Bimota Tesi H2 2024 Review

The first incarnation of Bimota’s Tesi to see production in 1991 utilised a Ducati V-twin, but the original 1982 concept was powered by a four-cylinder Kawasaki engine, with suspension components attached directly to the engine via aluminium mounting plates. In 2024 Bimota has come full circle, once again employing a Kawasaki motor and reintroducing a modern-engineered frameless chassis concept.

With its angular carbon fibre bodywork, hub-centre steering and supercharged powerplant, the Tesi H2 embodies the courage and vision it takes to tread a different technological path, but does its otherworldly design represent a quirky historical sidenote or a credible alternative?  

What does the 2024 Bimota Tesi H2 cost?

This might be one of those situations where if you have to ask, it’s probably not for you. The Tesi H2 costs $85,000 before on road costs, which will be closer to $90k by the time it arrives in the driveway.

Only 250 Tesi H2s will be built worldwide, and they will be imported into Australia on a made-to-order basis, meaning only a handful will ever land down-under. It is expensive, but the development and manufacturing costs involved in creating such a unique, high quality and limited-run machine would be enormous.

What powers the 2024 Bimota Tesi H2?

With Kawasaki acquiring a 49% share of Bimota in 2019, the niche Italian marque now has access to the entire mean-green engine catalogue. So, it’s no surprise Bimota chose the Ninja H2’s rampant supercharged inline-4 to shoehorn into the exotic Tesi H2. You can almost picture the engineers saying ‘this one, grazie’ to the top brass in Tokyo while rubbing their hands together in anticipation.

The headline numbers are stratospheric enough to make you squint and read them again. 170kW at 11500rpm (178.5kW with ram-air!) is a power figure not far shy of MotoGP levels from a few years back, and over 20kW healthier than Kawasaki’s big daddy ZX-14R. An equally monstrous peak torque of 141.7Nm arrives at 11000rpm. The blown 998cc unit has actually been in service for Kawasaki in various H-badged bikes since 2015 but is no less remarkable in 2024.

What equipment does the 2024 Bimota Tesi H2 have?

As berserk as the engine is, it’s really the radical chassis design that sets the Tesi H2 apart from any other conventional sportsbike. The first thing you notice after dragging your eyes away from the vast carbon fibre aero canards (producing up to 11kg of downforce) is the aluminium front swingarm and hub-centre steering rods. The level of engineering and craftsmanship evident in the way the exquisitely formed billet swingarm clasps the smoothly rotating steering mechanism is impressive.

Previous iterations of the Tesi have looked a bit awkward to my eye, but the H2 looks absolutely gorgeous. Rocket Ron Haslam proved such a chassis design could work on the hub-centre steered Elf Grand Prix project back in the 80s, but on a road-registerable motorcycle it still looks like a science-fiction concept made real.

Bimota says the system has several advantages over a traditional chassis. Firstly, by separating the steering and suspension forces, extra stability is maintained when braking and cornering. Applying the powerful 4-piston Brembo callipers results in zero brake dive, even though the Tesi’s theoretical 21.3 degree rake angle is actually much steeper than the Ninja H2’s 24.5 degrees, thanks to not needing to worry about buckling a pair of fork tubes.

Mass centralisation is also optimised, with heavier components such as the front swingarm and shock absorber positioned lower in the chassis than a headstock and telescopic forks. The Ohlins TTX36 nitrogen gas charged shocks are cleverly packaged next to each other behind the engine, with eccentric mounting points allowing the ride height to be altered by up to 20mm front and rear.

The weight of the front hub centre swingarm, shock and linkages are more than offset by the elimination of a bulky frame, with the Tesi H2 tipping the scales 19kg lighter than the 238kg Ninja H2 it borrows its engine from. Buyers will also receive an optional ‘race only’ titanium exhaust system, saving a further 14kg over the stock system.

What electronics and safety features does the 2024 Bimota Tesi H2 have?

As with the drivetrain, the Bimota’s electronics are lifted straight from the Ninja H2, though tweaked slightly to allow for the altered dynamics and weight. This grants the Tesi rider access to a range of electronic controls via the colour TFT screen, including traction control, launch control, intelligent ABS, and engine brake control. The system works well but does feel slightly clunky compared to some newer electronic suites and lacks electronically adjustable suspension or separate wheelie control.

Also included is an up/down electronic quickshifter, Ohlins Electronic Steering Damper, LED cornering lights and smartphone connectivity via the Kawasaki Rideology app.

What is the 2024 Bimota Tesi H2 like to ride?

The venue for our Tesi H2 test is Sydney Motorsport Park’s South Circuit – quite a tight and twisty bit of track for something with such astronomical power. With summer showers also casting a glistening sheen over the track surface, my excitement at testing the ultra-exclusive and unique Bimota is tempered by a healthy dose of caution for the first session.

After carefully swinging my leg over the Tesi’s firm seat so as not to scuff the weapons-grade carbon fibre, I find the riding position is every bit as sporty as the Tesi H2’s aggressive stance suggests. Heading out of pit lane I leave the electronics set to Rain Mode to gauge how damp the track is, but my initial attempts to build up some rhythm are met with consternation. The chassis is very composed, but the steering feels heavy and aloof, making it tricky to feel how well the front tyre is adhering to the damp tarmac.

