500 V-2 Trophy
500 V-2 Trophy
Second coming of the stroker sportbike
IN MOTORCYCLING, THE LINE BETWEEN high-tech and romance can get pretty mixed up. To the point, even, where one aspect influences the other well beyond its natural boundaries.
Bimota’s two-stroke 500 V-2 Trophy (previously known as the Vdue) is just such a machine. Conceived during the late-Eighties as an affordable alternative to ultra-exotic 500cc Grand Prix racers, the Tesi-style, hub-steer V-Twin was a failure. So, too, was the decade-later streetbike, largely because of its ill-conceived direct fuel injection mandated by previous management. Today, maybe 100 examples remain in private hands. The rest were returned to Bimota. New company chief Francesco Tognon entrusted a young engineer, Fabio Naidi, with the task of getting the project back on line. Naldi kept the liquid-cooled, 90-degree VTwin, but reconfigured the transfer ports, reshaped the combustion chambers and discarded the aforementioned fuel injection in favor of 39mm DelTOrtos. A larger airbox was developed, along with new intake manifolds and reed valves. Finally, a higheroutput ignition replaced the weak original.
Using the old exhaust system, the engine now produces a claimed 110 horsepower at 9500 rpm, up 9 bhp from before. (A new exhaust boosts output by another 10 bhp, and lets the engine rev safely to 11,000 rpm.) The oval-section, twin-spar aluminum frame is unchanged. As such, wheelbase remains a scant 52.8 inches, with a very racy 23 degrees of rake and 3.5 inches of trail. The inverted fork is a 46mm Paioli, while the shock is by Öhlins. Both are fully adjustable. Brakes are Brembos, and the threespoke wheels wear gummy Michelin radiais.
Without the lights, mirrors and turnsignals required for road use, the trackonly Trophy (a street version is in the offing) tips the scales at 348 pounds. No wonder it feels so compact and light.
The engine fires immediately and responds quickly to throttle inputs. Despite street-oriented transmission ratios, the Trophy feels like a GP bike. Even in the upper gears, acceleration is exhilarating.
In short, the bike delivers what could easily be described as the ultimate sport-riding experience.
No surprise, really. After all, it is a Bimota.
Bruno de Prato
