Design/ Engineering - Pier Luigi Marconi.
Presentation - Cologne Motor Show 1996.
Price then - 34,150,000 Lira.
Engine - The power plant was taken from the Suzuki GSXR 1100 four, the same as an SB6. Maximum output of 156 hp at 10,000 rpm and maximum torque of 12 kg at 9000 rpm. Effective engine displacement of 1074 cc. Compression ration of 11.2:1 40-mm Mikuki carburettors, liquid cooled, double overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder, wet clutch and five-speed gearbox. The only changes being a heat exchanger for the oil filter (a known problem with SB6's), a larger air box and re calibration of the carburettors. The exhaust is also longer.
Frame - Frame with a double perimeter beam "Straight Line Connection" (SLC) is again the same as an SB6.Extruded in aluminium, the beams join at the steering shaft and the swing arm without joins only cast parts. The swing arm however is 10 mm longer. There is a completely new set of bodywork. Front suspension is 46-mm Paioli forks; rear is via an Ohlin's single shock. Front brakes are double Brembo 320 mm, the rear a single 230-mm. Alloy wheels made by Antera. Carbon fibre mudguard and number plate holder, new trapezoidal headlight and new instrument panel
Colourings - Single colouring.
Red, black & Carbon, with the legend "Racing" on the side.
Performance - Top speed of 282.0 Kph and a quarter mile at 10.10 seconds.
Production - A total of 600 SB6r's were built

Review

Moto Bene - 1997 bimota SB6R - written by Alan Cathcart for Cycle News . Reproduced by kind permission .

Breaking the 1000 bike production barrier with a single model may be no big deal for the likes of Honda or even BMW , but for a class operation like bimota - where every bike that comes out of the Italian factory is essentially hand built - it is a manufacturing milestone that has happened only once in the company's 23 year history . It was in 1996 , to be exact , with the SB6 .
It is no exaggeration to say that the sales success of the Suzuki GSXR1100 engined SB6 has been the key to bimota's survival . The SB6 fuelled the prestigious Italian marque's incredible comeback from near extinction to fulfilment of the hopes that company surgeon Walter Martini had when he took over operation of the stricken company in May 1993 . Back then bimota was down and out sales wise , with a mere 382 bikes sold out of the 700 plus built in 1992 .
Martini realised bimota needed a flagship mainstream product to prop up the company's balance sheet , as well as earn profits which would underwrite the costly development of the avant garde Vdue fuel injected 500cc two stroke . So , he got engineering boss Pierluigi Marconi to fast forward development of the SB6 , which duly made it's debut at the Milan Show that November .
Thanks mainly to the SB6's runaway success , bimota's production doubled to 1230 bikes in 1994 and in 1996 broke the 1500 barrier . With the SB6 accounting for the lion's share of production both then and now . The fact that the Vdue exists at all , let alone about to be unleash GP level , two stroke performance on Joe Streetrider - is thanks to the SB6 . Be grateful , bimota management surely is .Of course nothing last forever , least of all at the leading edge of two wheeled technology or in the fave rave fashion scene , both of which contrasting worlds bimota serves in roughly equal measure . The Italian custom bike maker has become pretty adept at staying one step ahead of overnight obsolescence , when yesterday's flavour of the moment suddenly becomes today's classic for the hall of fame . Just wait it will happen sooner than you expect even to a modern day biking icon like the Ducati 916 .Which explains the debut at the IFMA Cologne Show last October of the bimota SB6R , a heavily revamped update of the original SB6 , which is no longer in production . Actually that is not entirely fair . The new version is more of a new model in it's own right than a mere facelift - as discovered when I was handed the keys to the first production version the day after it returned from completing the homologation tests , making it ready for sales lift off .
One might think from casting a swift eye over the new bike that the only major change that bimota has wrought on the R model was to give it a new set of clothes and a different paint job . Wrong . One will have a different opinion after the first twist of the wrist , as I found whilst accelerating out of the factory yard and past the new building on the other side of the road into which bimota has moved its machine shop and R&D / race department (in an effort to free up space in the main factory to further increase production ) . You immediately notice the engine response is much crisper and more immediate than on the old bike , leading - ahem - to a spot of embarrassment for yours truly . See , the throttle action is also light and precise that I , er , made the mistake of assuming the SB6R had been fuel injected , just as the GSXR750 powered SB7 had been . See , it pays to read the press kit before riding the bike because the bottom line is that no , it is not fuel injected , even if it feels as though it is .The R model still wears the same 40 mm Mikuni slingshots as before - only that bimota has made radical improvements to the entire performance of the GSXR1100 motor , as engineering boss Pier Luigi Marconi was eager to explain , once he had stopped laughing at me for asking if he had used the same fuel injection package as on the SB7 .
