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by Bimota's established Zard suppliers, is a full-titanium system that's Euro 2 compliant. The gorgeous six-spoke OZ wheels fitted to the DB5R are forged- aluminum units, saving a total of 8.8 pounds in total, compared to the stan- dard model's already trick Marchesini cast items, and necessitating completely new settings for the carry-over, fully adjustable Ohlins suspension at both ends - thanks to the significant reduc- tion in unsprung weight. A pair of 320mm Brembo discs gripped by radial calipers and master cylinder are now fitted up front - up from the 298mm of the stock DB5's front brakes - with a dry slipper clutch developed in Italy especially for the bike - now fitted to assist with stopping a bike that is 11 pounds less than the stock DB5, with the lighter bodywork and wheels traded off against the bigger, heavier, radial brakes and clutch. Engine internals are unchanged, but thanks to the freer-flowing exhaust, which the Pegaso ECU has been remapped to suit, there's an extra 2 hp on tap, bumping output up to 94 hp at the crank at 8000 rpm, says Strada - so, redressing the embarrassing shortfall the original DB5 has compared to the equivalent Ducati model, in spite of a supposedly freer-flowing dedicated air- box and exhaust system! There's also a significant 10-percent increase in torque to 11.0 kgm at just 4750 rpm. Otherwise, the R-model retains the same distinctive composite chassis as the stock DB5, with its tubular steel spaceframe mated to Ergal engine plates milled from solid billets of air- craft-spec aluminum - as well as the extremely individual and completely dysfunctional mirrors, which have earned it the "Big Ears" sobriquet... Our chance to spend an afternoon testing the prototype DB5R in its final preproduction guise immediately revealed that the sweet-handling and agile DB5 chassis finally has the engine that its qualities deserve. The Ducati SS 1000DS motor is a worthy, grunty unit that's been progressively refined down the years, and in spite of the tingles you notice in the footpegs above 6000 rpm, it's fun to ride, just not especially fast. This is a bike that has always deserved better - and now it's got it. The extra couple of horsepower at the top end on the R model isn't really the issue - it's the fact that it's got signifi- cantly more torque all the way through the powerband, thanks to that great- sounding Zard exhaust and the remapped Pegaso ECU, which is fault- less in its engine response. It offers crisp pickup from a closed throttle that isn't, however, fierce enough to kick out the rear wheel, and a completely clean power delivery all the way to the 9000-rpm rev-limiter, without any of the hiccups that plagued the DB5 a year ago. And, thanks to a combination of this and the overall weight reduc- tion, the R version has considerably better acceleration than the stock unit. See? - go on a diet, lose some pounds, start breathing better and you, too, will run faster and sprint harder. That's exactly what the DB5R was eager to do at the Strada Panoramica test track, south of Bimota's Rimini base. There, the extra grunt from the power-up powerplant delivered really thrilling, exhilarating performance that's much improved over the DB5, which, by comparison, is practically wimpish. The desmodue engine is now ready to rumble from as low as 2500 rpm, which it eagerly does to the accompaniment of the Zard exhausts, smoothing out 500-rpm higher to give a really zestful zap in acceleration in the lower gears. Big Ears got brawny! But it isn't all about bottom-end grunt, for midrange roll-on above 5500 rpm is much improved, allowing you to hold third and fourth gear for long stretches of time, as you scoot between hairpins on a winding mountain road, providing impressive bursts of acceleration between turns. You don't have to use the six-speed Ducati gearbox nearly as hard to move the R bike as you do on the stan- dard DB5, even though, unlike on the stock Ducati transmission with its knuck- le-crunching stiff clutch, there wouldn't have been any hardship on the DB5R. That's because the slipper clutch has a significantly lighter pull, as well as a very crisp, but controllable action, making clutch starts off the line much easier than before. It also has the trademark click of a back-torque-limiter transmission when you squeeze the lever, but this is just character - not grounds for complaint - and doesn't affect its operation. C Y C L E N E W S • AUGUST 16, 2006 51 ALAN CATHCART SAMPLES AN EXTREME VERSION OF THE DB5 BY ALAN CATHCART PHOTOS BY KEL EDGE Cathcart puts the ultratrick Bimota DB5R to the test. Bimota chief engineer Alberto Strada points out some of the DB5R's key features.