Mike990

I agree with his conclusion that most engine problems are "due to the loose nut behind the wheel" - that's brilliant!!

Love the paint scheme on the SB6!! I keep hearing rumours that the prices of classic bikes have crashed did anyone witness this in the auction? I'm not particularly surprised as the generation of bikers who appreciate these bikes are rapidly hanging up their leathers. There must be 10s of thousands of classic bikes out there sitting unused in garages waiting for new owners but the buyers have gone...

Looks like you just about cracked 30mph down that start finish straight

Thanks for the invite Paul I really enjoyed it. It was great to meet so many chilled like minded OSS folks! Well it was chilled until Kris told the 2 Hells Angel types that Harley's were shite! They started biting quite nicely I thought.. And it was a shame the Bimota ground to a halt on the first lap of today's parade - my dreams of a late call-up to MotoGP were shattered. I'd forgotten to turn the newly fitted fuel tap on. Anyway got started and I was stone last and I know it wasn't a race but I had a fun few laps wobbling past all the backmarkers All the best Mike

Saturday day for me

Hi Paul - yes that sounds good. English summer weather permitting I'll aim for the 28th. Which entrance would I need to aim for? My name is Mike Pill..

Hi Paul - great to meet you yesterday at the world superbikes! Love your turbo GS! I'll make a note of the above dates and try and get there on the Bimota. Cheers Mike

Thanks! The paint is pretty good, just a few stone chips, so I left it alone.

Finally I've got the Bimota on the road and I've put a few hundred miles on it so I'd thought I'd share my initial thoughts- Engine/performance - the throttle response right through the rev range is very crisp and the exhaust has a wonderful raspy howl to it - very nice. In terms of performance I like the instant torque right the way from 4k and it's makes easy work of top gear roll-ons and overtakes. It's definitely not a match for ‘modern’ superbikes in outright acceleration but in all honesty who can actually use that performance on the road anyway? Overall I'd say that I'm happy with the performance and probably won't do any work to increase bhp.. Handling/suspension - I spent a fair bit of time trying to replicate the damping characteristics of my Aprilia rsv and whilst my setting process was not super scientific - just seat of the pants - overall the front and rear feel matched if a little on the firm side- but hell it's a Bimota so it's meant to be firm right? I raised the rear ride height to the max in order to put more weight over the front and once the bike is moving at a reasonable lick the handling feels very nice and neutral and very stable at any speed. I could probably spend hours fine tuning the damping but I think I'll give it a miss and spend more time riding it! General impressions - well everything works as it should and the bike feels taught and sharp and I think it looks fantastic! I'm super happy with it!

Yeah thanks for that.. I had a detached retina which based on their last assessment after the operation all looks good now. The procedure is a bit grim especially when the big syringe comes out and they start injecting your eyeball but it's fixed now and that's the main thing. If you ever see a shadow in the corner of your vision go straight to a&e as if the retina detaches completely you'll go blind in that eye. This needs to go in the list of things you don't want to know but really should.

I'll do a ride update ASAP - I had an eye operation recently and I'm not allowed to drive or ride for another 4 weeks so I'm going to have to be patient

After many more hours in the garage the Bimota is finally finished!! I found a few previous owner bodges in the wiring loom which took a ridiculous amount of time to sort but (I really don’t want to jinx it) all now seems good. The tank seat unit has to be taken off and reinstalled at exactly the right angle and I have finally mastered that fine art after several ‘practice’ sessions. But by far the biggest pain in the arse was the one piece fairing - it really is a tight fit and I can understand why many owners cut it into sections to make the job easier.. But I finally managed it after a few deep breathing de-stress sessions and it’s all back together. I must admit that I’m pleased with the end result as I think it looks great..

Well best of luck getting it sorted.. I only have a few jobs left on mine but it's sitting at -6c in the garage this morning so it will have to wait a while. The plan is to get it on the road in April and also to do a couple of classic track days- let's see. I think the key to keeping these older bikes running well is to use them regularly so that is my main objective this summer. But I also have an Aprilia Mille, a Buell X1 and a KTM 1290 that also need looking after so finding enough time is a challenge.

Thanks for the info- I'll register it to me on the Bimota forum. BTW who is Oily?

Hi it was first registered in 2000 - I'd assumed it was made in 99 and sat in the dealer's showroom for a year or so.. The chassis number is 01227 so its fairly close to the end of the production run. I read your posts with interest - thanks! I think my journey to getting mine roadworthy has been a bit more straightforward than yours. Where are you at with it now? Cheers Mike