While we've known for a while what it looks like, up to now we've been short on detail specification of the new Kawasaki-engined Bimota KB4. In advance of its likely appearance at the EICMA motorcycle show in November, the specification has now been confirmed.

Bimota KB4 Is Go!

Since 1973, Bimota has been taking mass-produced engines and slotting them into bespoke frames which were far superior to the frames they left the factory with. In the early days of the company, the main target was Japanese four-cylinder engines, which were reliable, powerful and affordable, while the chassis of those early sports bikes often lagged way behind the performance of the engines. Thus you had SB models (Suzuki), YB (Yamaha), KB (Kawasaki) and, more recently, DB (Ducati).

As time passed, the Japanese got infinitely better at chassis design, thus removing a lot of Bimota's reason for being. The company struggled on but the disastrous V-Due and an ill-fated attempt at racing sounded the death knell for the company. A group of investors bought the company, only for it to run into financial trouble again in 2017. Kawasaki then stepped in and bought 49% of Bimota in 2019.

Bringing us right up to date is the latest Bimota, the KB4, which adheres to the traditional Bimota formula of turning a bloated machine into a razor-sharp sports bike. The engine is the 1000cc four-cylinder from the Ninja 1000, which produces 140bhp at 10,000rpm and 82lb.ft of torque at 8,000rpm.

Bimota has slotted this engine into a steel and carbon fibre frame and fitted its own exhaust system and bodywork. The net effect of all this is a weight saving of 90lbs over the standard donor bike (518lb down to 428lb).

Not only is it much lighter, but t is also physically smaller. The wheelbase has dropped by 50mm to 1,390mm and the bike is 50mm slimmer. The reduction in length has been achieved in an interesting way. Simply shortening the swing arm would have upset the weight distribution, moving the bias rearward, which is not ideal for handling purposes.

Bimota's solution is to move the front wheel back and, in order to do this, they have had to re-site the radiator as the front wheel would hit it as the forks compressed. So, Bimota has placed the radiator under the seat, fed air by ducts along the side of the bike that are in turn fed by inlets in the fairing.