Bimota revealed a new concept sportbike at the 2012 EICMA Show equipped with a BMW S1000RR engine.

The Bimota BB2 concept is the first product of a new partnership signed with BMW that would see the German manufacturer supply S1000RR engines for Bimota. The S1000RR engine has class-leading numbers, with the 172.4 hp we measured in our 2012 European Literbike Shootout a 10.4 hp advantage over any literbike we dyno’ed for that shootout or the Japanese Literbike Shootout.

The BB2 mounts the engine in a new aluminum spar chassis and adds an Arrow exhaust, Öhlins  suspension and Brembo monobloc brake calipers. Continue Reading »

Italian manufacturer Bimota is looking to return to racing, with plans to compete in the 2013 World Superbike Championship as either a wild card or full time entry.

Helming Bimota’s racing project is its sporting director and former WSBK racer Ruben Xaus. Speaking with Italian website Motoblog.it at the Motor Bike Expo in Verona, Italy, Xaus says the team would like to race full time in 2013 but may start as a wild card before fielding a full entry in 2014.

“We are developing a bike for 2013, when they should change the rules which should lean towards more stock specs,” says Xaus.

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Motorbike cognoscenti recognize the Vyrus name, the Italian brand producing exotic sportbikes based on the amazing hub-center-steered Bimota Tesi.

The Vyrus story begins when Bimota filed for bankruptcy in the early 2000s. Vyrus principal Ascanio Rodorigo, a former Bimota employee, began producing his version of the Tesi after Bimota let its patents expire while it was in bankruptcy. When Bimota re-launched under new ownership in 2003, Vyrus reportedly built the Tesi for Bimota because it was already in production.

Vyrus currently builds three versions of the Tesi, each with Ducati powerplants and unique swingarm front ends.

The Vyrus 984 uses a 992cc air-cooled motor with a claimed 90.5 hp. It has a purported dry weight of just 331 lbs.

The Vyrus 985 uses the liquid-cooled Ducati engine from the 999R, said to produce 155 hp. It scales in at 346 lbs dry and has a retail price near $70,000.

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