2009 Bimota Tesi 3D

BIMOTA TESI 3D HIGHLIGHTS

Body Style : Sports Bike

Model Year : 2009

Manufacture country : Italy

Displacement(cc) : 1079

Engine type : Ducati 1100DS L-Twin

VEHICLE REVIEW

2009 Bimota Tesi 3D

One, two and three D stands for the various Ducati engines used in the models. 3D has got a nice second meaning to it too as you really need to look at this fantastic piece of engineering in 3D to fully appreciate it.Who would have thought of adding a swingarm both at the rear and at the front of a motorcycle? The Bimota Tesi 3D is the ultimate hub-steered motorcycle for the technologically and mechanically minded people out there. As a side note, Marconi has since left Bimota to take the currently unfortunate position of CEO for Benelli.The hub-steered Tesi 3D is unique in that the system separates the suspension, braking and turning forces. I had the privilege of riding the Tesi 3D at Misano in 2008, then again in 2009 on half wet roads in the hills between Rimini and San Marino in northwestern Italy.

Initially it feels very weird to turn on the road with the Bimota Tesi 3D. Your brain needs a little recalibration as the handlebars feel sluggish and unresponsive at first, but it’s really not the case. What happens on that front end is that the arms on bearings interact with each other and the pull-rod Extremetech mono shock at the front. That’s right, a mono shock at the front specially designed by Extremetech to Bimota’s specifications. So when I push the handlebars to steer left or right there’s a hydraulic or really tight steering damper feel to the movements. When braking, the feel is similar to a BMW with a Telelever front end. These are the idiosyncrasies that characterize how the Tesi 3D feels different from any other motorcycle. At Misano the general feeling I had was that the faster I entered the corners the better the Tesi 3D felt to ride. The front end feel must not be mistaken for no feel at all as it just gets better and better the more laps you do. There is no dive at the front as there is no fork and the beautifully crafted headstock looks like one that would only support a 125cc motorcycle, but that’s all that’s needed. All the headstock is doing on the Tesi 3D is supporting the rider’s weight and providing a place to mount the controls. This all creates a completely open space between the small fairing and the front wheel.

What may put you off more than anything else on a circuit is that there’s a completely new set of sounds coming from the front end than you’re used to. It’s a more mechanical feel rather than the plush feel of a diving fork. Bimota’s own experience when they have let racing riders out on the Tesi 3D for the first time is that it takes some adjustments, but as soon as a rider gets used to the new feel they generally prefer the Tesi 3D to a more conventional Bimota DB5. One of the main reasons for this is the consistency, as you soon start getting some incredible feedback from that front end not possible on a conventional front end. Your feedback is delivered from a beautiful trellis frame similar to the swingarm at the back. Hard braking over bumps is no problem on the Tesi 3D as the suspension deals with bumps separately while maintaining plenty of wheel travel for braking. Run out of wheel travel and you’re in trouble, but this happens much sooner on a fork than on a hub-steered set-up.Connecting the front and the rear trellis swingarm is the famous Omega frame consisting of two machined aluminum plates.The heart of any Bimota these days is all Ducati. The DS1100 L-Twin engine produces 95 Desmo air-cooled horsepower. But that’s all the external help this Bimota gets because all the electronics are of in-house specs and in general you can say that this improves any Ducati engine. There’s no serious thought of cutting any cost when building a Bimota Tesi 3D by hand. The best parts and materials possible will always be used. The only reason for that the 4.1-gallon fuel tank is made of plastic rather than carbon fiber is purely down to a problem getting carbon fiber fuel tanks homologated in the US. So that’s an aftermarket accessory on the Tesi 3D.

The sub frame holding the single seat is all carbon fiber as well as many other details. According to Bimota, the dry weight is an ultra-light 370 pounds.

As for the Tesi 3D’s road manners, the rear end feels like any other Bimota rear end and the Continental Attack tires grip where they should. The DS1100 engine feels and sounds great as always and there are no hiccups, just usable torque and power all the way.The ergonomics are not as bad as they look on the pictures. There is room even for me, but if you’re any fatter than I you should look elsewhere. I could think of very few other motorcycles that rival the Tesi 3D as a modern technological sculpture. Every technical museum in the world should order one!