Compounding the issue is some fuelling hesitation when I try to ease open the go-grip at low revs. The transition from closed throttle can be sharp, resulting in awkward mid-corner lurches when I’m trying to control my line with small throttle inputs.

I arrive back in the pits sweating and frustrated, but thankfully the track is much drier when I head out for the next session, and I can start to trust the grip levels a bit more. Even in Rain Mode the Tesi H2 felt plenty fast, but with its full power unleashed it absolutely monsters the small track. There’s only a couple of short straights where it’s feasible to even contemplate getting the throttle wide open, and on those stretches the blown Tesi seems to almost teleport from one corner to the next while the supercharger chirps in encouragement. At higher revs the power delivery is extremely smooth but absurdly muscular, to the point where I elected to leave the bike in third gear for many corners, where the colossal swell of torque abetted more flow through the South Circuit’s confines.

Thankfully the excellent 4-pot front/2-pot rear Brembos are up to the task of slowing the supercharged beast down, even when I was certain I was going to overshoot the corner having held the gas open a bee’s digit longer than wise. There’s reasonable feel, and the way the steering geometry remains obstinately constant no matter how hard you mash the lever makes it possible to brake into turns like a base jumper deploying his parachute at the last second. The fact that the rake angle doesn’t steepen to improve turning geometry on the way into the corner has me running wide a fair bit at first, but the flipside is that with the hub centre front end isolating the steering and damping forces, you can put a lot more force through the bars without upsetting the suspension.

With more temperature in the Bridgestone Battlax RS11 tyres, the front end was becoming more communicative, but I found I needed to make some riding style adjustments to get the most out of the romping Tesi.

The innovative silhouette is reminiscent of a motorcycle you’d find in a Tron movie, and the Bimota does actually turn better when corners are attacked with the smoothest, most sweeping lines possible in order to maintain lean angle and tempo. While you still wouldn’t call it nimble, with this approach I could take advantage of the inherent chassis stability without stumbling too much over the low-rev fuel snatchiness. By the end of the day I was finally starting to feel my knee puck scraping tarmac occasionally.

The Tesi H2 feels more like a supercharged hammer that you bludgeon the circuit into submission with rather than a scalpel, but it’s always ludicrously, laughably rapid.

Should I buy the 2024 Bimota Tesi H2?

The answer to this question really depends on the virility of your bank account and the weight you place on considerations like exoticism, exclusivity, and crazy performance. If I had the means I would love to have a Tesi H2 in the garage, or more likely in the living room where I could admire its carbon fibre and billet textures more readily. It really is a rolling work of art, but I don’t really see the $85k Tesi H2 as a circuit toy despite the choice of launch venue.

Although it would be fascinating to explore the hub-centre steering’s handling characteristics with more setup time, conventional hypersports machines are more readily effective track tools and the mere thought of watching the uber-rare Bimota cartwheeling into a gravel trap if you dropped it makes me feel nauseous.

But like lighting a candle with a flame thrower, hitting the streets on the spectacular Tesi H2 would be hilariously excessive and fun. It’s clear Bimota’s engineers have poured their heart and soul into the project, creating a machine that’s both terrific and terrifying in equal measure. One thing is for sure, there’s nothing else quite like it.

ENGINE
Type: 4-stroke, 4-cylinder, DOHC, 4-valve, liquid-cooled, supercharged
Capacity: 998cc
Bore x stroke: 76.0 x 55.0 mm
Compression ratio: 8.5:1

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 170 Kw @ 11,500 rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 141,7 Nm @ 11,000 rpm

ELECTRONICS
Kawasaki Cornering Management Function (KCMF), Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC), Kawasaki Launch Control Mode (KLCM), Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System (KIBS), Kawasaki Engine Brake Control, Kawasaki Quick Shifter (KQS) (upshift & downshift), Öhlins Electronic Steering Damper

TRANSMISSION
Type: 6-speed, return shift, dog-ring, constant mesh
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet, multi disc, slipper

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Front suspension: Öhlins TTX 36 nitrogen gas charged shock with piggyback reservoir, 24-way compression and rebound damping and adjustability and hand-turn spring preload adjustability, and top-out spring/100 mm
Rear suspension: Öhlins TTX36 nitrogen gas charged shock with piggyback reservoir, 24-way compression and rebound damping and adjustability and hand-turn spring preload adjustability, and top-out spring/130 mm

BRAKING
Frame: Aluminum alloy plates billet machined, with rear swingarm mounting plate
Front brakes: Dual radial-mount, opposed 4-piston Brembo Stylema® calipers, dual semi-floating 330 mm discs
Rear brake: Opposed 2-piston calipers, single 220 mm disc
Tyres: front 120/70 ZR 17, rear 200/55 ZR 17

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: 21.3 degrees
Trail: 117 mm
Claimed wet weight: 219 kg
Wheelbase: 1,445 mm
Seat height: 840 mm
Fuel capacity: 17 l

OTHER STUFF
Price: $85,000 plus on road costs
Availability: Now (made to order)
Colours: Red/white/grey/green, black/red/grey.
Warranty: 24 Months
More information: Bimota.it