Bimota go bust - Again

An Italian bike fan can’t talk about two-strokes for long before the Bimota V-Due comes up. The bike that broke Bimota (again) this is perhaps the finest example of the Italian motorcycle industries ability to convince itself it can achieve something nobody else can. So while the Japanese accepted big strokers were dead (even the 1980s 500 fours hadn’t been allowed to go on sale in the US) Bimota thought it was doable in the mid-nineties. An all new Bimota engine (the only time a Bimota wasn’t powered by another manufacturers motor) would feature direct fuel injection (i.e. fuel is injected directly into the cylinder) that would get emissions down to a level that would allow Bimota to sell into world markets. The lightweight 500 would have 110bhp, and a power to weight ratio that would allow it to outperform 1000cc four-strokes. But Bimota seem not to have noticed the Honda Fireblade and underestimated the development work needed to make such a fickle 500 run properly. 12 of the first 15 sold in the UK were returned to the factory, the horror stories reached the mainstream press and Yamaha launched the 175bhp R1. The V-Due was dead but in a way is everything I love about the Italians. To them everything is possible, until it isn’t. Always look on the bright side of life, as the song goes. Bimota V-Due 1997-1998 RIP

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