The SB3 was a little bit different than Bimotas usual offerings at the time – in this case Bimota simply shipped you everything but the drivetrain, and it was your job to find the engine and transmission from Suzuki’s GS1000 to complete the package. Just 402 examples were built, and this one stands out as it impressively comes with a spare new OEM fairing and windshield as a previous owner wanted to turn it into a track bike but that dream was never realized.
The bike weighed just 483 pounds wet, and it was quick. It was also incredibly uncomfortable on the street, which is why the track bike dream might still be worth pursuing. From a review in Motorcyclist magazine:
“No one on our staff has ridden anything short of a hardtail that was as harsh as the SB3. The shock’s spring tension and preload seem about right, but the damping is so excruciatingly stiff that each bump, seam and twig is transmitted to the rider’s spine in complete detail. It’s fairly common to have the Bimota bounce your feet right off the footpegs when you’re unlucky enough to run over a rough section of pavement.
And the seat ensures that it’s more than just your feet that get rattled around. Perhaps the SB3 is Italy’s latest answer to planned parenthood. After a thorough bludgeoning aboard the bike, we figured that we’d just back down on the shock’s adjustable damping to smooth the ride out. We checked and it was already on the softest setting. We looked at each other in utter disbelief.”
This specific example is #187 and the spare new OEM fairing/windshield are appreciated because there’s definitely some wear to the fairing – the right side shows the result of a tip over in the garage while the left side has bubbling in the paint. In addition, the odometer does not work (there’s no speedometer sender unit). But there’s also plenty of good stuff – the suspension was recently rebuilt, the engine is good shape, it has Dyna S ignition and an upgrade to Keihin CR31 carbs, and there’s plenty of new small parts that have been recently installed.
Find this SB3 for sale here on Craigslist in Lakeway, Texas for $13,500.
This bike-uriouisty brought to you by Daniel C!