STANDARD FEATURES

The principal characteristics of the TESI 3D 1100 are the unique “omega” which also supports and utilizes the engine as a stressed member of the chassis. Both front and rear wheels are suspended with the unique Bimota trellis swingarms, now a trademark of Bimota.

The front wheel operates in with a hub center steering system.

The TESI 3D is equipped with a braking system created by Bimota and is characterized by the radial calipers put on the lowest point of the hub.

The design of the TESI 3D project was created by Bimota’s Enrico Borghesan, who has dressed it in carbon fiber to dramatically reduce the weight of the bike.

The distinctive rear section is formed of structural carbon fiber. Lightweight, function and elegant design combine beautifully.

The lightweight wheels are in forged aluminium alloy and are produced by the MARVIC exclusively for the Tesi 3D.

The benefits of hub center steering include the absence of frontend dive under braking. Front suspension remains fully functional in these conditions and allows unparalleled corner entrance stability and mid-turn control.

An additional benefit is the resulting ability to use softer front suspension settings, adding an uncommon level of comfort and control in lower speeds too.

The dynamic abilities and unique design of the new generation TESI put it at the top of supersport road bikes, while the trademark Tesi design distinguish Bimota in the world scene of motorcycling.

OVERVIEW SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE

Engine type: Ducati 1100DS

Configuration: 90 degree L-Twin

Displacement: 1079cc

Cooling: air/oil

Compression Ratio: 10.5±0.5:1

Valves per Cylinder: 2

Bore x Stroke: 98.0mm x 71.5mm

Redline: 9000rpm

Valve Angle: intake: 28 degree, outlet: 28 degree

Valvetrain Type: Desmodromic

Fuel Pump: Bitron 3.5bar, electronic

Throttle Body: 45mm

Air Filter: Paper

Exhaust System: 2 in 1 in 2, inox

Injection: Magneti Marelli

Lubrication: Wet Sump

Fuel Tank: 4.2gal/1.3gal reserve (16l/5l reserve)

TRANSMISSION

Transmission Type : Dry Clutch, multi-disc

Clutch : Hydraulic

Gear ratio :

Gear ratio I : 15/37

Gear ratio II : 17/30

Gear ratio III : 20/27

Gear ratio IV : 22/24

Gear ratio V : 24/23

Gear ratio VI : 28/24

Primary Drive: 32/59 teeth

Final Drive: 15/40 teeth

FRAME & SUSPENSION

Steering Angle: 18.5 degrees

Swingarm Lenth: 20.3±0.8in (515±20mm)

Steering Rod Center to Seat Center: 27.4in (695mm)

Front Suspension: Monoshock, Pull-Rod Extreme Tech, fully adjustable (Preload - External Hydraulic device, Compression, Rebound,

Front Suspension travel : 115 mm (4.5 inches)

Rear Suspension: Monoshock, Push-Rod Extreme Tech, fully adjustable (Pre-load, Compression, Rebound)

Rear Suspension travel : 120 mm (4.7 inches)

WHEELS

Front Wheel: 3.50 x 17.0 Forged Alluminium Alloy

Rear Wheel: 5.50 x 17.0 Forged Aluminium Alloy

BRAKES

Front brakes : Double Brembo floating discs, Brembo Radial Caliper, 4-piston, 4-pad

Front brakes diameter : 320 mm (12.6 inches)

Rear brakes : Single Brembo Disc , 2-piston, 2-pad

Rear brakes diameter : 220 mm (8.7 inches)

TIRES

Front tyre(Full Spec) : 120/70-ZR17

Rear tyre(Full Spec) : 180/55-ZR17

FUEL CAPACITY

Fuel capacity : 16.00 litres (4.23 gallons)

Reserve fuel capacity : 5.00 litres (1.32 gallons)

COLOURS

Red/white

DIMENSIONS

Dry weight : 168.0 kg (370.4 pounds)

Seat height : 810 mm (31.9 inches) If adjustable, lowest setting.

Overall height : 1,140 mm (44.9 inches)

Overall length : 2,005 mm (78.9 inches)

Overall width : 720 mm (28.3 inches)

Wheelbase : 1,390 mm (54.7 inches)

Footpeg Height : 15.2in (385mm)

Handlebar Height : 33.5in (850mm)

Exhaust system : Euro 3

Colour options : Red/white