Sport Single

SPORT SINGLE

CW RIDING IMPRESSION

LIKE THE YAMAHA TRX850, BIMOTA’S NEW SUPERMONO IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPORTBIKE

RIDE A BIMOTA? EASY. BE very rich, or be very committed. Even better, be both. These bikes might as well wear a label that reads, "Two-Wheeled Ferrari." That's thanks in part to the number of zeros in their

prices. But that’s about to change. With the recent introduction of the BMW-engined Supermono, Bimota ownership comes within reach of the

motorcycling masses. Retailing at 16 million lire in Italy—the equivalent of about $10,500 at presstime exchange rates-Bimota’s first street Single delivers serious Italian chic at a price that approaches realism.

It’s still a lot of money, but at least it’s a lot of bike for the money. Its dohc, four-valve engine, built by Rotax for BMW’s F650, is wrapped in an aluminum frame that is, in effect, one of Bimota’s own trademark twin-spar chassis designs comprised of oval alloy stmts rather than extruded spars. As on traditional Bimota frames, the swingarm pivot is formed by a pair of alloy plates CNC-milled from billet, while the swingarm is a tubular alloy braced structure, with a Paioli shock horizontally located in a cantilever layout.

The Supermono’s 4.2-gallon fuel tank is mounted under its engine, flush-fitted with the fairing to lower the bike’s center of gravity. This leaves space for a large airbox and for the electronic hardware, which is mounted on a tray above the engine. Best of all, it also leaves space for the lockable compartment in the top of what would otherwise be the fuel tank shroud. It’s just large enough to carry a rainsuit, gloves and a sack lunch.

In the ergonomics department, footpegs are high-set and quite far back, and the handlebars are rational, too. But the bike’s just got to be too small for real people, right? Wrong. The riding position is comfortable. It fits you like a wellworn shoe, and proved comfy enough for a 125-mile ride in the foothills of the Appenines.

In spite of fairly radical steering geometry-an ultra-steep 20-degree head angle and 3.1 inches of trail, working on a 52.8-inch wheelbase-the Supermono feels well-balanced and stable. Steering response is outstanding: You can pick a line around a tight, mountain tum and hold it to within an inch, even over bumps and ripples in the road surface caused by winter frosts. The Bimota’s agility isn’t confined to slow corners, though. In faster turns it shrugs off bumps and dips in the road surface that would give other bikes the shakes. The Supermono is just composed. How did they do that? Look to the underslung fuel tank. After we stopped to refuel, the bike actually handled even better than it did with a near-empty tank.

Another factor in the Bimota’s assured-yet-nimble handling is the Paioli suspension package, which soaks up road shock without any fuss. The fully adjustable shock puts every single horsepower to the ground, all without deflecting from the chosen line or chattering the rear end if you hit a bump under acceleration. And the 43mm Paioli fork has an equally high level of suspension response and ride quality. The unit fitted to the testbike had the optional compression damping and preload adjustment. Rebound adjustment, only, comes as standard on the base model.

Also optional on the bike I rode was a second 12.6-inch front disc and four-piston caliper, both by Brembo. You might think such braking power a trifle excessive on a single-cylinder motorcycle weighing a claimed 320 pounds ready to roll, without fuel. But these are stainlesssteel discs, not the cast-iron ones

fitted to Bimota’s other bikes, so they don’t deliver quite the braking response Brembo cast-iron rotors are famed for. Personally, I reckon a single 12.6-inch cast-iron disc should be top of the want-list for any Bimota Supermono customer-less unsprung weight, less gyroscopic effect, better stopping power and improved wet-weather performance.

So exceptional is the handling that it’s easy to take the engine for granted, but, in fact, the engine is a perfect partner for the chassis’ super road manners. Bimota has an extensive list of performance options to the basic Supermono street package, but in stock street form, with twin 33mm Mikunis, it churns out a claimed 48 horsepower at 6500 rpm.

Thumb the electric starter and the engine fires up instantly, settling into a fast-idling throb that the twin tailpipes turn into music. The gear-driven counterbalancer eliminates most vibes low down, with only a little tingle coming through the footrests until you reach 5500 rpm, when it starts to become intrusive. The result is that everywhere

except on a freeway or long straight road, you’ll subconsciously shortshift at 5000 revs so as to stay in the comfort zone.

With maximum torque available at 6000 rpm, and maximum power only 500 revs higher, there isn’t much point in buzzing the motor. With the engine making good power as low as 3000 rpm and the sweet-shifting five-speed gearbox’s ratios evenly spaced, it makes more sense to take advantage of the excellent midrange torque.

So, what we have here is a slim, responsive motorcycle that sets new standards for the street Single class. It’s civilized, with superb attention to detail, yet has the cutting edge of race-bred handling. It’s a terrific motorcycle. If the Supermono and Yamaha’s TRX850 Twin are the first examples of a new breed of alternate sportbike, then I say welcome and where’ve you been?

-Alan Cathcart