You know the drill – back in the 80s Bimota was making waves by taking Japanese engines and giving them much better chassis to live in. The Bimota SB3 was a little bit different, though – this time Bimota just shipped you the bike without an engine, and it was on you to supply the drivetrain. The bike was named SB3 because it was the 3rd time Bimota used a Suzuki engine – in this case the powerplant from a GS1000.
The bike weighed just 483 pounds wet, and it was quick. The only problem was comfort – you’d expect it to have the riding position of a road racer, but a review in Motorcyclist magazine even had issues with the suspension:
“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 Bimota SB3, as you could probably guess from the VIN number (00100), is the 100th bike out of the 402 SB3s that were built. It has 6,375 miles and the one-piece tank/tail bodywork looks good.
Find this Bimota SB3 for sale in Stowmarket, England with bidding up to $8,100 and the reserve not yet met