Bimota reveal price and April release date for the KB998 Rimini homologation special

Bimota has dropped the price and availability of their highly anticipated KB998 Rimini, which is set to hit showrooms from April 9 across Europe and Asia.

Priced at a hefty £37,777 for UK customers, the homologation special was first unveiled at the 2024 EICMA trade show and forms the base for the WorldSBK race bikes piloted by Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani.

Each bike is said to be hand-built in the marque’s Rimini workshop by just one technician from the start to the end of the assembly process.

The Italian firm behind the uber-premium machine will offer just 250 units in the bike’s first year of production, stretching to 500 bikes by the close of 2026 in line with FIM regulations governing WorldSBK eligibility – after which Bimota Chief Operating Officer Pierluigi Marconi told MCN that the company will look to renew the model.

Bimota’s Marketing Manager, Gianluca Galasso, said: “Interest was already intense after EICMA, but the WorldSBK activities of BbKRT have taken global awareness to another level. With the help of our partner, Kawasaki, we have developed robust back-office systems offering the best level of support and information to our growing dealer family.”

“The demand for wholesale units is a welcome challenge, and we are packing machines in readiness for imminent dispatch. We relish this new era for the revered Italian motorcycle brand that we are the custodians of.”

At the heart of the 194kg (without fuel) racer is Kawasaki’s ZX-10RR engine, which produces 197bhp at 13,600 rpm and 82 lb-ft of torque at 11,700 rpm.

Aside from a different exhaust silencer – which is a road-legal Akrapovič unit – Bimota has made no changes to the 998cc liquid-cooled, inline-four motor.

Likewise, the wheel, brake, and electronics package onboard are all lifted straight from the Kawasaki‘s superbike, meaning switchgear, TFT dashboard, and ride modes all carry over. That means owners will get cornering ABS, traction control, launch control, a bi-directional quickshifter, and even cruise control.

The chassis, however, is Bimota’s own doing, comprising an oval steel tube mainframe, joining a CNC-machined midsection crafted from billet. This area houses the rear engine mounting points, as well as providing the pivot location for the aluminium swingarm.

Adjustable billet aluminium triple clamps grip the Bimota’s fully adjustable upside-down Showa forks. The rear shock is also a Showa unit and is likely the same BFRC unit fitted to the ZX-10RR.

True to the eye-watering price, there’s also a smattering of carbon fibre throughout, with fairing and intakes produced from the lightweight material and even first-of-their-kind adjustable aerodynamic winglets, which can “automatically maintain the optimal angle at all times.”

The bikes are already on their way to central European warehouses, with pre-ordered units ready for UK deliveries once the dealer network is finalised.

According to Pierluigi Marconi, Bimota’s Chief Operating Officer, the bike “[remains] true to the Bimota philosophy of innovation and hand-crafted quality which our customers expect.”

Sales enquiries are to be directed to Kawasaki Motors UK, who are helping establish the brand’s UK dealer network.