Bimota Forum

[MARTIN]

Hi,I am Martin from Aberdeen in Scotland.I have a SB6 series 2( the dark grey and red model)

I rescued this about a year ago from a breakers yard in Leeds,she was in a sorry state.Over the next year I have attempted to restore her to her former beautiful looks.

As I, and others. have found spares,other than engine,are hard to come by,if so,bloody expensive.

None standard parts are,mirrors of a Yam R1,rear sprocket of a Triumph
1200 Daytona USA,fairing screen by ZERO GRAVITY.

I need to replace front discs,as they now rattle,but last time I checked Brembo discs were about 230 pounds each,are there alternatives.
http://www.bimotaforum.co.uk/uploadimagedisplay.php?imageid=53442X9038
_________________
Marty
State of the art and leading edge of cocking things up

(00) SB6 (95) HD FXDWG STRETCH (01)GSXR1000K1

[oily]

MARTIN, Welcome to the forum, you don't need to replace he front discs just because they rattle, it depends how they rattle. Obviously, they are fully floating discs so side to side movement is acceptable and if this is what's making the rattle, live with it like the rest of us do. Also, obviously there should be no fore/aft play between the rotor and carrier.
To answer your question about alternative discs, yes, there are, try German ebay for starters.

P.S. mirrors are easy to get. Same as a Cagiva Mito

[MARTIN]

Thanks for the info.My discs do have a little play backwards and
forwards,about 0.5 to 1 mm.Some garages fail on MOT if bobbins or carrier is worn,some if you are chatty enough pass.

Through this forum and other Bimota sites I am slowly building up a
handbook of all adaptable parts.
_________________
Marty
State of the art and leading edge of cocking things up

(00) SB6 (95) HD FXDWG STRETCH (01)GSXR1000K1

[oily]

[oily]

Here you go....

http://cgi.ebay.de/SB-6-Spiegler-Bremsscheibe-Gold-SB6-Bimota_W0QQitemZ190273453522QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotorrad_Kraftradteile?hash=item2c4d2e7dd2

one of many that's cheaper than £230 per disc

[MARTIN]

Thanks guys,looks like I will be able to buy xmas presents after all.

Apologies if this info is known already but in case it is not.

SB6 1144 bikes produced
of which series 1 790 units (red/white)
series 2 332 units (smoke grey/red)
series 3 22 units (smoke grey only)

Word is the frame is nearly impossible to repair if damaged,unless you have access to a jig and know a realy good alloy welder.Different frame
want make it a Bimota any more.

Engine is relativelly straight forward GSXR 1100 S-RAD with allegedly different camshaft,air box and exhaust are all Bimotas. Same sized pipes could be sourced from breakers yards,I also notice thay a company
called DEMON-TWEEKS can source pipe lengths and bends from thier car catalogue.

Forks are PIOLA 46mm cartridge,dealers who can replace seals have been covered in previous queries,I managed to obtain seals from PYRAMID-PARTS in the UK

Battries to fit carrier behind faring from the WATCHBATTERY.co.uk
are VARTA YTX7L-BS about 27 pounds.

A company called PERFORMANCE PARTS-LTD.com supplied a smoke
windscreen made by Zero Gravity at around 60 pounds delivery
in 8-10 weeks.

Rear brake master cylinder banjo brake light switch from MOTO-RACING.CO.UK

Hope this is all use for somebody,I will post more as and when I find them
_________________
Marty
State of the art and leading edge of cocking things up

(00) SB6 (95) HD FXDWG STRETCH (01)GSXR1000K1

[oily]

Thanks for all that Marty
The only problem I can see, and it's the same problem I see from every Bimota information source, is the "only 1144 SB6's were produced".
The frame number on mine is 1230.
I must have a Chinese fake
The frame can be repaired, depending on the damage, by any competent ally frame builder. Try Gav at GIA engineering (ex spondon welder/fabricator). The normal frame damage is to the outside of the main spars. Carbon frame protectors cover minor damage quite nicely.

[Jonny B Bad]

Martin, I had to replace one of the camshafts on my 6R, because I spotted a crack on one of the lobes when I was shimming the valves. Turned out to be standard GSXR1100 and I expect it's the same with all the 6s, which makes life a little easier, if not as exotic!

The cams to have, if you feel the need for a bit more umph, are Yoshimura, but they're long since out of production and I've never seen any come up for sale. But I understand that if you go for a big bore, the original cams can be re-profiled by welding extra material onto the lobes and re-grinding them.

I must admit, I think the standard motor pulls like a train and I would concentrate on optimising handling by swapping out some of the heavier parts. I think Bimota worked on the basis that having reduced the weight significantly from the donor bike and given the power of the engine, they didn't need to worry too much about the weight of the wheels and end cans which, on the R at least, are proper porkers.

