FIRST RIDE
P60
2013 BIMOTA TESI 3D NAKED BIKE
The Tesi 3D naked
version weighs
in at 390 pounds
dry and has a
wheelbase of 54.7
inches.
riding stance, the new 3D Naked bike ran straight as an arrow
along the at the 142 mph I saw
at 7500 rpm with me wishing I
could get tucked away better
behind the vestigial triangularshaped screen.
Even getting caught in the turbulence of a Mercedes or Volvo
dawdling in the fast lane didn't
upset the Bimota, though at lower speeds behind trucks it'd get a
brief shake on as my unprotected
body caught the edges of the
windblast.
This Tesi 3D done differently
is a very good motorcycle by any
standard, but especially once the
rider reboots and remaps his/
her mental computer to get the
best out of a hub-center motorcycle. So, hold the bars lightly,
and don't be afraid to stay off the
brakes until what seems suicidally late. Then, when you do decide to stop, don't be concerned
about grabbing a big handful of
front brake and squeezing the lever hard back as you lean into the
apex of the turn, while still scrubbing off speed.
The separation of steering from
suspension functions on a bike
like this is the biggest asset of
hub-center front ends - only that
you must first convince yourself
that you can trail-brake so deep
into turns, then do it.
But the assured suspension,
confident steering and good
balance of the Tesi 3D Naked
package means that it's a bike
that likes you to keep up cornering speed – it's not a stop/turn/
gas-it-wide-open package like
the original 1D was. This means
you can use a gear higher in
many turns than you might have
expected – a feature which the
extra grunt of that great Ducati
desmodue EVO engine will happily go along with.
This version of the air-cooled
desmo V-twin motor has a much
smoother pickup from a closed
throttle, as well as a less aggressive power delivery that's more
refined-seeming than its predecessors. But it's still a meaty motor and ideally suited to the Tesi
application. Magic.
A delve into Bimota's back
catalog of past products has delivered a future bike that functions
and is fun to ride, two decades
on from its customer inception.
Who says you can't re-invent the
wheel – even if it has to be a hubcenter one?
CN
