Exotic Italian – Bimota DB6 Delirio

In Italy, Sport by Tim Huber1 Comment

Since the marque’s inception in the 1970’s, Bimota’s formula has primarily consisted of taking proven powerplants and dropping them into cutting-edge frames, adding some high-end suspension, and then finishing out the whole process by mixing in some trick bells and whistles. The DB6 Delirio (Italian for “delirium”) is a great example of what the Italian manufacturer is all about, plus it’s simply a gorgeous machine.

The Delirio is powered by Ducati’s infamous Hypermotard engine – an air-cooled, twin-spark, 90 degree, 1,078cc, four-valve, “L-Twin” that reportedly puts down 98hp at 7,500rpm and a cool 76ft-lbs of torque at 5,500rpm. The Delirio is also fitted with Bimota’s own electronic fuel-injection. Wrapped around the Ducati twin is a chrome molybdenum steel trellis frame complete with machined billet alloy plates.

The stock suspension on the naked Italian is made up of fully adjustable 50mm Marzocchi inverted forks and a monoshock in back. The braking hardware consists of a pair of quad-piston Brembo calipers biting 320mm disks fore, and a single dual piston unit in back with a 220mm disk. With a generous helping of carbon fiber – even more so on the ultra-trick R-spec Delirio, as well as the carbon-framed Azzuro-variant – and its stock lightweight Marchesini alloy rims, the exotic Italian scoot clocks in at just under 375 lbs dry (390 lbs wet), enabling the L-Twin to propel the Delirio up to around 140mph.

The styling is obviously another major highlight on the Delirio. Its sharp angular design includes dual carbon fiber under-tail pipes, and a sleek front-end that incorporates the front turn-signals into the headlight cowl. This example – which is said to have less than 2,000 original miles on the odo – is mostly stock, though it does have a few top-shelf upgrades such as its Accossato radial master cylinder. [EDITOR’S NOTE: A reader has let me know that this bike is not titled in California, which may present an issue for residents trying to register it in their name.]

In MCN’s review of the model – in which they gave the Delirio an overall rating of five stars out of five – they said, “Think BMX push bike with a motorcycle engine and you won’t be too far off the mark.” I can’t find an exact figure as to how many units were produced, but I can confidently say this is a very rare machine. You can find this unspecified model year Bimota DB6 Delirio for sale here on Craigslist in Santa Monica, California with a price of $9,500.