Kawasaki power mixed with Italian flair.

By Adam Child, www.cycleworld.com

Quiz time, folks. When is a motorcycle with rapier-sharp steering geometry, a wheelbase shorter than a supersport ZX-6R, high-end Öhlins NIX 30/TTX 36 suspension, carbon bodywork, lightweight forged O.Z. wheels, adjustable footrests and ride height, and an extremely racy 53.6:46.4 weight distribution not a sportbike?

Answer: When it’s a Bimota KB4 “sport-tourer,” a seriously sharp piece of kit that the brilliant and enduringly off-piste Italian chassis specialists refuse to call an out-and-out sportbike.

To be fair to Bimota, in its 140 bhp 1,043cc Kawasaki inline-four, it has a flexible and all-round motor. Taken from the Ninja 1000 SX sport-tourer, it’s a supersmooth and torquey unit designed to pull you up a mountain one day and rush you down the highway to work the next, so admittedly there is an element of touring intent in the mix.

There’s also a soft leather (single) seat cover, which points more toward luxury than lap times and, I grant you, a riding position more chilled and upright than you might find on an uncompromising apex hunter.

But the fact remains that at the tight and twisty test circuit of Modena in northern Italy, this 30,000 pounds sterling work of art went like a sportbike—a very hot sportbike.

On track it feels incredibly agile with sharp, direct steering that drops the bike onto the edge of its sticky Pirelli Supercorsa Evo rubber with little more than a thought. It leans seemingly forever, devours hairpins, and finds a resistance-free flow around the racetrack that only the best middleweights can match.

Chassis and tires stream forensic levels of feedback to the rider and build enormous confidence too. It goads you to brake ever later and deeper, then to let go of the lever and let it roll—knee down, elbow down, and occasionally muffler down too—through the mid-turn like a particularly well-sorted ZX-6R. Grinning like an idiot, you then get on the gas sooner than you ever thought possible…

At this moment you might expect a cacophony of frantic revs and flashing shift lights screaming for a fresh ratio. But the reality is different. The KB4 simply surges, calmly and smoothly and without undue noise or fuss, toward the next braking zone.

Instead of a rev-happy firecracker one instinctively expects to find in a chassis this sharp, the KB4 is powered by that 1,043cc SX all-rounder. Peak power is a claimed 140 hp at 10,000 rpm and peak torque 81.7 lb.-ft. at a lowly 8,000 rpm. It has oodles of midrange grunt, smooth (Kawasaki) fueling, and is simply easy to get along with.

During the first few laps of Modena, while familiarizing with the bike and track, there was no need to dance up and down on the quickshifter; instead the SX’s torque drove the KB4 between corners, unconcerned whether it was in second or third gear. The fueling is impeccable, another defining characteristic of the SX. In fact, the KB4 felt as relaxed and helpful on the track as the SX does in the mountains. It’s a strange contradiction and clash of styles between a relatively “soft” engine and ultrasharp chassis, but it works. Trackday newcomers especially will love it.

That engine is a hefty lump of metal by superbike standards and acts as a stressed member in a minimalist Bimota chassis. A three-piece aluminum alloy swingarm bolts directly to the block via a machined pivot plate. Both are beautiful. At the front a steel-tube trellis support bolts to the Japanese motor and holds the fully adjustable Öhlins NIX 30 fork.

Bimota wanted a short wheelbase, shorter than a Kawasaki ZX-6R, which called for a long swingarm and the engine to be positioned as far forward as possible to give a distinctly nosy weight distribution of 53.6 percent front and 46.4 percent rear.

This, in turn, meant there was no room for a conventionally located radiator, which is why it was positioned under the seat unit and supplied cooling air via huge carbon ducts on both sides of the bike.

The result is a stubby 54.7-inch wheelbase that’s much shorter than the Ninja 1000 SX (56.7 inches) and even shorter than a ZX-6R (55.1 inches). Bodywork is mainly carbon fiber and the absence of a conventional frame reduces dry weight to an extremely sporting 417 pounds.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to ride Bimota’s sport-tourer on the road, but some of the key qualities of the Kawasaki 1000 SX should carry over to the KB4. They share an engine, of course, and also a 5.0-gallon fuel tank so, in theory, economy and fuel range should be similar. (Kawasaki quotes 40.6 mpg USA for the SX.)

Lean-sensitive ABS is carried over from the Kawasaki but recalibrated due to the lightness of the Bimota. The KB4 also uses 320mm discs, which are 20mm larger in diameter than the Kawasaki’s, plus racy Brembo radial stoppers. On track, the ABS is a little too intrusive but for a sport-tourer it may well have market-leading stopping power.

Like the SX, cruise control comes as standard. The SX’s 4.3-inch TFT dash, updated in 2020, is adopted, along with the Kawasaki’s easy-to-use switch gear and extensive suite of lean-sensitive rider aids, which include a rain mode and lower power mode for those very few who might ride the Bimota in the wet.

The Bimota doesn’t have the adjustable screen and wind protection of the SX, and panniers are not an option. In fact, you can’t even add a pillion. But the KB4 does have multi-adjustable quality Öhlins suspension, an eccentric ride height adjuster, and the pegs are adjustable.

The riding position is natural and genuinely sport-touring in stance. It’s not difficult to see that the light handling, quality suspension, and brakes will work well on the road, especially on the planet’s more twisty stretches.

Back in pre-COVID 2019, Japanese giant Kawasaki bought a 49.9 percent stake in Italian chassis specialists Bimota; and the KB4 follows the 60,000 pounds sterling Tesi H2 to become the second model to emanate from that still-new partnership. And in true Bimota tradition, it is both innovative, a little quirky and, up close, something of a masterpiece.

The finish and quality of engineering lift the KB4 way above the norm. You can see why they want 30,000 pounds sterling for it. Knowing that it’s powered by a proven and reliable Kawasaki engine and ancillaries only adds to its allure.

On our track-only test it was exhilarating and also fun to ride—but anything but intimidating, especially with the chassis transmitting masses of feel and security to the rider. We need to rack up some road miles before we can pass full judgment on the KB4, but the omens are extremely promising.

2022 Bimota KB4 Specs

MSRP:	£30,000 (UK)
Engine:	DOHC, water-cooled inline-4; 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement:	1,042cc
Bore & stroke:	77.0 x 56.0mm
Compression ratio:	11.8:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6 speed/chain
Claimed Horsepower:	142 hp @ 10,000 rpm
Claimed Torque:	81.9 lb.-ft. @ 8,000 rpm
Fuel System:	Electronic fuel injection w/ 38mm throttle bodies
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate
Frame:	Steel trellis
Front Suspension:	43mm Öhlins NIX 30 fork, fully adjustable; 5.1 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	Öhlins TTX 36, fully adjustable; 4.8 in. travel
Front Brake:	Brembo Stylema 4-piston calipers, dual 320mm discs w/ Cornering ABS
Rear Brake:	Brembo 2-piston caliper, 220mm disc w/ Cornering ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	O.Z. Racing forged aluminum; 17 x 3.5 in. / 17 x 6 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Pirelli Supercorsa Evo; 120/70ZR-17 / 190/50ZR-17
Rake/Trail:	24.0°/4.0 in.
Wheelbase:	54.7 in.
Seat Height:	31.9 in. (+/-8mm ride height)
Fuel Capacity:	5.0 gal.
Claimed Wet Weight:	428 lb.
Contact:	bimota.it