The Italian motorcycle manufacturer from Rimini has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in the past couple of years. Two years ago Bimota saw entrepreneurs Daniele Longoni and Mario Chiancianesi plan to revive the brand. This came as a breather for Bimota after years of struggled leadership. This resulted in a positive spin along with an agreement with BMW to supply the S1000RR engine and also Bimota’s plans to take part in the WSBK championship with its new evolution, the Bimota BB3.
The governing bodies of WSBK allowed Bimota to enter the series with R&D intentions only. That meant no points or official standings in WSBK. But it was seen as a step forward and let Bimota fanatics have some good feeling. But, it was soon back in trouble for not making payment for 150 engines as needed to comply with the WSBK regulations.
Bruno dePrato of cycleworld.com had a chance to sit with Bimota’s new General Manager, Pier Luigi Marconi and discuss about the future plans of this unique motorcycle marque. Marconi came at a time when Bimota failed in an attempt at trying to sell stock options to new partners and obtain capital for new projects. Marconi has been part of Bimota since 1980’s when he was the Chief Project Engineer. He was called in as the new General Manager to utilize his vast experience in the company and help Bimota prosper again.
The new GM’s conclusion was simple. Bimota was just not selling enough bikes to keep up with the running costs of the factory. He got in touch with old importers and dealers to revive the enthusiasm for the exclusive bikes made by Bimota. Also drastic cost cutting measures to cut down on needless expenditure were put in place. This resulted in a positive response and saw few bikes from the inventory getting sold and arrival of new orders. But the Italian brand is in serious need of cash infusion as the new focused plan is in flow.
Bimota wishes to focus on the Ducati-1198 powered models as they are highly regarded by the dealers and require very minor improvements. They are also looking at shifting to electronically managed suspension with Öhlins which could be a major step. Marconi mentions that they are working on a completely revised Tesi model that would prove the potential of the concept and also re-ignite the Bimota exclusivity factor. He also added that he is looking forward to meet Ducati’s top brass to discuss possibility of access to the new Panigale 1299 twin power-plant.
On questioning whether there was a future to the BB3 project, Pier Luigi Marconi answered saying that the BB3 project was an unfortunate case of improper management. The new GM feels that it is a great bike and he would like to keep it alive but concludes that Bimota needs fresh investment to proceed in the proper direction to make use of its creative potential.
With all this coming from a man with years of experience being at Bimota, seems like this time they are headed in the right direction and with a great leader. Hoping Bimota takes a new turn and makes a comeback to keep the brand alive for its supporters.