View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
VooDue
Joined: 24 Apr 2015 Posts: 14 Location: South Africa
|
Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:11 pm Post subject: Vdue serial numbers |
|
|
Hi Guys,
So Wikipedia mentions the first 150 units as being the problematic ones :
"The first production run of 150 bikes suffered from major problems including oil leaks, seized pistons and intermittent power delivery. Many new owners simply returned their bikes at this point. In 1999 Bimota managed to fix most of the initial faults and made 26 units, all however were not road legal. In 2001 Bimota gave up with its problematic electronic fuel injection and fitted carburetors, first producing the non-road legal "Evoluzione Corsa" model of which only 14 were produced and finally the road legal "Evoluzione" model of which 120 where produced and sold."
Mine is frame # WR00000147 and looks like a corsa, no headlight, GP clocks, tucked pipes and fitted with carbs. Still have no firm answer, documents just say Vdue Racing.
Odd Bike article adds this :
Bimota went bankrupt in 1999, after having produced 340 V-Dues of the proposed 500 example run, 21 of which were the Evoluzione.
My question is because its frame number #147, does it mean its one of the problematic original batch?
It has 0km, so my thoughts are its part of the original batch, yet wasn't sold and was then corrected later on?
Anyone have insight into serial numbers on these bikes?
Just interested to know where mine fits in in the story, and facts/stats differ slightly from webpage to webpage.
Thanks guys, keep smoking |
|
Back to top |
|
|
2bims
Joined: 03 Apr 2010 Posts: 7292
|
Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Bimota are quite famed in that the frame numbers are often meaningless in year of production....consecutive frame numbers can be a few years apart in "registered" vehicles......different specs, colours etc...
For the Vdues...the 2 letters at the beginning have a sort of meaning...the R is place of manufacture, being Rimini...and the capital letter denotes the year
V is for 1997
W is for 1998
X is for 1999
Y is for 2000
1 is for 2001...running to 9 for 2009.......these would be the era when Piero bought the remaining stock and started conversions......
At the time of the debarcle...Bimota were accepting returns...either for a full refund or part exchange for say a SB6 or YB11....and stock went back to the factory......some were changed, some people didnt return the bikes...and when they finally went bankrupt, Piero bought the stock of completed, returned and uncompleted Vdues and the rights to the name Bimota Spa......and started the process of changing, refining etc etc.....I think only a strip of the engine or at least photos etc would confirm whether it was a full, part or next to mods version....I'm not so sure if Piero kept records based on the frame numbers........ |
|
Back to top |
|
|
VooDue
Joined: 24 Apr 2015 Posts: 14 Location: South Africa
|
Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks 2Bims, much appreciated!
I know of the basic story, but didn't know of the frame numbers and corresponding years.
Here are some images, if you could maybe give me your opinion as to where this one might fit in?
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
bimotanige
Joined: 12 Jul 2010 Posts: 582 Location: yorkshire
|
Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 10:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Mine looks identical to yours when Ibought it. Does your belly pan have short aluminium spacers across the two halves of the belly pan as well. Mines a 2006. will check frame number when back from TT but it was whatever Piero modded in no particular order from what I know. _________________ KB1x2, SB3 SB4 BB1 DB2 Vdue Evo YB11 RB1 Ducati MHR Suzi GS650 |
|
Back to top |
|
|
VooDue
Joined: 24 Apr 2015 Posts: 14 Location: South Africa
|
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 1:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks, interesting.
I just have two small square four hole braces on either side of the expansion chamber cut-out, and another towards the front of the bike.
No spacers for the cracking issue though.
Enjoy TT and take in some Suter 500 fumes for me! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
steff_dk
Joined: 14 Jun 2015 Posts: 88 Location: Denmark
|
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 10:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
VooDue wrote: |
Thanks 2Bims, much appreciated!
I know of the basic story, but didn't know of the frame numbers and corresponding years.
