Tera tourer! Bimota stun with supercharged funny front-ender

After two years of teasing, Bimota have finally revealed their production-ready Tera sports tourer range, featuring a 197.3bhp four-cylinder engine, lifted from the supercharged Kawasaki Ninja H2SX. 

Unveiled at the Eicma trade show in Milan earlier this month, the Tera comes in two levels of trim (a production decision only made in July of this year) and features a typically Bimota hub steering system alongside a raft of lean sensitive electronics courtesy of Kawasaki.  

“It was really busy because we did a lot of testing during the year,” Bimota COO Pierluigi Marconi told MCN, revealing the bike has been in development for just two years. 

Not only will it be as fast as the rest of the premium long-legged competition, but you’ll also find cornering ABS, lean sensitive traction control, launch control, cruise, an up/down quickshifter and much more. You also get the option of a USB charging port and heated grips for practicality.  

The latest addition to the Rimini firm’s now six-strong range, the inclusion of Kawasaki technology is made possible by the Japanese firm purchasing a 49.9% stake in the company back in 2019. It’s not the first time we’ve seen one of their supercharged engines appear in a modern Bimota either, with the 2019 Milan show marking the arrival of the 228bhp, Ninja H2-derived Tesi H2. 

“The Tesi H2 has one kind of steering system, and the Tera has another kind of steering system,” Marconi continued. “This is why we patented the system and showed it last year.” 

Said to be capable of 0-62mph in just 3.5 seconds, the supercharged Tera features 174mm of ground clearance. Drinking from a 22-litre fuel tank, it gets a +/-30mm height adjustable 820mm seat and features a chirping soundtrack courtesy of an Akrapovič titanium exhaust can. 

Featuring a laser etched Bimota logo, plus a carbon fibre end cap and heat shield, it’s homologated to help the bike meet incoming Euro5+ rules – with additional accessories also including a tank bag, larger front screen, and even a comfort passenger seat. 

Funny front end 

What really sets the Tera apart from rivals such as the BMW S1000XR, and Suzuki’s newly announced GSX-S1000GX is its hub steering front end. Where all other sports tourers of this style feature conventional forks and a mono shock, the Bimota uses a ‘Tesi’ chassis said to deliver a 52.5% front end-biased weight distribution.  

With two billet aluminium alloy frame plates sandwiching the four cylinder motor, and a swing arm at either end, the system should help the rider’s ability to trail brake into a corner – with braking forces kept away from the front suspension, leaving it free to deal with bumps in the road.  

Also tackling front end dive under braking, the design promises a 35-degree steering radius – eight degrees more than the Tesi H2 for a tighter turning circle and greater low speed manoeuvrability.   

As standard, this system is paired with fully adjustable Öhlins TTX36 nitrogen gas charged shocks at the front and rear. A semi-active Marzocchi system is also available.  

With this new steering set-up offering a greater useability than the Tesi H2 before it, the Bimota boss further confirmed that we should see it applied to a wider range of models in the future.  

He continued: “With the new system of Tera, we can get the anti-dive system like the Tesi H2, but with 35-degrees of steering. So, with 35-degrees, you can do any kind of bike. 

“Before, it was 27 and we cannot make a crossover bike, or enduro, or touring,” he continued. “We can only really make sports bikes like the Tesi H2. Now we are free to make any kind of motorcycle with this system.” 

Bikes will be produced in typically Bimota red, white, and green, or in a sandy light brown cover. Bikes can also be specced with a choice of sporty or all-purpose tyres, however 17in rims on both model variants mean neither will be particularly capable away from the tarmac.  

Expect four-piston Brembo Stylema calipers and dual semi-floating 330mm discs up front. Visit bimotauk.co.uk for more. 

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Bimota give tourer update

First published by 08 November 2022 by Dan Sutherland

Alongside the surprise launch of their 2023 BX450, Bimota have shed more light on supercharged Tesi tourer currently in development.

Now officially called the Tera, we first caught glimpse of the bike as a basic design sketch at the 2021 Eicma show, with a spokesperson for the Rimini firm later confirming to MCN that it would be powered by the four-cylinder motor found in Kawasaki’s Ninja H2 SX range.

“Never before have Bimota been present in this market segment” Bimota COO, Pierluigi Marconi, said in a statement. “No one has this much fun and function in one package.

