Enter the Drako?

ENTER THE DRAKO?

Should Bimota recover from its current financial predicament, this is the next bike it will produce. Called the DB5 Drako (Italian for "dragon"), the sport-standard is based on the same platform as the DB3 Mantra and DB4, with a fuel-injected Ducati 900SS engine housed in an oval-tube aluminum-trellis frame. Looking like a cross between a Buell Xl Lightning and a Suzuki SV650, the Drako makes sense for Bimota because it would give the tiny company an entry into the booming European naked-bike market for only the cost of new bodywork. And an inexpensive one at that: Said company Press Officer Pier-Paolo Catani, “The Drako will be the cheapest Bimota ever.” Here’s hoping they find the funding necessary to produce it.

Brian Catterson