Bimota Tera First Look

Admin · November 13, 2023

Bimota’s brand-new Tera was quietly revealed at the EICMA show on display in parent company Kawasaki’s booth. (Bimota/)

Back in 2019, Kawasaki acquired full control of Bimota, and for the small but prestigious Rimini-based brand that meant the end of many years of hand-to-mouth management. Under the wing of Kawasaki, Bimota has found financial stability and a solid platform on which to build its future.

At EICMA 2023, Bimota’s offerings were hosted in Kawasaki’s display area and its visibility was limited. Yet there, Bimota officially unveiled the Tera concept (TEsi con Regolazione di Altezza, Tesi with adjustable height) in its final, production-ready form. Tera has been in the works for about three years and its unique and patented front end was presented independently a year ago. It is the latest evolution of the hub-steer front end according to Bimota CEO Pierluigi Marconi, the man who created the famed Tesi chassis.

Bimota’s Tera steering system was conceived to overcome range-of-motion limits that make the original Tesi design less than capable during tight turning maneuvers—since the steering is locked inside the front wheel hub. The Tera design has increased the side-to-side steering range to 35 degrees, 16 more than on the Tesi H2.

A closer look at the chassis layout. (Bimota/)

The new front suspension-steering system—patented by Bimota—retains the main virtues of the original Tesi system, i.e., an anti-dive effect while also greatly reducing unsprung masses. The steering itself is represented by a knee-type link that actuates the shock absorber located inside the steering head. A set of aluminum arms with reaction rods provide precise vertical movement and are connected to the front wheel via a pair of machined billet plates that also carry the calipers of the front braking system.

A look at the front suspension design without the knee-type link. (Bimota/)

A pair of bearings ensure freedom of side-to-side movement of the wheel, while solidly connecting it to the axle that is fixed to the suspension arms. This new evolution of Marconi’s Tesi concept also offers the possibility of adjusting the height of the center of gravity by 30mm.

The front frame and rear frame both bolt the engine, which is used as a stressed member and forms the center of the bike’s chassis. (Bimota/)

The main front section of the chassis on the Tera uses a frame based on two machined billet-aluminum plates, and a short steel-tubing trellis structure that houses the steering head. The engine acts as the center of the chassis (as a stressed member), while the only thing connecting the front and rear is an arm that joins the front frame to the rear swingarm/shock’s pivot point on the left side, and the engine.

The Bimota Tera with aluminum side cases. (Bimota/)

The combined structure is light weight and yet rigid enough to harness the supercharged inline-four Kawasaki H2 engine that is rated at a claimed 200 hp at 11,000 rpm, with 101 lb.-ft. of peak torque delivered at 8,500 rpm.

While Bimota hasn’t released front-end geometry numbers, the wheelbase is a compact 56.9 inches, which is identical to Aprilia’s Tuono V4 Factory and much shorter than other street-biased adventure bikes like Ducati’s new Multistrada V4 RS that stretches out to 62.7 inches.

Close-up of the forged magnesium wheels and rear suspension. (Bimota/)

Rolling gear includes the 10-spoke forged magnesium wheels in 17 x 3.5 and 17 x 5.5 sizes, mounted with 120/70-17 and 190/55-17 tires. A pair of Brembo four-piston Stylema calipers and 330mm discs are used in the front, and a twin-piston caliper and 220mm rotor is used in the rear. Kawasaki’s KIBS ABS system is utilized.

Kawasaki also provides the electronics suite that includes cornering ABS and traction control, four ride modes, and cruise control. A full-color TFT display is the hub to view and change all settings, while also providing all of the bike’s basic display information.

Pipe-side view of the Bimota Tera. (Bimota/)

Much like a variety of new street-oriented adventure models, the Tera can be categorized as a “crossover,” with superbike-like performance from the engine, but an upright and comfortable riding position. With its novel chassis construction and use of lightweight materials, Bimota has managed to keep the curb weight at an impressively low 440 pounds.

When Bimota releases more detailed information about when it will go on sale and for how much, we’ll provide an update.

A look inside the aluminum side cases. (Bimota/)
Rear view of Bimota Tera and the titanium Akrapovič exhaust with a carbon fiber end-cap. (Bimota/)
Left-side view of Bimota Tera. (Bimota/)