BIMOTA MANTRA

IT seems a little cruel to come down hard on the Bimota Mantra, now that the Rimini firm has closed its factory gates for the last time. But with a motorcycle so astonishingly odd-looking as this misconceived confection, there is no room for clemency.

The Mantra’s appearance at the 1994 Cologne Show caused mixed reactions. The name Mantra (in Hindu Sanskrit) means ” Tool For Thought ” and a lot of people’s thoughts involved the use of a tool known as a sledgehammer.

A cross between a wonky garden trellis and a chest of drawers, the whole thing looked like Ann Widdecombe after a night on the snakebite. The outlandish looks were compounded by redundant styling features, like four exhaust pipes, of which only two were actually used to emit burnt gases, and the layer upon layer of purely cosmetic carbon-fibre.

A so-called ” facelifted ” version appeared in 1997 and, not surprisingly, it was as bizarre as the first attempt. Fortunately, only 454 Mantras were built between 1995 and 1998.