FIRST RIDE
P58
2013 BIMOTA TESI 3D NAKED BIKE
The bike started out as a
modified 3D when designer
Andrea Acquaviva suffered an
injury that made it impossible
for him to ride the standard
version because of its
sportbike riding position.
begs to be ridden like the nimble,
take-no-prisoners streetfighter it
is.
There's much more feedback
from the front suspension than I
ever had on the Tesi 1Ds I used
to race, and this was graphically demonstrated for me when I
came across an unexpected rain
shower just as I exited the autostrada on my way back to the factory. I used to hate racing the Tesi
in the wet, because it was hard
to feel what the front tire was doing at the best of times, with so
much feedback dialed out by the
convoluted steering linkage. But
what would almost certainly have
ended in disaster 20 years ago
was saved by the far better feedback from the front tire on the 3D
Naked when I encountered the
wet pavement. And that's thanks
to a) Acquaviva's enhanced steering geometry, with a crucial lower
pivot point for the front swingarm,
b) superior compliance and response from the front Extreme
Tech shock, and c) a good dose
of luck.
That easy handling comes
thanks to the 3D's lean build, balanced feel, good leverage from
the wide-spread handlebar, and
its sharp steering geometry, with
just 20 degrees of head angle
- matched to 106mm of trail for
good stability. Both of those numbers are extreme by conventional
sportbike standards, and capable of instant adjustment over a
wide range of numbers (17º-23º
and 80-120mm) on the 3D chassis.
Another key factor is that simplified steering system that has
been incorporated on this Tesi
evoluzione, which gives enhanced feedback from the front
tire through a linkage with fewer
changes of direction than previous Tesis. And it also uses newgeneration high-precision rodend bearings, which essentially