Here are some images, if you could maybe give me your opinion as to where this one might fit in? |
What kind of air boxes do you have on that one (assuming they have been removed for the pictures)? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
vort28
Joined: 22 Mar 2010 Posts: 2194 Location: Northwest , UK
|
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 1:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I'm with Nige on the frame number, don't read to much into it.
I know of a few early ones 003inj , 50 trofeo , 218 EF10, that have all got Piero mods , and one other thing that seems to be evident is they all have 500+ engine numbers , so maybe that would be worth checking. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
runesika
Joined: 25 May 2012 Posts: 68 Location: Essex
|
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hi , I've been off this site for a long time but I still have my V DUE , it's been overlooked for too long in my garage but as always a drop of petrol and a charged battery ( original from 2003 ) and it fired up almost without trouble , ran on rear cylinder only for a few minutes before the front chimed in .
Classic numbers , don't most of them match frame and engine ? Mine are both 222 . |
|
Back to top |
|
|
runesika
Joined: 25 May 2012 Posts: 68 Location: Essex
|
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hi , I've been off this site for a long time but I still have my V DUE , it's been overlooked for too long in my garage but as always a drop of petrol and a charged battery ( original from 2003 ) and it fired up almost without trouble , ran on rear cylinder only for a few minutes before the front chimed in .
Classic numbers , don't most of them match frame and engine ? Mine are both 222 . |
|
Back to top |
|
|
runesika
Joined: 25 May 2012 Posts: 68 Location: Essex
|
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hi , I've been off this site for a long time but I still have my V DUE , it's been overlooked for too long in my garage but as always a drop of petrol and a charged battery ( original from 2003 ) and it fired up almost without trouble , ran on rear cylinder only for a few minutes before the front chimed in .
Classic numbers , don't most of them match frame and engine ? Mine are both 222 . |
|
Back to top |
|
|
runesika
Joined: 25 May 2012 Posts: 68 Location: Essex
|
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hi , I've been off this site for a long time but I still have my V DUE , it's been overlooked for too long in my garage but as always a drop of petrol and a charged battery ( original from 2003 ) and it fired up almost without trouble , ran on rear cylinder only for a few minutes before the front chimed in .
Classic numbers , don't most of them match frame and engine ? Mine are both 222 . |
|
Back to top |
|
|
VooDue
Joined: 24 Apr 2015 Posts: 14 Location: South Africa
|
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 10:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks guys, interesting.
2Bims when you talk about
V is for 1997
W is for 1998
X is for 1999
Y is for 2000
1 is for 2001...running to 9 for 2009
Where abouts on frame number do you mean? Mine for eg is ZESVT500WR000147, I assuming the WR bit means its a 1998? the #147 would maybe point to this, although you say not to pay too much attention to this.
Did you guys see the Vdue on Ebay frame number #0026 and the claim that that is the last of the 26 Trofeos made? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
2bims
Joined: 03 Apr 2010 Posts: 7292
|
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Yeh thats right....they all start ZESVT...then 500 for the cc then W as yours is for 1998...then its R for place of manufacture, being Rimini...then the frame number....but that again is when the frame was made and not necessarily the bike itself due to the stalled production, recall, registration etc...we have a choice in the UK for road registering it correct to year of frame...or if "new" and never road registered before...a new vehicle registration current to the current year......... |
|
Back to top |
|
|
EYREY1
Joined: 28 Nov 2014 Posts: 113 Location: WAKEFIELD UK
|
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
piero does have a record of bikes engines and frames
i asked about 2 bikes about 3 weeks ago
and he gave me all the info on both
including kms run to teast the bike etc
the trofeo on ebay says its no 26 of 26 the engine in my hybrid is 25 or 26
i will have to check ? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
EYREY1
Joined: 28 Nov 2014 Posts: 113 Location: WAKEFIELD UK
|
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
mine is 25 not 26
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
|