Track test: 2008 Bimota DB7 1098 launch – Brute force À la carte
Written: 19/06/2008 : 09:12. Read 4431 times (57/day).
Pick the best from the best, machine it and bolt it together by hand and voila you have a Bimota. The DB7 oozes of exclusivity from the design to the choice of the 160hp Ducati Testastretta 1098 engine. I got the chance to ride Bimota’s first superbike since the SB8R on Misano. 20 votes
Misano is a beautiful place in the world. Located by the Italian Adriatic coast close to the towns of Riccione and Rimini surrounded by lush hills it’s a Mecca for motorcycling. After MotoGP returned here last year the circuit that I knew have been turned around to a conventional clockwise configuration. Not a bad place to introduce such a mouth watering prospect as the Bimota DB7. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been looking forward to this particular ride for a while now.
Bimota is the only factory in the world allowed to place Ducati’s gem of a 1099cc L-twin engine in its own chassis. Just to give you an idea of just how exclusive this motorcycle is I can tell you that Bimota only plans to build 300 DB7 per year. For 2008 I can tell you that that is 50% of the planned overall production.
Ex-Ducati man Dan Van Epps preaches proudly that each DB7 is built by hand by two Bimota technicians. Those two technicians follows that very bike all the way to actually also building the shipping crate! That’s just how exclusive and exotic the Bimota DB7 1098 is. I fire her up in pit lane with great anticipation.
My expectations are high and I notice straight away that neither the clutch lever nor gear pedal is set up for my chunky Alpinestars Supertech R’s. I go on my first 15 minute session anyway.
The seat is hard and as you’d expect on a sportbike like this. The reach to the clip-ons isn’t too extreme but under no circumstances could you call the Bimota DB7 a comfortable motorcycle. Cornering, the change from left to right or visa versa is made easy by the shape of the seat and grippy rear-sets.
Getting completely behind the windscreen on the straights is more difficult. There’s not much space to move my backside backwards and the shape of the 16 litre fuel tank prevents lowering my upper body much. The profile of the fuel tank is not as ideal as let’s say on a Yamaha R6.
The DB7 is no R6 though and there’s abundance in torque and horsepower to punch a big hole in the air anyway. A major asset to the Bimota DB7 package is its Ducati 1098 engine.
Bimota have modified the big L-twin with a different and more efficient side-mounted exhaust system and added a Walbro ECU. This has resulted in a 30% boost in torque between 4-7.000rpm compared to the Ducati 1098. The extra torque in this area of the power band allows a fantastic corner exit with a wide open throttle. The traction provided by the L-twin pulses transmitted through the fully adjustable Extremetech 2v4 shock out to the 190 Conti rear tyre mid-corner is great.
Upon the exit itself when the 160 horsepower twin nears the peak a power slide could be slightly too easy. I think that’s an easy fix with a different more grippy rear tyre, but enough about that.
It doesn’t take the Continental Race Attack tyres long to warm up. After a couple of laps I can apply the front brake more generously. The Brembo monoblocks are very powerful and I take no chances on a cold front tyre.
Gradually I apply more and more particularly after the start/finish straight down from 200+km/h to around 100km/h. Before I had had any chance to make adjustments to either suspension or levers I experienced a lot of movement under hard braking. At the same time I couldn’t click down the 6-speed gearbox quick enough due to set-up issues.
So I’ll skip straight over to my second session when all issues miraculously had gone! Blake Conner from Cycle World and I shared the same bike and we had complained about the same things basically.
It goes to show what a precision tool the Bimota DB7 really is. Pretty much everything can be adjusted to a rider’s preference on this hand crafted Italian piece of jewellery. I reckon jewellery is the right word here, just look at all the machined aluminium billet parts, perfect lines and quality parts.
A few clicks more compression in the front Marzocchi Corse RAC fork settled the front as I’m probably around 30 kilos heavier than the Italian test rider. That fork is a fully adjustable USD 43mm with diamond-like coating.
But, as with any Bimota, the chassis really is the icing on the cake.
The hybrid trellis frame is worth hours of staring with admiration. Chrome Moly oval tubes are bolted to robust aluminium machined alloy plates. It’s the same story for the swingarm that is attached to Bimota’s lightweight 10-spoke forged alloy wheel. -Mixed with an all carbon fibre fairing the dry weight stops at a claimed true 170 kilograms.
