Motorcycle specifications BimotaKB998 Rimini 2025 Back on track

Bimota has rediscovered a presence it hasn't had for a long time, as well as some much-appreciated safety with Kawasaki's shoulder. Bimota's range remains very distinctive, but lively, with distinctive bikes such as the Tera, KB4 and Tesi H2. Now, the Italian craftsman wants to return to his guilty pleasure: competition. Superbikes in particular. His weapon: the KB 998 Rimini.

Bimota sports bikes have always been considered superb creations. By their technique, by their materials, by the intensity they exude. This one follows in that same tradition, with a design that's rather restrained yet captivating for anyone who lays eyes on it. Forget Tesi 2D-style extravagance, the KB 998 is purely a beautiful motorcycle, in all its power.

Fantasy on every level

As you'd expect, this machine is a cocktail of beautiful parts. Every detail is meticulous, every piece of metal smacks of precision workmanship and high quality. The machined aluminum swingarm is a thing of beauty, and will make you sick if a hint of grease gets on it. The frame plates are equally precious, expressing a sublime grip on the body before anchoring themselves to a lattice structure made of chromium-molybdenum tubing. Pay particular attention to the eccentric embedded in the plates to modify the shock absorber's anchoring height. Exceptional!

The fork crown is also the fruit of fine machining. Next, Bimota pushes the luxury envelope with an all-carbon dress: fork head, fairing panels, front and rear mudguards, winglets, fuel tank trim, heel guards, cockpit interior, pinion cover and engine cowling are all built in the noble material. Its wheels complete the picture: Marchesini forged aluminum wheels, shod with Pirelli Supercorsa SP.
Bimota is a lady who doesn't need to undress to bewitch the curious and the passionate.

The "Rimini" does, however, surprise us with some of its choices, which aren't quite as attractive as the superb elements we've just seen. With its high-end label, why not opt for Öhlins suspension? Only the steering damper comes from the Swedish manufacturer. The Showa BFF inverted fork and BFRC Lite monoshock do an excellent job, but we were expecting something different from the ZX-10R. The ZX-10R also comes with its commodos, dashboard and headlights.
The question could even be asked about the footrests, which look great but are non-adjustable (except for the tips of the controls).

The same goes for the brakes. It's no laughing matter, and the front end is capable of dislocating your collarbones with its 330 mm discs clamped by Brembo M50 4-piston calipers. But the competition has long since switched to the more efficient Stylema, or even the Hypure on the Panigale V4 and Aprilia RSV4. Will we save money in Rimini? Certainly not. Are you close to your pennies when you design a carbon front mudguard with a cut-out to channel air over the calipers and cool them better?!
Bimota hasn't offered anything but the very best or the most delicious with its KB 998 - but its reputation has accustomed us to grandiose things everywhere.

200 hp and the heart of a 10-RR

Wedged into this admirable chassis is an engine from the Kawasaki ZX-10RR. Apart from the 500 V-Due block, Bimota has always used propulsion units from other brands (Kawa, Honda, Suzuki, BMW, Ducati above all). The 4-stroke is rated at 200 bhp and 111 Nm on this road version, but the power will be some forty units higher on the machine entered in WSBK. Its breath will be ejected by a handsome Akrapovic exhaust, with double tubular section and EXUP-type valve just before the titanium silencer.
The electronics have not been specified by the company, but will undoubtedly be modelled on those of the 10RR, with S-KTRC traction control, three power modes, Up&Down shifter, ABS cornering KIBS, start assist, engine brake control, anti-wheeling, cruise control and 4 riding modes.

Entering the World Superbike Championship requires a minimum production run of 500 units. This isn't a problem for a big brand like Honda, Kawasaki, BMW or Yamaha - not to mention Suzuki, which abandoned development of the GSX-R1000 a number of years ago. It's more complicated for a small manufacturer like Bimota. Hence the timed pace of production: 125 units will be produced before February 24, 2025. A second batch of 125 KB 998s will be produced over the rest of 2025. And the 500 units will reach their quota in 2026. The price will be particularly hefty, but, as WSBK regulations dictate, will be under the 44,000-euro mark.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos

editor's note: With this machine, Bimota makes a departure from its naming system. Its bikes (except those with a Tesi part-cycle) have always been named with the first letter of the engine manufacturer (K for Kawasaki) then that of the designer (B for Bimota) followed by a number indicating the model's release rank. For example, the KB4 is the 4th alliance between the two brands. But with the Rimini, this rank is no longer specified, and replaced by the engine displacement. Its first name is none other than the city where the manufacturer is based, a clear reminder that it is indeed a Bimota.