Kawasaki out of WSBK? Bimota in?

Also on the rumor mill Suzuki is bringing back the GSX-R 1k.



Other side of the coin is Liberty Media is dead set on bringing in more manufacturers. If Kawasaki leaves WSBK but goes back to MotoGP I wouldn't be surprised. They've proven everything they possibly could in WSBK at this point.

 

Sounding like BMW is definitely going to MotoGP. Toprak even mentioned he could go. Article today indicated Iannone will be s teammate next year with VDM going to Bonovo in place of Redding.

 

This. Duc is selling thousands of overpriced limited editions making quick work of the aging demographics who can afford such luxuries. The wage gap is ever increasing and Ducati is taking note and wreaking havok on the sales hook while most other manufacturers can't do the simplest things like getting their abs factory brakes to communicate to the rider. The price point of a $50k hyper badass bike ain't too much for the correct demographic they target. Duc is leading with BMW hot on their heels, but I disagree with BMW's strategy as the M 1000 RR is a f'n poser bike compared to the V4R. One thing they aren't so clued in is that as as a lot of us age, we give far less about the shit that looks pretty, and more about things that make performance better. So Ducati swings both ways and offers a V4R for performance nerds and other Panigale versions with fancy graphics for the posers. It's a perfect strategy, imho. BMW really needs to harvest a second version that is priced similarly to the M 1000 RR but focus on shit that makes it perform better while keeping the initial engine upgrades. I would be interested in that shit.

Hopefully Bimota can get a piece of the pie, fix the fucking brakes, massage the chassis, lower the damn pegs, not do some stupid front swingarm, keep the RR's engine upgrades, develop an asesthetically pleasing body, price it similarly to the V4R/M1000RR, and I'll pounce.

 

someone was nice enough to let Rea know earlier so he could find a ride before it all collapsed… I kept saying that Kawi had to be pulling out in order to make sense of Rea leaving…

 

Kawasaki is not going motogp unless Liberty ponies up major cash.
Kawasaki spent big for wsbk. No way they are spending 5 times that simply for brand recognition and an underwater squeezer.

 

But why would they? If you think about GP history does Kawasaki even come into your thoughts? Maybe if you’re old and their 500 might pop in. . . After Thinking about Paton.

BMW? Why bother to go motogp?

 

Maybe because Ducati is winning in MotoGP and it's selling lots of bikes?

 

32000$ for a zx10rr !
Probably 52500+ for a Bimota Kawi .

 

It's like a HAYATE lol

 

BMW sells a lot more and growing without motogp.

 

so kawasaki engines in bimota frames. that means that a BIMOTA KB10-R street bike has to happen, right?

 

Yes.

 

Thats what Bimota has always been right......its basically a 2-wheeled coach company.

 

Will they run a conventional fork setup or their front swing arm linkage deal?

 

Their last foray into WSBK was with BMW power and they definitely used conventional fork

 

By rules, the Bimota will have to be homologated and sell for a retail price of 40,000euro (or maybe it's 43k now or so).

I think (want) this to be Kawasaki's easy way of stepping into the shadows to develop their bike to return to MotoGP and let Bimota and Satellite teams carry the Kawasaki name in WSBK. And the new Suzuki GSXR1K is definitely coming - but I can't see it being much more than a development to reach current and future emissions regulations. I'd love to see it racing again though!

 

They did make the 500 two stroke v-twin around their own motor IIRC?

 

Ahhh, apparently so....the V Due

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bimota_motorcycles

 

Once, and the first generation were hideously unreliable. Even for an Italian micro manufacturer. No one paid attention to the second gen because of the bad smell from the first gen. And Bimota went bankrupt(again) about that time and stopped production.