The Bimota brand has a storied past, from its creation by Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri, and Massimo Tamburini, to its modern rebirth (several times over).
In between those chapters, we have seen a story born out of the company’s Rimini headquarters that has created some of motorcycling’s most iconic models, but it seems that the Bimota story is set to end.
In a story published by Cycle World, Bruno dePrato reports that Bimota has closed its doors in Italy, and all but officially ceased its business operations.
Bimota found new life in 2013, when Swiss investors Daniele Longoni and Marco Chiancianesi acquired the failed motorcycle company. Bimota began anew, featuring a BMW-powered model as its centerpiece, the Bimota BB3.
A superbike with a BMW S1000RR power plant, the Bimota BB3 failed to be the sales success that Bimota hoped for, with the company failing to fill the homologation requiremens for the World Superbike Championship, which ultimately lead to their dismissal from the paddock.
Hoping to spur sales, Bimota released a number of restyled models during the 2015 EICMA show, which included a supercharger for its water-cooled Ducati-powered models and a café racer version of hub-center steering Bimota Tesi 3D.
Now, the company has been reduced to reports of a few models trickling somewhere out of Switzerland, the homeland of Bimota’s current investors – as they seemingly deplete the final count of inventory pieces.
The recent news of Bimota’s closing shouldn’t surprise followers of the motorcycle industry though, as the Italian brand hasn’t shown signs of life to our recent memory.
This should also be a sad day for motorcycle enthusiasts, as the Bimota brand is responsible for some of the best motorcycles ever created, mixing both beautiful styling with cutting-edge performance.
The Italian marque has always struggled to recapture the magic that it once showed with its founding members. Maybe one day that special formula of talent will return to this phoenix of a brand.
Source: Cycle World
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