“The Tera is an attention grabber that will act like a halo for Bimota by attracting further consumer attention to our impressive vehicle line up,” he continued.

Although details remain scarce, Bimota have gone into some depth on the new steering system, which sits diagonally between a front subframe and the front wheel. There are no front forks like a conventional motorcycle, which should aid front end stability and the ability to trail brake into a corner.

This is because braking forces are kept away from the front suspension, leaving it free to deal with bumps in the road. These systems can reduce front end feel though.

“Until now, Tesis were only made for the sports segment,” Marconi told MCN at Eicma 2021, “we’d like to put the Tesi name to… adventurers, tourers and bikes like that.”

“Our philosophy is to have two lines of bikes,” he added. “One is the Tesi line and one is for more traditional models. We like to follow the two concepts, because although a Tesi chassis has a lot of advantages, for some riders it is still too much of a novelty.”

Alongside the funny front end, Bimota have also confirmed that the Tera will receive semi-active suspension developed in partnership with Marzocchi. The ride height can also be adjusted either manually or electronically by 30mm.

Also expect to find five-spoke forged alloy wheels too, which should help to keep unsprung mass down.
“It went from first sketch to full-size model in few months using computer-aided design,” Marconi continued. “You ride some bikes because you have to, but you ride these Bimota because you want to.

“Tera will appeal to enthusiasts of all ages because the design draws you in, and the performance keeps you there.”

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Bimota boss confirms Kawasaki H2 SX-powered Tesi tourer is on the way

First published 02 December 2021 by Dan Sutherland

Bimota are thinking big with two new models revealed at the European Eicma motorcycle show in Milan last week, along with bold plans for more groundbreaking machines in the near future.

The firm are now working on a new hub-steering Tesi touring model set to arrive in the next two years, powered by the supercharged inline-four Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX engine.

Company CEO Pierluigi Marconi confirmed the new model during an exclusive interview with MCN – just hours after introducing the firm’s 2022 KB4 sportsbike and KB4 RC naked. A company spokesperson then confirmed it would be powered by Kawasaki’s Euro5 H2 SX sports-tourer engine (don’t forget that Kawasaki hold a major stake in the brand).

“We are developing something new with a Tesi chassis and we will see it either next year, or the year after,” Marconi told MCN.

“Until now, Tesis were only made for the sports segment,” he added, “we’d like to put the Tesi name to… adventurers, tourers and bikes like that.”

The announcement of both new KB4 models at the show was followed by a rendering of the new carbon-clad hub steering concept.

Although little detail is currently available for the touring Tesi, the 998cc four-cylinder engine produces a claimed 197.2bhp. Whether this new concept will receive the same Bosch radar-guided cruise control as its newly updated Kawasaki sibling remains to be seen.

“Our philosophy is to have two lines of bikes,” Marconi explained. “One is the Tesi line and one is for more traditional models. We like to follow the two concepts, because although a Tesi chassis has a lot of advantages, for some riders it is still too much of a novelty.

“We are also working on the KB4 line. We would like to have some more bikes, but [the KB4 and KB4 RC] are the two for now, but we are thinking about more.”

It’s been just two years since Bimota rose from the ashes, after Kawasaki purchased a 49.9% stake in the company – launching with the headline-grabbing Tesi H2 at the EICMA show in 2019.

Powered by Kawasaki’s claimed 227bhp supercharged Ninja H2 engine, it’s now joined by the two KB4s, complete with conventional front ends and the engine and electronic hardware from the Japanese manufacturer’s popular Ninja 1000SX.

Speaking about the partnership, Marconi commented: “We can have all the data from Kawasaki, and they support us a lot. Not only from a money point of view, but from a technology point of view. You can have millions of Euros, but if you don’t have tech you can use, then it’s impossible to do things.”

These comments were backed up by President of Kawasaki Motors Ltd, Hiroshi Ito, who addressed the Bimota show crowd and said: “I had the pleasure of being involved in the Bimota project since the beginning. I have been extremely happy with what has been achieved so far.”

“Kawasaki Motors will continue to supply engines and other key components and through our global network,” Ito added. “We plan to support in whatever way we can to expand this glorious Italian premium motorcycle brand,” he concluded.