Thumb the starter, and the Ducati engine fires right to life. Fueling on my test
unit was not perfect and debriefing with Anaclato I learned it was a low-mileage
model, so some reprogramming would take place to smooth out a couple of the
rough spots I found. These occurred predominantly at lower rpm on a steady
throttle, though I am happy to report there was no such problem when the
throttle got yanked open in anger .
Peak power is around 90 Italian stallions at 9,000 rpm, with a peak torque
figure of 70 arriving at 6000 rpm. Propelling the 390-pound bike along the small
Italian roads like a guided missile, short shifting is the key to rapid forward
progress. Riding with Cycle World's Blake Conner heading toward the small town
of Montescudo, I noticed a small, sporty Fiat attempting to drive up my twin
triangular Euro 3 compliant exhaust pipes. Blake must have noticed him too, as I
heard the deep, low, roar of his DB5 blitzing up to redline, and I twisted the
throttle to show our four-wheeled friend what the Bimota was made of.
Sir Neale checks the 2007 Bimota DB6 Delirio's one-wheel abilities, with the
claimed 90 horsepower and 70 lb-ft of torque able the loft the front wheel no
problem.
Now I have to give this guy his due, he was lightning quick in the turns, and
with the Italian roads being as slick as anything I have ever ridden on, we were
definitely erring toward caution. Once the rear tire had hooked up and the revs
were climbing hard to redline, we just left the small Fiat in our exhaust fumes.
Within a few miles I couldn't hear his screeching tires or see him in my mirrors
anymore. We had worked for it, but the Bimota's impeccable handling, top-shelf
brakes, and explosive power delivering from low throttle had won the day.
Featuring twin 320mm rotors and four-piston radical calipers, all supplied by
Brembo, the stopping power available is superb. Easy to modulate with a good bit
of lever travel before the jaws-of-life bite down, this was very much
appreciated on the slippery Italian roads. Out back a single 220mm disc gets a
regular two-piston caliper, but needs a major stomp of the right boot to see any
action. A little fine-tuning is in order here, me thinks.
Attached to a pair of beautifully understated black, alloy wheels, modern
sportbike-sized rubber is used front and rear. Our bikes were fitted with
Continental tires, but US units will have Pirelli Dragons. Holding these in
place, a capable set of Marzocchi TiN 50mm inverted forks is used. These are
fully adjustable for pre-load, compression, and rebound as you might expect. In
the rear a conventional single Extreme Tech shock is used and, like the forks,
it is multi-adjustable.
Bimota strives to provide quality craftsmanship in a limited production,
hand-made motorcycle.Checking the tech specs, I was surprised to see the Bimota
Delirio's wheelbase is 1.7 inches longer than a Yamaha R6. It shares a similar
24-degree rake, with a little more trail, so still transitions side to side with
little effort. The wide bars no doubt aid this, and it took a few miles of
reprogramming to adjust to the low level of input needed to change direction.
Also, some food for thought is the 390-pound weight is claimed with the bike
full of fluids, so dry it has to be in the 360-pound category.
The instrumentation on the Bimota is small, and the digital speedometer is not
the easiest thing to read on the move. The big white-faced tachometer is
beautiful though, and it was fun to watch the needle racing around toward
redline without having to pay much regard to the speed. I guess in Italy speed
limits are more of a suggestion as we never seemed to travel anywhere near to
the limit the entire week we were there. All the control switches are fine,
mirrors do a reasonable job, and the small warning lights are bright.
Parking the bike at San Marino to take some photos after a fantastic few miles
on the most awesome twisties, all of these technical details faded to
insignificance as I studied the Bimota, getting lost in its many intricate
parts. Designed by current Italian hotshot designer, Sergio Robbiano, the way
the swingarm uses an amalgamation of thin tubular sections mated to an alloy
plate to hold the rear wheel is breathtaking. The same process is used with the
main frame, which is just as appealing to the eye. Dig in deeper, and the
quality of the welds and paintwork is simply without compare. Intricate and
stunning, the Bimota Delirio is like nothing else on two wheels. Just taking a
moment to look at the machined-from-solid chain adjuster and rear brake caliper
hanger will have every mechanical junky itching and looking for a fix.
The Delirio sits dockside in San Marino. Not many of the exclusive machines will
make the boat ride over to the States, but those able to bankroll the $30,000
MSRP will have an honest to goodness piece of European luxury.The radical lines
of the bodywork, the unbelievably narrow cut of the gas tank, and the way the
shapes and forms all blend together, educates even the uniformed eye that this
is not a mass produced machine. Built with fastidious attention to detail in
every nut, bolt, and hand made fastener, a finer set of components would be hard
to find on a single motorcycle. Unless it was another Bimota, of course.
Capable of breaking men's hearts and wallets, every single Bimota is unique, and
as with any exotic, be it two wheels or four, only for a select few. On paper it
is easy to dismiss the Delirio as an over-priced motorcycle, but after a day in
the saddle, and a chance to absorb the bikes intrinsic details, it is a totally
different story. Especially when you consider people are shelling out a lot more
money for gaudy, hard-to-ride American customs built by companies without a
fraction of the history or passion that is Bimota.