Bimota KB4 2024 Review

Sitting poised in the pit garage, tyre warmers bringing its fresh Pirelli Supercorsa Evo rubber to a gentle simmer, the new KB4 is such a strikingly original looking machine that it’s initially hard to know what to make of it.

Bimota says the styling is ‘vintage-inspired’, and there is indeed a lovely mix of details everywhere you look, from the classically styled round LED headlight and stitched leather seat, to the modern colour TFT screen and machined alloy swingarm.

The full carbonfibre fairings have a more sculpted, rounded form than is prevalent amongst many of today’s origami-esque sportsbikes, but those graceful lines belie a very purposeful machine.

For those fortunate enough to be able to afford the $55,000 (plus on-roads) price tag, the Bimota KB4 is brought here by Kawasaki Australia but is made to order by Bimota in Italy. It's one of a pair of Bimota models being made available to the Australian market, the other being the Bimota Tesi H2.

Beneath the gloss red, black and white bodywork, the KB4 is a bare-knuckle brawler, weighing in at only 194kg fully fuelled. Bimota’s engineers have wedged the 1043cc Z1000 mill into a compact chassis with a wheelbase of just 1390mm, endowing the KB4 with supersport dimensions and litre-class grunt.

As you might expect given the lofty price tag, the KB4 is also specified with quality goodies including Öhlins front and rear suspension, Brembo brakes, bi-directional quickshifter, molybdenum steel trellis frame and forged wheels. There’s also advanced electronics and a six-axis IMU courtesy of the Ninja 1000SX, featuring three power modes, adjustable traction control, intelligent ABS, and cruise control.

Out on track I’m met with a firm saddle and quite a sporty seating position, though the ride height and footpeg placement can be adjusted via eccentric mounts.

The suspension, by contrast, feels quite supple around Sydney Motorsport Park’s undulating bends, with the powerful Brembo brakes provoking a fair bit of dive into tighter turns. It was never enough to upset the chassis balance though, and with some extra preload and damping dialled in, the KB4 changed direction like a hyperactive kid on an Easter egg hunt.

The dual-direction quickshifter is also a delight to use, auto-blipping the throttle satisfyingly on down shifts to enable smooth, fast corner entries with the assistance of the slipper clutch.

The quality Öhlins suspension offers up communicative feedback through the seat and 'bars as the pace hots up and although those swooping side fairings and tank don’t offer a lot of purchase for my knees when hanging off mid-corner, the sound of the enormous carbonfibre muffler guard scraping on the hot tarmac confirms the KB4 is a very competent corner carver.

Although most owners will swap the stock muffler for something more svelte and musical, the exhaust still belts out quite a boisterous note. The 142hp (104.4kW) Kawasaki mill hits its peak torque of 111Nm at just 8000rpm but accessing the upper rev range is rewarded with a stirring straight-four yowl.

I’ve always loved the latest Z1000 engine and, if anything, it’s even better in this context. The super-direct-feeling throttle and engine response has the KB4 bursting out of corners with alacrity, with the happy side benefit that lofting the front wheel skyward is as easy as saying ‘arrivederci!’ when the mood strikes.

The KB4 might not have the outright power of some crotch rockets, but that brawny engine, plush suspension, and lithe chassis make it a blast to ride. While our test took place on a racetrack, I suspect its attributes would shine even more on the street, where its eager, up-for-anything attitude would be accentuated.

Bimota’s boffins have engineered a fascinating duality of nature into the KB4, creating a sharply performing motorcycle that looks classical but modern, and feels refined yet is also somehow raw and direct.

It would be nice to see electronically adjustable dampers at this price point, but the KB4 is an undeniably high-spec, high-quality machine that will be enjoyed immensely by the lucky few to own one.

ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-valves-per-cylinder, DOHC, inline four-cylinder
Capacity: 1043cc
Bore x stroke: 77.0 x 56.0 mm
Compression ratio: 11.8:1

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 142hp (104.4kW) at 10,000rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 111Nm at 8000rpm

ELECTRONICS
Bi-directional quickshifter, electronic cruise control, three ride modes, and six-axis IMU with traction control and Cornering ABS

TRANSMISSION
Type: 6-speed
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Steel trellis with billet machined aluminium alloy plates
Front suspension: 43mm Öhlins NIX30 inverted fork, fully adjustable
Rear suspension: Öhlins TTX36 nitrogen gas monoshock, fully adjustable
Front brakes: Twin 330mm discs with four-piston Brembo Stylema caliper
Rear brake: Single 220mm disc with twin-piston calipers
Tyres: Front 120/70ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V3 SP; Rear 190/50ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V3 SP

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: 24.0 degrees
Trail: 100.8mm
Claimed wet weight: 194kg
Wheelbase: 1390mm
Seat height: 810mm
Fuel capacity: 19.5L

OTHER STUFF
Price: $55,000 plus on road costs
Availability: Now
Colours: Red/black/white
Warranty: 24 Months
More information: Bimota.it