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Driving report Bimota DB7
Swift as an arrow
Genius and madness ?? Bimotas, which were made before 2000, had both in about equal parts. Today the exhausting pair of terms is taboo. Instead, the motorcycle manufacturer founded five years ago is practicing the combination of beauty and function.
Even before driving it was clear: The Bimota db7 is ?? first of all for bimota itself ??? a significant, even epoch-making motorcycle: the first powerful superbike in the company’s recent history, which began in 2003. For almost five years, the small manufacturer from Rimini used two-valve engines from Ducati as a drive, content itself with outputs of around 100 hp and took time for the machine with the Ducati four-valve engine.
Now it stands there and lets you hear astonishing things after the first push of the starter button. A still strong, but in comparison to the Ducati 1098 subtle 90-degree V2 blow. At low speed, but without jerking, the Testastretta Evoluzione drives the perceptibly light vehicle down the pit lane and out onto the Magione racetrack. A course whose arcs, tricky passages and double alternating curves give the impression of a small Mickey Mouse track, but which even the fastest with a Superstock-db7 need two minutes and 14 seconds to get around. It took the author eight seconds longer. Because at the beginning things didn’t go smoothly. Pronounced bumps in the road interfered with the choice of line, and the right courses for the respective passages had not yet been found. In this phase of the test drives, the tuning of the 1098 engine, which Bimota developed itself, which is a 1099, proved its worth. The in-house development of the map had become necessary because of the different exhaust design and because the space in the Bimota chassis required a new airbox.
As with the exhaust noise, the engine with the new peripherals and set-up was less aggressive than the original Ducati configuration. The power output seems to come much closer to the ideal of linear development. Even from under 3000 rpm in second gear, the V2 fired the Bimota vehemently out onto the straight ahead, where it spun out at full throttle. And the load changes always took place smoothly. This may be perceived a little differently off the racetrack, where stricter standards apply, but initially the db7 doesn’t lack anything in terms of motor. Admittedly, this successful performance does not guarantee that the engine will be set up under all circumstances? cool or even cold weather, high altitude ?? works just as well as in 35 degrees hot, low-lying Magione, but a promising start has been made.
Crazy
Jahn
The lightning-fast Bimota is worth a sin, but also sinfully expensive.
At the request of the tester, the mechanics dismantled the steering damper for the second turn. As it turned out, even in the lightest setting it developed considerable damper forces, which had impaired the fine feel for the steering. This is important with the db7 because the driver is seated with a focus on the front wheel. Although the steering head is half a degree flatter than on the Ducati 1098, the Bimota reacts nervously when a tight damper provokes the driver to make more violent steering movements than are actually necessary.
With smooth steering and a little more spring preload at the front, the DB7 still sloped as jaggedly as an aerobatic pilot in a torn role, but could be steered precisely. This finally began the fun part of the test day. Whether in the fast double right at the end of the straight, a right-left-right-left combination, in which the motorcycle is folded from one maximum lean angle to the next, or a winding, slow piece that is like a 30 km / h zone in the Route is ?? the DB7 enabled exciting maneuvers.
The stronger spring preload at the front also benefited her when braking. Although she was still quickly lifting the rear under the powerful grip of Brembo’s monobloc brake calipers, with a blink of an eye it tended to better control the bite. For road use, especially if you get caught in a rain shower with the jewel, a milder brake design, for example with less aggressive pads, would be a good thing. For the racetrack, it fit as it was. Especially since with the latest production Conti Race Attack tires of the right caliber were mounted. The version with a soft mixture, which was chosen as a precaution, had to suffer visibly from the heat, but did not create a spongy driving experience and maintained a high level of grip. The sometimes difficult shift work on the winding route was supported by a shift linkage with a modified geometry. The lever on the gearshift shaft is longer than on the Ducati 1098, which means that the operating forces are lower, while the lever travel is somewhat larger. Overall, the better compromise.
In this way, the db7 managed to take a back seat when driving, which is always so obvious when it is stationary: the elegant appearance of the many aluminum parts milled from solid, the loving execution of the paintwork, the care of the electrical and cooling water installation . Proof that their developers took the functional side of motorcycle construction just as seriously as the aesthetic one. The successful combination of the two is most clearly expressed in the self-supporting, closed carbon rear. With a stable construction, executed according to all the rules of the art and lavishly painted, it is really a whole epoch further than the unstable construction of the first SB6 and SB7 models. With this db7 ?? and the emphasis will remain on until further notice "this" ?? Bimota has set a high standard. Despite the fact that it is manufactured by hand, which usually results in larger series variations, those responsible should keep it under all circumstances. It is just as appropriate for the db7, which costs around 27,000 euros, as it is for the entire company.
Noticed
+ plus
– The engine runs and sounds sophisticated
– Performance unfolds linearly
– Finest processing
– minus
– Price painfully high
– Steering damper pretty tight
Technical data Bimota DB7
engine
Water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 90-degree V-engine, one overhead, toothed belt-driven camshaft, four valves per cylinder, desmodromic actuation, wet sump lubrication, injection, ø 60 mm, regulated catalytic converter, hydraulically actuated multi-plate dry clutch, six-speed gearbox, O- Ring chain.
Bore x stroke 104.0 x 64.7 mm
Displacement 1099 cm³
Compression ratio 12.5: 1 rated output 117.6 kW (160 hp) at 9750 rpm
Max. Torque 120 Nm at 8000 rpm.
landing gear
Lattice frame made of steel with milled aluminum plates, upside-down fork, ø 43 mm, two-arm swing arm made of steel with milled aluminum plates, central spring strut with lever system, double disc brake at the front, ø 320 mm, four-piston fixed callipers, disc brake at the rear, ø 220 mm, two-piston Fixed saddle.
Cast aluminum wheels 3.50 x 17; 6.00 x 17
Tires 120/70 ZR 17; 190/55 ZR 17
Dimensions + weights
Wheelbase 1435 mm, steering head angle 65.0 degrees, caster 100 mm, spring travel f / r 120/120 mm, seat height 800 mm, dry weight 170 kg, tank capacity 16.0 liters. Two-year guarantee
Colors red / white
Price 26,880 euros
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