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What the slipper clutch does do, though, is allow you to use the extra engine braking of the V-twin with com- plete impunity, with no risk of chattering the rear wheel into a turn. With positive operation and no valve springs, there's no way you can tangle the valves. This is not only welcome because it gives you an extra means of slowing hard for turns without excessive weight transfer that can adversely affect the handling - the Bimota is extremely stable under heavy braking - but also because it may help counter the definite sense of overkill that the DB5R's Brembo brake package now represents. The radially mounted four- piston four-pad calipers and upsized 320mm twin front discs rep- resent benchmark braking by today 's standards and are worthy of a Superbike racer with two- and-a-half times more power. While they worked brilliantly on the Bimota street- bike, there's a case to be made for fear- ing they 'd be too much brake on such a light motorcycle under cooler conditions with less front-tire grip. In which case, you can use the increased engine braking that the slipper clutch allows. The DB5R's lighter weight isn't just noticeable in terms of extra zest power- ing out of a turn, but also in the improved suspension compliance result- ing from the significant decrease in upsprung weight that the OZ wheels deliver on their own. "We had to completely change all the suspension settings on the Öhlins forks and shock," said Strada. "That's why we took the bike to Mugello yesterday - it was like starting again with a new motor- cycle." The result is certainly more of a track- day tool than the stock DB5, not only in terms of engine performance, but also in the handling, which feels more taut and, paradoxically, more compliant. Though settings on the fully adjustable suspen- sion felt quite a bit stiffer on compres- sion damping (the same springs are used front and rear as on the standard bike, which has much softer suspension), the 120mm of wheel travel at either end actually felt more controlled, and ride quality on broken surfaces was pretty good for such a focused sportbike. Even with the stiffer suspension, it doesn't skip around as much as you'd expect such a light bike to do. The only downside was a certain amount of pitching back and forth over a series of bumps, as if the Bimota had a shorter wheelbase than its quite rational 1425mm stance. It probably could have been dialed out if we'd had more time with the bike. I expect bumps don't play too big a part in a race circuit owned by Ferrari, so probably Mugello was the wrong place for Bimota to try to refine real-world road settings. The R-model's extra engine perform- ance means that greater questions are asked of Sergio Robbiano's so-distinctive DB5 chassis package, consisting of a tubu- lar steel spaceframe with Ergal aluminum side plates, which also support the swingarm pivoting in the vertically split engine crankcases, for added stiffness. But the piece de resistance is the swingarm itself, a superbly original and visually strik- ing traliccio composito consisting of Ergal end plates housing the axle, which are bolted to a tubular steel spaceframe that operates the fully-adjustable cantilever Öhlins shock. At slower speeds and in hairpin turns, the steering is light and precise, and with its tauter suspension, the DB5R no longer pushes the front wheel exiting a tight cor- ner hard in second or third gear, as the base-level bike does with its softer rear shock on standard settings. And it still holds a line well in faster bends, courtesy of conservative steering geometry (24- degree head angle/100mm trail/1425mm wheelbase), while riding the bike in town proved unexpectedly easy by sportbike standards, thanks to the quite good steer- ing lock for a focused bike such as this, and especially the light, smooth action of the dry clutch - though that's a bit noisy at low speeds. Robbiano has packaged the rider incredibly well on the bike, and at 810mm, the seat height is low enough to suit those of shorter stature, such as women riders, and the eccentrically adjustable footpegs allow anyone to tuck their knees in tightly beside the shapely 4.42-gallon fuel tank. It's easy for a taller rider to get comfort- able on the DB5R, in spite of the quite steeply raked clip-ons that are well-pulled back - the low seat height means you don't have much body weight on your arms, so you can tuck in well behind the pointy screen with a rake that actually shifts a lot of air over your body. AUGUST 16, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 54 Bimota DB5R Mille Cathcart found the Bimota DB5R to be much better suited than the stock DB5 for the racetrack.