The biggest improvement we have made on the SB6R is in the airflow to the carbs , Marconi explained . First we increased the size of the fully sealed airbox , and optimised the inlet flow through new intakes above the new bigger radiator in the revised bodywork . But most the most important change as to pressurise the float chambers of the carburettors to the same level as the airbox . Why ? because this delivers a better flow of fuel , which Is already primed for mixture with the incoming air , and allows us to run 10 % bigger main jets , as well as obtaining - well yes , the same throttle response as a fuel injected bike .With no other mechanical changes , apart from a new exhaust system with a shorter collector and revised silencers , we have significantly improved midrange performance , and have a 5 % more maximum horsepower at peak revs - up from 138 bhp at the back wheel on the old SB6 , to 145 bhp on the new bike . We also have a substantial increase in top speed , in homologation tests the bike was trapped at 292 kph (181.04 mph) , but that was only on a 2 km (1.24 miles) airport runway , with insufficient room to accelerate an stop to best effect .I am convinced we can beat the Honda CBR1100xx's 303 kph top speed in magazine tests with this bike on a banked track like Fiat's Nardo test venue in southern Italy , and will be trying to prove that the SB6R is the fastest production street bike in the world there sometime next spring when the weather warms up .Absolute top speed is pretty irrelevant in real world riding , though , unless you live in Germany and even then only on Sunday mornings on the right stretch of autobahn . But much more important is the vastly improved pick up from low revs at pert throttle openings that the SB6R's new induction system delivers , as well as the midrange response while hard on the gas at higher speeds .Through the various chassis changes only reduce dry weight by 2.2. pounds from before to 418 pounds , the R model really does accelerate more crisply and eagerly than before - and considering the old SB6 had every right to wear the crown of undisputed speed king of the streets , before the CBR1100xx came along , that is rally saying something .
But , whereas before you had to get the Suzuki motor wound up above 7000 rpm to really get going when combined with the bimota exhaust and induction system , now it really starts to motor more than two grand lower - and it is more crisp and responsive in doing so . The SB6's rather soggy midrange has now been filled in , which makes the R bike more rewarding to ride because you do not have to use the five speed gearbox so much . It also makes the changes to the running gear quite welcome . Chief of these is a revised chassis design , still Marconi's distinctive SLC (straight line concept) format which debuted on the SB6 , but with a whole lower part of the frame combining the swingarm pivot and shock mount now consisting of an alloy casting incorporating a frame brace . An idea which came about a year ago on the YB9SRI and adds substantially to the overall stiffness in this vital are .The swingarm also is all-new (now with the bimota emblem stamped on it's flank - a nice touch) , again much stiffer than before , thanks to a different construction . But even though it is also 10 mm longer than before , the weight distribution is unaltered , thanks to a bigger radiator and twin fans now fitted , as well as the substitution of the twin batteries in the nose of the bike (where you had to practically dismantle the bodywork to reach them) by a single 12v/12ah one in a new position atop the airbox , just behind the steering head . This not only offers improved accessibility but also helps compact the mass of the bike to improve handling , according to Martini .A gloomy but fortunately dry day spent in the hills behind bimota's Adriatic base revealed the SB6R to be better balanced than I remembered it's predecessor being . The 46 mm Paioli cartridge forks with carbon clad alloy sliders to reduce unsprung weight are a holdover from the old bike , but with reduced internal tolerance on the stanchions , so there's less stiction than before , says bimota test rider Gianluca Galasso .
The steering geometry remains unchanged , but a combination of the slightly longer wheelbase and the all new , less progressive link (1:3 now , instead of 1:4) for the rear Ohlins shock seems to have improved ride quality . It definitely improves traction out of turns and makes the bike less nervous under hard acceleration while still cranked over a little , and also improves stability around fast bumpy turns .The rear tyre has been up sized to a 190/55 Michelin radial instead of the 180 section rubber used before , though still with a 5.50 inch rear wheel specially made for bimota by Ferrari suppliers Antera. I think this is too narrow for such a fat tyre , but though Marconi admits to having tried a 6 inch rear wheel , he says it makes the steering heavier and the bike less nimble in changing direction thus they have gone back to the narrower rim , while Galasso insists it is very hard to make the new bike slide with the 109 tyre and the new link for the rear shock .