Back out on the Misano circuit again all this transforms into an incredibly responsive motorcycle. Even with a steering damper the DB7 gives a slight headshake accelerating at full throttle towards the 10.500rpm red line (rev limiter @ 11.000).
On the main straight that sadly now goes the wrong way I click up the gear box without using the clutch. The red gear shift warning light is accurate and visible whilst riding so again it’s easy to be precise on the DB7 or to use over-rev. I see 235km/h on the digital speedometer before Curvone that now is a right hander where you can put your knee down doing 200km/h should you wish to. Putting my right knee out into the 200km/h wind did unsettle the DB7 a bit so I think the days of scraping your knee at high speed at Misano are over for the serious racer at least.
There’s never any need for first gear on the DB7 as the massive midrange enables massive acceleration in a higher gear than most other sportbikes.
Short shifting is the name of the game in technical parts that allows you to concentrate on the perfect line rather than which gear you should be in. I still used the over-revs a few times followed by some nicely controlled engine braking.
Conclusion What impresses me the most about the Bimota DB7 is the fully adjustable nature of the whole package. From the ride height, suspension, levers etc. Secondly it’s the sheer power from the 1098 engine that still delivers in a civilised way.
The DB7 is deceptively fast and the acceleration is out of this world from as low as 7.000rpm. Just a slight off/on of throttle shoots the front wheel sky high in that super controllable twin fashion. Then look at all the details that go into making the DB7. Even the fully adjustable brake and clutch levers are machined aluminium alloy. Phew, if it hadn’t been for those rubbish mirrors I think I’d run and buy one straight away. Oh, I haven’t got the £21.000 for one anyway you say? Right, that’s the reason then.
+ Exclusive and capable Wonderful chassis Can I say that the 1098 is the world’s best motorcycle engine?
- Needs careful setting up straight away £21.000 / 41.000 USD will almost get you a Ducati 1098R or a couple of Fireblades and a scooter…
ENGINE: DUCATI 1098 TESTASTRETTA EVOLUZIONE Engine Configuration: Twin cylinder 90° Displacement: 1099 cc Engine Cooling: liquid cooling Compression Ratio: 12.5±0.5:1 Valves per cylinder: 4 Bore x Stroke: 104.0 mm x 64.7 mm Engine Redline: 10.700 rpm Valvetrain Type: Desmodromic valve actuation Intake Valve Diameter: Ø 42 mm Exhaust Valve Diameter: Ø 34 mm Fuel Pump: 3.5 bar, electronic Throttle Body Size: 60 mm Exhaust System: 2 in 1 in 1, inox Emission: EURO 3 Injection: Walbro Injectors: Magneti Marelli Lubrication System: Wet Sump Transmission Type: Dry clutch multi-disc with hydraulic actuation system Primary Drive ratio: 32/59 Final Drive ratio: 15/38 Transmission ratio: VI = 15/37 V = 17/30 IV = 20/28 III: 22/26 II: 23/24 I: 24/23
CHASSIS Wheelbase: 1435 mm Steering angle: 25° Swingarm length: 525±20 mm Seat height: 800 mm Footpeg height: 400mm Handlebar height: 860 Overall length: 2100 mm Overall width: 700 mm Overall height: 1115 mm Ground clearance: 135 mm Front suspension: Marzocchi UD fork DLC fully adjustable diameter: 43 mm stroke: 120 mm Rear suspension: Extreme Tech Monoshock TTX fully adjustable low/high speed wheel stroke: 120 mm Front brake: Double Ø320 mm Brembo floating disc, 4-pistons,4-pads with radial Brembo callipers, radial pumps Rear brake: Ø230 mm Bimota floating disc, 2-pistons, 2-pads with Brembo calliper Wheels: FRONT. 3.5x17.0 Forged Al Alloy REAR. 6.5x17.0 Forged Al Alloy Tires: FRONT. 120/70 ZR 17, Continental Race Attack REAR. 190/55 ZR 17, Continental Race Attack Fuel tank: 16 l (4 l reserve) Total weight dry: 170 kg
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