10-28 Update: Four months later, this bike is now up on Iconic. Nothing has changed on the bike itself but we made sure to get additional details that you may want to check out. If you want to be Tesi twins with me, here’s a good chance! Find it for sale with bidding up to $19,090 and the reserve not yet met here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions (Disclosure: Bike-urious is a partner in Iconic).
You guys and gals have seen my ownership experience with a Bimota Tesi 3D Final Edition – here’s a rare chance to snag one for yourself! Tesi is Italian for “thesis”, and the name reflects that this bike started as a thesis project by Pierluigi Marconi exploring hub-center steering for his mechanical engineering degree.
The first generation was the 1D, which utilized the 93 horsepower twin from the Ducati 851. By the third generation (3D), the Ducati-built heart was the 1,078cc dual spark engine found in machines like the Multistrada 1100 and Hypermotard 1100 (rated for 97 horsepower in the Tesi). The 3D was a vast improvement of the 2D: Blake Conner of Cycle World said “I was amazed by how much more responsive the front end was compared to the 2D.” Alan Cathcart said the “third time’s the charm” in a Motorcycle.com review. The air-cooled motor didn’t have much mass to move around – Bimota claimed a dry weight of just 370 pounds thanks to the high spec components and extensive use of carbon fiber. 2020 brought the last run of the Tesi 3D before Bimota moved to the Tesi H2. It was known as the Final Edition (Edizione Finale) and it marked the end of a long run of Ducati-powered Bimotas. Upgrades over previous 3Ds included a wet clutch and Ohlins TTX suspension.
This example (VIN: 4B9DD0954MR106009) has 810 miles but the seller barely gives any information, which bums me out. In addition, one of the gew things he/she shares is incorrect – they say it’s got the 1098 motor, which I wish was true!
If you’re serious about this bike, please let me know as I’m glad to share my experiences with you but I don’t want to bore everyone to death in this post. Otherwise, find this Bimota for sale in Charles Town, West Virginia with an unmet opening bid of $35,000 here on eBay.