Bimota Forum

[Zeus]

Greetings from Spain.

I hope what I'm about to write is clear, with the help of a translator.

For a long time, I'd been looking for a sporty motorcycle with clip-on handlebars and a fairing. I wanted aesthetics to take precedence over power. The MV F4 was an option, but I found it too heavy.

Then the opportunity arose to buy a Bimota, a brand I've always admired.
A DB5. Beautiful, lightweight... the ideal bike.
A DB5 Mille, one of the first ones made, which I bought second-hand a few years ago, with very low mileage. It was broken and missing several parts (fortunately, only engine and peripheral parts; all the Bimota fairings and components were there).

The problem was a seized rear cylinder. I don't know if it was because the previous owner abused it (perhaps taking it to the track), or if it was due to that common problem with the Pegasus ECU.

After several years, a few setbacks, and a significant investment, I've finally managed to assemble it. I've started it up and passed the vehicle inspection.

I can't say much about how the motorcycle performs yet, as I've only tested it in the city.

But I'm sharing this initial information.

I was terrified that the ECU problem persisted and that the fuel mixture was incorrectly adjusted, causing the engine to seize again.

My mechanic had a CD with the "bta_1-0" program and the connection cable.
The motorcycle came with an engine map called something like "_108_x02" dated August 11, 2005.

I suppose that, given the date, it must be the first engine map. Dangerous.
With great trepidation, and after some difficulty, we connected the cable and loaded the engine map with the filename "DB5B_002".

I don't know if it's the engine map for the Biposto (I thought the "B" in the filename referred to Biposto).

The file for that engine map wasn't on my mechanic's CD. I got it because a colleague emailed it to me. And I put that engine map because it had a more recent date, 08/01/2008 (they also sent me the engine map "DB5_002", file dated 08/06/2007, which I don't know if it will be the most appropriate for the Mille).

The motorcycle starts and runs. It accelerates well, has good low-end torque, and revs smoothly.
I haven't fully tested it on the highway yet, only in urban environments, and when I've pushed it, it's occasionally had a minor issue, like a brief hesitation or power loss. It only lasts for a fraction of a second.

We connected the cable the first time, and it gave us an error; the motorcycle's battery died, and the map didn't load. We tried adjusting the throttle using an option in the software, but we couldn't.

Later, with the battery charged and the motorcycle connected to a charger, we were able to change the engine map I mentioned earlier, and we haven't connected the cable since.

They also emailed me the Minitune program, which seems to be a more modern program that allows you to modify some engine parameters, but I haven't tried it yet.

Although the motorcycle is running, I still need to install some parts to improve its appearance. I'll upload photos as soon as it's finished.

And when I test it on the road, I'll send you my impressions.

So far:

- The low fuel light stays on all the time. We removed the fuel pump, but we didn't see any fuel level control system inside the tank.

- I still need to get the hang of starting it. It doesn't usually start on the first try. I'm not sure yet whether to close the choke. I think it's best to close the choke lever completely. And that's even though the temperature is very high here in Spain. I'll see how it starts in the cold winter.

- Sometimes, it jumps out of gear and goes into neutral. Especially in 2nd and 3rd gear.

- Sometimes, it's very difficult to shift from 2nd to 3rd. I have to shift at a high RPM, otherwise 3rd won't engage.

- The idle is a bit high. At 1240-1300 RPM. I suppose I'll have to adjust the throttle using the Bimota program.