By the way, looks like you've done a great job in bringing your's back from the dead.
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What, Jonny's gone!

[oily]

I've recently read on a Suzuki forum about the cams, and it turns out (alledgedly) that only one of the cams is bimota, the exhaust cam , I think. Weather it's a re-profiled, suzuki cam or a cam that bimota had made I can't remember. I'll try and find the article
I agree with the motor pulling like a train JBB, more than enough power for greasy british roads
Best performance mod.........change the porky wheels, you really can notice the difference

[oily]

Quick update on the cams.........
Dident have time to find that article before I left for work, but I did have time to check Bimot's parts list.
The plot thickens
Bimota lists two different inlet cams and two different exhaust cams
Maybe this is where all the difference of opinion comes from.
Maybe one is a factory upgrade

[oily]

Notha update
No wonder there is so much confusion over Bimota cams. These are just a few snippets I picked up on the net in just a few minutes.......

"Get em in lad i used to work for an italian motor cycle shop , an Bimota,own grind cams along with different cdi and carb settings thats where they got the extra oomph from. Good find rare as hens teeth nowa days."


" thought they were the same - the extra power is down to saving a ton and a half over the standard bike and a slight gain on the exhaust, they needed different jetting as the airbox is small in comparison.
This said my SB6 is 100hp and that's with the air box off / on, drag bike CDI and the carbs swapped in and out. I came to the conclusion the cams must be low lift and the valves a different size.
Still swap them and see .... they could be a similar profile to the Yoshi's"


"I measured up the camshaft lobes.
Inlet is 36.7mm (basically unworn stock specification), the letters on it match what I have in the WP engine already.
Exhaust is 36.6mm. The WP and WR were 35.9mm the later WS WT were 36.3mm. The letters on it are a bit different to what I have in there already.
I got these dimensions from the workshop manual. I don't have a workshop manual for a Bimota SB6 (and can't google one up).
So it appears that the inlet is stock, the exhaust might be slightly different/special.
This is good for two reasons, firstly MORE POWER, and secondly I measured the existing cams and they are in the "need replacing" category.
Now to find a cheap source of tappet shims."


There you have it, They are the same as GSXR except a bit different

[MARTIN]

Seems the SB6 is a bit of a mysterious thing,found this on a google search.It was from an Australian source.

Over 1300 SB6 produced and different cams

Quick Fang - Bimota SB6
Japanese Heart – Italian Soul


The GSX-R 11 based engine is a gem with useable power from around 2500-rpm and upwards. I dipped the clutch at around 2500-rpm in first gear and the front wheel started rising, it can be kept on the rise by rolling the throttle on as it lifts. A word of warning though - make sure you also know when to roll the throttle back off, or you will be sat on your arse well before the tacho’ reaches it’s 11,600-rpm redline. The Suzuki engine is slightly modified by Bimota with their own cams and exhaust system.

While the GSX-R 11 has low spec suspension and an enormous amount of flab (a bit like me really), the SB6 has a light, straight-connection frame, fully adjustable Ohlins shock and huge Paioli forks. This gives you a hot-rod hybrid with a Latin touch, which adds to it’s exotic flavour.

The gearbox also comes from the GSX-R 11, which has always been one of the best in the business and performed faultlessly on test. The clutch didn’t seem to be up to the same high standards as the big Suzook’s great set-up though.


The Bim’s 190 kilograms (dry) puts it a bit on the porky side when compared to what we see from the current crop of Japanese sportsbikes in 1999.

The SB6 is Bimota’s most successful model ever, with over 1300 units sold worldwide. I suppose this would be the kind of bike for you if you crave something exotic - but love the screaming rush of a 4-cylinder more than the softer delivery of a twin.

The twin exhausts exit from under the seat, ALA 916, which makes for a great looking rear end on the bike, while giving you a very hot rear end, and that doesn’t mean a good looking bum either. It is fortunate that the SB6 does not have a pillion seat, I fear a passenger would fry their buns very quickly if it did.
_________________
Marty
State of the art and leading edge of cocking things up

(00) SB6 (95) HD FXDWG STRETCH (01)GSXR1000K1

[oily]

I'm sooo glad to hear there were more than 1230 made
Does this mean mines not a fake

[sapila racing]

[MARTIN]

Ouch,thats gotta hurt

Any ways,merry xmas to all out in Bimbo land,where ever you may be
what ever you may believe in,hope santa or his/her derivative
will be good to you.Maybe give you a GOOD frame even
_________________
Marty
State of the art and leading edge of cocking things up

(00) SB6 (95) HD FXDWG STRETCH (01)GSXR1000K1