The Bimota SB8K Santamonica was already an incredible machine in its own right – in his First Ride review for Motorcyclist, Brian Catterson said “what I would have written back in 2000, had there been a point, was that the SB8K was the best twin-cylinder sportbike I’d ever ridden; more than a match for the reigning Ducati 996 and miles better than the rotary-shocked Suzuki TL1000R from which its engine was derived.” But there will always be people who want more – and this time around it was Red Baron (also known as Redbro Racing), Bimota’s Japanese importer. They created an upgraded version of the SB8K that they called the Ultimo, and they only built 10 examples. Here’s #3!
Thanks to the Wayback Machine, I can show you the Redbro site from years ago in which they described the Ultimo – though you’ll want to translate it from Japanese! It shows that the original price was roughly $55,000 USD in 2000 and provides a long list of upgrades such as forged high compression (12:1) pistons, high lift camshaft, modified ECU, custom titanium silencers, titanium-coated windscreen, LED turn signals built into the mirrors, HID headlights, alcantara seat, Brembo radial master cylinder, STACK digital display, aluminum top triple, Ohlins fully adjustable 43mm front forks, Brembo monobloc caliper with racing rotors, red stainless steel braided brake and clutch lines, and Marchesini forged magnesium wheels.
The seller of this example (VIN: ZESSB8K00YR000015) acquired it 6 months ago “from the Japanese distributor of Bimota in Japan. The bike was unsold new, old stock from 2000. I have ridden the bike around the block only, maybe 3 km.” The seller notes that “the odometer is showing 36 km but according to the STACK instructions, they state that the km will virtually never be zero. It is worth noting that kms will be added during factory testing of the dash without the vehicle actually doing any kms.” He estimates that the bike has a total of 5 km on it. The seller bought three Ultimos “along with quite a few other bikes from the Japanese dealer. Buying one of them was not an option. It was all or nothing.” He is keeping the first Ultimo in his personal collection of zero mile bikes, the second as his Sunday ride, and he’s selling the third as it “really needs to go to a new home where it can be appreciated by others.” He adds that there are no cosmetic issues, calling it “as close to perfect as you could imagine.”
Find this Bimota for sale in Wellington, New Zealand with bidding up to $8,600 and the reserve not yet met here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions.
Disclosure: Bike-urious is a partner in Iconic Motorbike Auctions.