Its revival may have come slightly out of the blue, but development of the new, much anticipated Kawasaki-powered Bimota Tesi H2 is continuing well into the winter months and the Italian firm is documenting it all on its social media channels.
Fresh from the motorcycle’s headline-grabbing reveal at the 2019 EICMA show, various updates and images from the firm itself suggests the Bimota Tesi H2 is quite a bit further down the line of development than its unexpected debut last month may have suggested.
Indeed, ever since it appeared on stage in an annex next to the huge Kawasaki stand at EICMA – a nod to the Japanese firm’s 49% investment into the iconic Italian marque, not to mention its engineering input with the supercharged H2 engine – the Tesi H2 has appeared in a smattering of videos very much on the move undergoing testing.
Suggesting order books could be opened very soon, this video should be enough to get interested parties’ appetites suitably whet as we see it traversing winding Italian routes in stealthy black ‘armour’, clouding up the rear with a beautiful burnout and chucking in a wheelie as well.
It’s all very visual at the moment, with subsequent videos showing off some ABS tests too, though actual information very thin on the ground for now. Rumours in the Italian press suggest the Tesi H2 will be nearer in ethos to Kawasaki’s H2R, a track-only model that produced nearer 300HP from the 998cc supercharged unit.
While the Tesi H2 clearly appears to be aimed at the road, its limited numbers and videos showing intensive brake testing could be an indicator that Bimota will ‘go big’ with its comeback model.
What can we expect from the new Bimota-Kawasaki tie up?
Kawasaki has – perhaps unsurprisingly – remained relatively quiet on the finer details of its Bimota input, simply limiting facts and figures to the percentage of its ownership.
While Bimota has had a tough few years changing various hands and suffering with financial starvation, the brand itself has endured the troubles and remains fondly regarded by motorcycle enthusiasts
From the outside, Bimota gives Kawasaki a foothold in a more evocative marketplace where power, bespoke engineering and image don’t quite sit so well with the Japanese firm’s more mainstream, profit-friendly motorcycle line-up.
This is demonstrated by what is expected to be Bimota’s next model – the Bimota KB4 - a retro-inspired model that is shown in a render on the same YouTube channel.
Moreover, Kawasaki seems particularly eager to harness the benefits of the Tesi technology, revealing in its deal confirmation ‘these completely new concept models [still to be announced] will combine for the first time TESI technology from BIMOTA and innovative technology from Kawasaki’s ultra-high performance Ninja H2 motorcycle’.
If you’re going to restart a much-loved motorcycle company, doing so with a 300HP, Tesi-technology hypersport is certainly the way to grab headlines!
