We follow Oberdan Bezzi’s work pretty closely here at Asphalt & Rubber, if for no other reason than we like the Italian designer’s ability to fantasize about the endless possibilities available in the two-wheel world — and after, who here doesn’t like to daydream about exotic motorcycles? Lately it seems Bezzi’s imagination has gone to a world where Bimota uses more than Ducati’s v-twin lumps in its exclusive street bikes, with his most recent sketches envisioning a BMW/Bimota collaboration.
Inking the Bimota BB-2 superbike, and it’s naked sibling the Bimota BB-3 “Paura”, the usual Bezzi lines and style are present in the designs. Oberdan’s thought-process on the Bimota BB-3 seems to be well-timed though, as the Bavarian company has recently been caught testing a naked version of the well-selling BMW S1000RR at its facility. Set to be a true Germans streetfighter, BMW could very well succeed in a motorcycle segment that the Japanese have historically struggled with here in the US.
Stopping the perpetuation of the lie that Americans don’t buy streetfighters/nakeds, the idea of a BMW-built S1000RR-dervied street-naked speaks at least to this author’s heart, and I am sure I am not alone in that sentiment. Expect that genuine article to have class-leading performance and to be competitively priced against its Japanese counterparts. Coupled with BMW’s history of making fine motorcycles, as well as the German company’s prestigious brand, it is hard to imagine how such a motorcycle will not be a hit…just like its full-faired sibling. Are the Japanese OEMs taking notes here?
As for Bezzi’s thoughts regarding Bimota, it is hard not to think about the current BMW/Suter bike being campaigned in MotoGP by Colin Edwards and the NGM Forward Racing team. Actually, it is hard not to think about any of the current CRT entries and the famous Italian brand. While Bimota’s Moto2 project seems to be slow in the making (last we heard, Ruben Xaus had been tapped to overlook the project, which may or may not be a good thing), the absence of Bimota in MotoGP would raise some eyebrows, if it weren’t for the almost certain reality that the company is once again on the verge of economic collapse, as seems to be the case every few years or so.
Still, for a company that made its name on taking production motors and building exotic custom frames and motorcycles around them, the very idea that Bimota isn’t in the CRT mix is certainly an interesting one.
Source: Oberdan Bezzi (Blog)