Four
stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 5
valves per cylinder.
Capacity
1002 cc / 61.1 cub. in.
Bore x Stroke
75.5 x 56 mm
Compression Ratio
12.0:1
Cooling System
Liquid cooled
Induction
Weber Marelli injection
Ignition
- /
Starting
Electric
Max Power
122.3 kW /
164 hp @ 10500 rpm
Max Power Rear Tyre
101.7 kW / 136.4 hp @ 10300 rpm
Max Torque
101 Nm / 10.3 kg-m / 74.5 lb-ft. @ 8500 rpm
Transmission
5 Speed
Final Drive
Chain
Frame
Two diagonal beams in section bar made of
aluminium with internal ribbing. The cylinders are supported by plates
bolted to the beams and the swing arm is made of aluminium
Front Suspension
Öhlins upside-down forks, preload,
compression and rebound damping adjustable.
Rear Suspension
Öhlins link-age preload, compression and
rebound damping adjustable.
Light and stunningly fast, Bimota's m's Furano was
arguably the finest sports bike in m the world when it was launched
in 1992 -, as well as one of the most expensive. The Furano, named after a
wind that blew across the Adriatic sea near Bimota's base in Rimini,
combined a tuned version of the 1002cc four-cylinder engine from Yamaha's
FZR1000 with a light and exotic chassis of the Italian firm's own design.
The bike was hand-built in numbers of just 100 to provide the ultimate in
high-speed motorcycling. The FZR was a fine sports machine in its own right,
so using its engine was an excellent starting point. In standard form the
twin-cam, 20-valve lump produced 140bhp with generous midrange torque.
Bimota added a Weber-Marelli fuel-injection set-up and replaced the
four-into-one exhaust system with a lighter, less-restrictive design of
their own.
The result was a claimed peak output of 164bhp at 10,500rpm.
The engine was bolted to a typical Bimota frame consisting of two
aviation-alloy spars, each one hugely thick, beautifully machined and
immensely strong. Suspension parts came from Swedish firm Öhlins, widely
regarded as the best in the world. Both the upside-down front forks and
single rear shock absorber were fully adjustable for both compression and
rebound damping. Other cycle-parts were of equally high specification. The
front brake comprised two 320mm diameter drilled Brembo discs, gripped by
four-piston calipers. Wheels were composite, 17-inch diameter items of Bimota's own design; tyres were soft-compound Michelin radials, the massive
rear cover measuring over seven inches in width. Bimota's traditionally high
quality of finish was particularly evident in the bodywork, in which
reinforcing patches of lightweight carbon-fibre were visible amid the
hand-painted fibreglass of the one-piece fairing and seat-tank unit. (Bimota
claimed the fibre-bonding Keeping up with - and usually ahead of - the
mass-produced motorcycling Jones's is ever the Bimota goal. process was so
complex that one fairing in three was rejected.) More carbon-fibre was used
for parts such as mudguards and silencer.
The result was a dry weight
of 3961b - typical of a 600cc middleweight rather than a full-blown
superbike - which gave the Furano an unrivalled power to weight ratio.
Combined with the fuel-injection's crisp response, the result was awesome
acceleration. At about 4000rpm in first gear, a flick of the wrist sent the
front wheel hurtling skywards as the Furano stormed forward with its tacho
needle sweeping towards the 1 l,500rpm redline. Few roadgoing vehicles could
come even close to matching the Furano, which flashed from 0-60mph in the
flicker of a stopwatch, and screamed through the standing quarter-mile in
under 11 seconds. Top speed was predictably mind-blowing, too, with more
than 170mph available given the right gearing and a clear stretch of tarmac.
Even more impressive was me Bimota's handling, particularly the
ultra-responsive feel derived from the blend of rigid frame, taut suspension
and premium rubber.
The Furano gave no hint of a wobble even at the
highest speeds. Steering was quick and precise; the bike could be slowed
hard with a brush of the potent Brembos, flicked into corners with a minimum
of effort, then powered out with the fat rear tyre welded to the road.
Advances in Japanese sports bike design meant the Furano could not hope to
match the edge that some of its Bimota predecessors had enjoyed over the
competition. Mass-produced Japanese rivals such as Honda's CBR900RR, in
particular, provided high power outputs and excellent handling. The Bimota
justified its far higher price by being not only even faster and more agile
but also much rarer and more exotic. It was a hand-built, lavishly equipped
superbike created simply to be the fastest and best in the world.