This incredible motorcycle rolled up at Rockwell Cycle last weekend. This Bimota Tesi 3D is quite rare; only a handful were ever imported from Italy, only in 2008 (so I think this might actually be a 2007 model), when they cost somewhere around $30,000 if you could find one.
Powered by a Ducati 1079cc L-twin engine (from a 1000DS Multistrada I believe) , the most immediately apparent featured of this radical design is that the bike doesn't use forks. Rather, the actual frame of the motorcycle is mounted on a pinion in the front wheel.
Bimota developed what they call "Hub Steering" technology, and the hydraulic suspension and a pull-rod system is actually mounted beside the engine, cradled between a pair of swing-arms on the front AND rear of the bike.
Chatting with the owner, he said he took great care to avoid potholes, as there is no vertical compression possible, and that he didn't notice too much of a difference in the handling of the bike, until he started cornering at high speeds, where the bike felt quite different. On traditional bikes, the rake (the angle at which the forks are connected to the rest of the motorcycle) has huge effect on the bike's ability to turn in a corner, whereas on a forkless bike, the suspension doesn't distort the turning radius.
There were a couple phenomenal MV Agusta F4 RR's that rode by, like this MV Agusta F4 312RR, and a giddy fellow MV rider informed me that the "312" stood for 312kph (roughly 194mph), as this was the top of the line RR a few years back.
The other motorcycle curio was this electric police bike, outfitted with lights and sirens for traffic duty. My biggest problem with Zero motorcycles (and all electric bikes) is the lack of range, but this sure beats a
Segway.
© 2015 Tigh Loughhead