Well , he is a much braver man than I am and he has also ridden the bike in warmer weather than my day in the saddle , when I did get the rear wheel spinning a bit , cranking it up out of the turns on the gas . The juries out on this until we go to a race track in warm dry weather .
Another major change on the SB6R is the new rear subframe , which is now constructed out of Carbon fibre rather than fibreglass . This change also has the effect of lowering the seat height slightly , says Galasso , who believes the riding position is so relaxed for a sports bike that "you can go to sleep at 240 kph (148 mph) on the autostrada .

Yes , right , but I will admit that it is more comfortable than before , without such a sense of being perched on top of the bike , though perhaps that comes from the slightly more all enveloping bodywork . Still the formerly wide spread clip ons have been pulled back to deliver a more comfy positioning than before , though the width of the new fuel tank is such that you lock your thumbs against it whilst making a tight turn in town .Some cut-outs in the flanks of the tank would prevent this , as the tank is now separate from the seat unit .
Marconi says he's taken pains on the new bike to make everything more accessible than before , thus it feature a first for a bimota hyperbike : three piece bodywork , the separate tank and seat units and even the fact that the air filter is split in two so you can access the plugs to change them without practically dismantling the whole bike . But that more rational riding position and the much thicker seat padding , means for the first time it should be possible to enjoy a long motorway run on a bimota , thanks also to the shape of the tank which allows you to rest your chest on it at high speeds , tucked away behind the well designed new fairing .
The faring actually is a little narrower and more slippery that before , because of the replacement of the oil cooler on the old model by the water cooled heat exchanger from the Suzuki GSXR750, while bimota also has delved into other Japanese parts bins to fit a new , bigger water radiator borrowed from the Yamaha YZF 1000 . This delivers a more constant engine temperature , say Marconi , while oil runs at 110 C (230F) normally .
But it is the vivid response and the take no prisoners torque of the bimota's Suzuki motor that gives you such a constant buzz when you ride the SB6R . This bike is so much fun and so forgiving to ride - much more so even than the old SB6 , which was really more of a traffic light special that could go round corners pretty well . The new bike is so much more ridable , in turn encouraging you to ride harder around switchback Italian mountain passes and twisting seaside roads - when you may be relived that the Brembo brakes fitted to the new bike have noticeably more bite than before , thanks to the Brembo master cylinder fitted instead of the Suzuki one used before .But the flat midrange on the old SB6 has had the ditch in the powerband filled in , and the result is a bike that dives okay from as low as 4500 rpm , pulls strongly from 5500-6000 rpm upwards and then delivers an extra kick of power at the very top end , between 10500-12000 rpm when the engine suddenly starts to pick up revs even faster , a bit like a two stroke (but then bimota knows all about them , doesn't it).That twin peaks turbo effect is most noticeable in fourth gear - well , you might imagine really notice it in fifth , except I could not find anywhere long enough and wide enough to get the bike cranked wide open in top gear . The power is delivered , thanks to the ram air effect at higher road speeds of the fresh , clean charge being fed to the pressurised airbox via the new air intake above the radiator .Marconi admits that with the revised system and the pressurised carbs , the bike actually ran worse on the dyno than the old one , thanks partly to engine heat contaminating the airflow .It was only once they started testing it dynamically with a forced , pressurised airflow obtained through forward motion that the benefits of the new system becomes apparent .Every things relative when you are talking bimota prices but at $23793 in Italy including 19% tax , the SB6R is only $1500 more than the bike it replaces , which is not only less powerful and slower , it also was not as much fun to ride and did not have all the carbon fibre gizmo's hanging off of it . Though strangely these do not include the exhaust silencers , which are in humble alloy , not even titanium , why ?But that price is a bargain in bimota terms , especially in view of the many detail improvements aimed at enhancing quality , which are evident when you look closely at the bike . Like the analogue instrument cluster , which is digitally operated , so you have the best of both worlds , or the stainless steel sheaths encasing the wiring , or the superior fit of the three piece bodywork , or the clip on cover to the airbox , which is quickly detachable , or well , let us just say that the SB6R delivers . Value for money , performance , relative comfort , ride ability and sheer class . Any bets on how quickly they break the 2000 bike barrier with this one ?