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Famous motorcycles: Bimota YB4 750 E.I.
Bimota’s most beautiful
Sometimes it is just like this: the first draft is also the best. With Bimota that fits. The first aluminum frame Bimota YB4 750 E.I. was not surpassed by any of the many following machines. Its design was so clear, logical and simple.
Twenty years ago: BMW built the K1 windbreaker, the Japanese built the first aluminum frame chassis, and the Italians tried to get out of the long-lasting crisis. All Italians? No! A tiny little factory in the hinterland of the fashionable Adriatic seaside resort of Rimini is impressive. B.imota is the name of the fine address. It developed its name from the first letters of its founders Bianchi, Morri and Tamburini – exactly – that Massimo Tamburini, who would later design the Ducati 916 and the MV Agusta F4. He had already left Bimota in 1988, and so the first work by a certain Federico Martini saw the light of day, the Bimota YB4 E.I…
Visually, the YB4 was awesome. Until then, a designer had never succeeded in making a fully enclosed machine so slim, so compact and so clear. Martini, two plastic parts are sufficient. On the one hand, the paneling, which completely conceals the engine and is attached directly to the frame, on the other hand, the monocoque, a partially load-bearing bench-top tank hood that is pulled over the intake box, tank and central electronics. Both large-area plastic parts were elaborately hand-laminated and painted even more elaborately. A process that was otherwise only used for the Honda RC 30, it was simply far too expensive for larger series.
The frame was a specialty and quite unique in its design. Two mighty aluminum profiles connect the steering head with the swing arm bearing, the mounts of which represent two beautifully milled aluminum bodies. The Italians succeeded in dimensioning these components in a very exceptional way. Never before has there been such a spacious landing gear design. The fact that the whole machine turned out to be extremely compact and dainty bears witness to the great engineering skill of the Rimineser noble forge at that time.
The YB4 E.I. Yamaha’s most modern engine: the five-valve four-cylinder from the FZ 750, a high-torque sports engine that eked its mass production life in a bland steel frame. Bimota hid him completely, but fed him with another specialty, an injection. With a fairly open four-in-one exhaust and its own air filter box, the Italians conjured up the performance from originally 100 to 120 hp, at least that’s what the papers said. On the MOTORRAD test bench there were a maximum of 106 horses, which, thanks to the less than optimal coordination, also gave up their power in a rather inharmonious and wild manner.
From today’s perspective, a YB4 E.I. infinitely small and delicate. And above all, infinitely simple and elegant. The seating was incredibly tough: just 20 millimeters of foam rubber had to suffice for the Bimota driver. No problem for a few fast laps on the racetrack, torture after twenty kilometers of hopping. So nothing like going on the racetrack with it! Warming up Bimota is an art. The choke pull button is hidden in the middle of the fork bridge. Pulling it to the full means screaming and sliding bearing murdering 6000 / min. Push him back in a little spontaneous death. At some point it works, and you can listen to the hoarse roar of the generously open four-cylinder. Even the first few meters on the machine, which is not exactly light at 220 kilograms, conjure up a big “Aha” in the coils of the biker’s brain. A motorcycle can be so easy to drive if it is well-balanced. Actually everything fits. Turning in on a lean, straight-line stability, maneuverability, maneuvering – you understand why Bimota enjoyed such a legendary reputation. The really tight rear suspension, however, does not provide much joy. Every bump, no matter how small, is passed directly to the driver’s tailbone. “Clear feedback” would be said today. Or rather, kickback…
The fact is that even today a YB4 never touches down. Even with the best tires, this can only be achieved with the entire side of the fairing. Her creators really had given her enough ground clearance. The reason: The Bimota was also the homologation model for the Superbike World Championship, which was held for the first time in 1988. At that time, the manufacturers had to build 200 units each in order to be allowed to participate in the racing series, and that gave the inclined supersport fan some sensational machines. The Honda VFR 750 R, Yamaha FZR 750 R, Ducati 851 and Suzuki GSX-R 750 R fought with the Bimota for the World Cup crown. Racing drivers like Fred Merkel, Raymond Roche and Marco Lucchinelli established their legendary reputation in the Superbike World Championship. And who drove Bimota? The very first race at Donington Park was won by a certain Davide Tardozzi. You like to see the gentleman on TV, he’s the team boss of the Ducati factory team today and tells Noriyuki Haga where to go. For the small Riminese factory it was of course an incredible success. And the Bimota YB4 E.I. thus a real option for every sports driver at this time.
Especially since the Bimota embodied one thing like no other machine: It was a real production racer for the road. The racing machines were like the commercial version like one egg to the next. Headlights and indicators gone, engine of course increased performance – and off we went.
Tardozzi finished the season in third place, just ahead of his teammate Stephane Mertens, the YB4 E.I. finished second in the construction world championship against Honda, Yamaha and Co.
Anyone who owns such a Bimota today can be proud. Not only because it has a decent collector’s value, but also because it embodies the original Superbike idea like no other. Bimota soon followed suit with the YB6 and YB8 versions with a 1000cc four-cylinder. The Tuatara, for example, was a very hot item, a 1000cc injector in the dimensions of the YB4 E.I .. A concept with which all major manufacturers offer their super sports cars today, even BMW. Bimota was way ahead of its time.
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