Post Sale Update: Wow – the seller was willing to take less than $50k less than a year ago, but it just sold on Bring a Trailer for $76,000 plus fees.
12-26-2020 Update: Sam P and Joe G notes that ten months later, this rare Tesi is guaranteed to find a new home as it’s now being offered with no reserve. Find it in Gilbert, Arizona with bidding up to $13,750 here on Bring a Trailer.
2-25-2020 Update: Two years later, this bike has made its way to Gilbert, Arizona. Interestingly, the asking price is now $48,950 or best offer – find it here on eBay!
10-10-18 Update: Well, this is quite the change! When I last featured this bike a year ago, the asking price was $65,000. Now it’s being offered with no reserve, so it’s going to find a new owner very soon. Find it with bidding up to $15,100 in Switzerland
Post Listing Update: The asking price was reduced to $65,000, and then the seller removed the listing because the bike is “no longer available.” Whether that means he sold it for, we may never know!
That’s right, two Bimotas today! In my eyes, the coolest Bimota ever built was the Tesi 1D, the first generation of their wild hub-center steering platform. The D in 1D stands for Ducati as the powerplant was the 93 horsepower twin from the 851, but a model refresh in 1991 came with a displacement bump to 904 – hence the 904SR you see in front of you today. The 904 models were built in 1991 and early 1992, and they are but a small portion of the 144 1D SRs that were ever built. Even with that in mind, this example stands out as it is basically new – it’s never been started and many systems like the cooling and brakes have never had fluid in them. As you’d expect, you’re going to have to pay to play – not just to get it shipped home from Switzerland. The seller has an asking price of $150k (he admits it “silly”) so he’s really just hoping you’ll make use of the “Make Offer” button!
A 1992 review of the Tesi in Bike Magazine called it a “technological masterpiece” and mentions that the bikes “manage to be stupendous and stupid all at once.” The stupendous part is probably fairly obvious, but the “stupid” aspects might not be – useless mirrors, heavy clutch, impossible to see neutral light, an exhaust that will melt your boots, unreliable electrics (bit of an issue on a gauge cluster that depends on LEDs), and a whole bunch more. None of that will matter with this example, because I cannot imagine it will ever be ridden.
According to the seller, this (VIN: Tesi1D00127) is of 20 904SR models (but I haven’t been able to find an independent source to verify that). It has spent its entire life “properly prepared for longterm display” in climate controlled storage. It’s still in impressive condition and it comes with the original ownership documents, customs forms, owners manual, warranty booklet, workshop manual, parts manual, and the original tool kit. Extras like the cover (with the storage bag), original rear stand, a custom front stand, both MPH and KM/H gauge clusters, a stock ECU and a race ECU, and multiple spare are included as well.
Find this rare Tesi for sale in Basel, Switzerland with a BIN of $150,000 or best offer