The Bimota Tesi H2 is already a stunning machine, but somehow the people in Rimini, Italy, decided to spice things up for 2021 by announcing a Carbon Edition.
The question is, what is the difference between the standard Tesi H2 and the Carbon Edition?
Like the name, it is the same mouth-watering motorcycle, but the Carbon Edition is limited to only 250 units, and it comes in a black colour scheme with carbon fibres features.
The limited-edition Tesi H2 still packs with the same 230hp Kawasaki H2-derived engine but looks more menacing with the carbon fibre trims.
If you have some money to burn and seeking excitement post-Covid-19, the Tesi H2 Carbon Edition is priced at GBP60,000 (RM339,675).
When the Bimota TESI H2 concept made its first appearance last year at EICMA, people were genuinely ecstatic regarding the new project between the manufacturer and Kawasaki. It was the birth of something special after Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) acquired a 49% stake of Bimota. (more…)
Today, we look at the hub centre steering front end.
In some ways, it’s better than forks.
But there are other compromises, too.
We had detailed about what happens to forks under load yesterday, so we shall continue with how hub centre steering works and their dynamics.
On paper, a hub centre steering (HCS) front end still carries out the functions of the conventional forks. But that’s where the similarities end. That’s because instead of combining steering, braking and suspension functions into a pair of the same items, each function is separate.
The basic layout of an HCS front end
First, think of a swingarm complete with suspension and brakes attached. Now turn it to face the direction of travel and add a steering mechanism to it. However, the steering mechanism is separate and not tied directly to the wheel. Conversely, the handlebar is connected to rods that pull the front wheel left or right.
How it works
As you ride along, the arm or arms move up and down. A spring and damper are mounted to arm to absorb the forces. Since the handlebar is isolated from these forces, you will enjoy a much smoother ride. Bump forces don’t shoot straight up into your palms and arms like they do with forks.
As you continue to ride, a sharp corner appears up ahead and you brake hard for it.
Weight is transferred forward to compress the suspension. Instead of being transferred onto a couple of bars, this transfer of weight is directed horizontally into the arm. It results in the motorcycle staying flatter, rather than attempting to stoppie.
With conventional forks, that dive will change the front end’s geometry. On a HCS front end, on the other hand, that dive does not affect the steering rods. Consequently, the rider can still turn the bike effectively. To him, steering may feel no different from when he was riding on a straight road.
The advantage here is that he can brake much later and harder into corners while still being able steer the bike through.
The swingarm could also be tuned for effective lateral flex when the bike is leaned way over. Stiffer forks cannot do so unless you want loss of feel or chatter to creep up, thus flex had to be built into the frame.
So why are bikes still using forks?
Forks may have many more complications compared to HCS but they have been refined over the years to where they are now. That means there is a wealth of knowledge and experience in working with forks.
But probably most of all, it’s that isolation of braking and bump forces from steering that will scare riders. It’s ironic that too much feel from forks also scare riders. However, riders brought up on forks have learned to compensate for their limitations. It’ll be interesting to see how a rider develops over time if he had been exposed to a HCS front end from when he first started riding.
Another disadvantage is weight. Having a chunky piece of metal up front will tip the scales more. Bimota compensated by making most parts out of expensive carbon fibre on the Tesi H2.
Conclusion
Building a motorcycle is all about compromises. The consideration that wins through is usually about cost and complexity. Unfortunately, the HCS is on the losing end of these two considerations. We could only hope that more manufacturers adopt the technology.
The Bimota Tesi H2 was launched when Kawasaki announced buying 51% of Bimota’s shares.
Its engine is based on the supercharged inline-Four in the Ninja H2.
These are the early specs of the bike.
Bimota is one company that’s seen more up and downs than a couple whose married for 30 years. It’s gone under a number of times but were rescued time and again. This time, it’s Kawasaki who handed the Rimini-based manufacturer the life jacket. They announced their buying of 51% of Bimota’s shares and unveiled the Bimota Tesi H2 at the 2019 EICMA show.
Kawasaki engines graced Bimotas before in the KB1, KB2 and finally KB3 until 1984. But this time, it’s the Ninja H2’s maniacal supercharged engine turn.
The H2’s engine platform is utilized in different guises and power outputs, ranging between 198 hp to 306 hp (without factoring in ram air) in the race only Ninja H2R. So, according to Bennets UK, the Tesi H2’s engine will be tuned to 228 hp.
The Ninja H2 is already a hefty sportbike at 238 kg, ready to ride. But the effects of the supercharger makes up for the weight penalty. There’s concern about the Tesi H2’s hub centre steering adding even more weight, but it was revealed that the bike will tip the scales at 214 kg, ready to ride. The 24 kg reduction points to the extensive use of carbon fibre.
That front swingarm may add visual length to the bike, but its overall wheelbase is actually 10 mm shorter than the H2’s.
Bimota began flirting with the centre hub steering in the original Tesi 1D in 1990. Developed by designer Pierluigi Marconi as his engineering thesis (Tesi means thesis in Italian). The setup promised to revolutionise a motorcycle’s front end by removing suspension forces from steering. Forks will dive and take up lots of available stroke due to weight transfer, thereby making it difficult to turn under hard braking. Besides that, the front end’s geometry changes as the wheel moves up and down.
The concept sounds great but it produces unfamiliar feel to the rider. It’s also expensive as it doesn’t find widespread use. Still, you can be sure to get everyone’s attention when you pull up on a bike with swingarms on both ends!
The Bimota Tesi H2 is expected to cost twice more than the Kawasaki Ninja H2.
Rumours of Kawasaki buying a stake in Bimota turned out to be true.
They purchased 49.9% of the shares.
The Bimota Tesi H2 made its debut at EICMA 2019.
There were earlier rumours about Kawasaki buying into Bimota and it turned out to be true when they unveiled the Bimota Tesi H2 at EICMA 2019.
It seemed that some time was needed to discover that the Italian Motorcycle Investment S.p.A. who purchased 49.9% stake in Bimota was set up by Kawasaki Motors Europe. In turn, Kawasaki Motors Europe is actually wholly owned by Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
The previous Swiss-Italian owners Marco Chiancianesi and Daniele Longoni still hold a 50.1% controlling stake in what will soon be known as Bimota S.p.A. Operations will remain at Rimini. It was reported that the deal took three years to conclude.
Launched at EICMA 2019, the Bimota Tesi H2 which is a H2 supercharged engine stuffed into the Tesi chassis.
The Tesi is radical that it uses a swingarm for the front instead of forks and hub centre steering. The concept was already explored in the previous Tesi and Tesi 3D. However, the Tesi H2 will be a faired bike instead of the naked 3D.
Future bikes will most probably be designated as KB, now that Kawasaki is onboard.
It’s all good news because Bimota have always pushed the enveloped of motorcycle technology, specifically in terms of chassis design, where manufacturers fear to tread.
