Bimota Forum

[mr-fabricator]

Thanks 2bims , appreciated , as far as I'm aware the bike is supposed to have the latest Ecu , certainly 2012/13 and has the reflash installed . Will invest in the cable and software so I can take what's needed to my local tuner/ dyno . It's always nice to make sure everything is working and fuelling correctly . With the software it will allow slight adjustment as necessary .

I'd also at some point in the future have a play and develop my own exhaust system so again ecu adjustments may be necessary .

Does anyone know if the welbro system incorporates a knock sensor to detect detonation ? It basicly detects if the engine is "pinking" and automatically advances and retards to ignition to suite . Alows the engine to run safer between different octane rated fuels , and the likes of omex ecu's you can hike the compression right up and dial out detonation electronicly , in car applications you see torque figures go through the roof , 275hp with 350 ft/lb torque .
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Cheers , lee

[Lotus Elise]

I would suggest to have a look at Kämna.

http://www.ducati-kaemna.com/tuning/motors/

See, for example,

http://www.ducati-kaemna.com/catalog/special-offers-new-and-used-parts/motoren/1198-rs-sbk-wm-motoren-von-ducati-corse-350-550-km.html

Rüdiger Kämna usually has race engines for sale, or he could rebuild your engine to WSBK level. Depending on your budget, a lot is possible.
Ducati always had the strategy to offer essentially everything they used
in WSBK in previous years for sale. There is a large number of extremely highly specified Ducati's around, and the people who build them are the ones to ask.

Btw, avoid Bimota with respect to engine tuning, that has never been their field of competence. I would also get rid of the Walbro unit and go for some race proven units used by Ducati.

[mr-fabricator]

Thanks lotus , will check out the links .

Just been reading on Ducati.ms It seems that full systems on the 1198 are beneficial but for good results before the expense of a system as a must do is cams and valve squish , crank next budget allowing .

Don't want to get ahead of myself and I'm no millionaire , so modifications and tuning will be selected for my application and where I will see benefits .

I'm also under no illusion ( and have learnt in the past ) changing / modifying one thing necessitates upgrade / strengthening in other areas .

The instant the engine is opened then a full set of ARP will go in and complete set of respectable gaskets . Water / oil pumps if improvements can be made .

God what have I started ? Apart from my enevitae bancruptsey ( spelling )
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Cheers , lee

[Lotus Elise]

Dear Lee,

you have not said a word about whether or not you are planning to keep the bike running on the street or if you intend to turn it into a race bike.

Bursi was running a db7 in the italian championship. Have a look at
his parts collection:

http://www.bursievolution.com/bimota/db7-db8/airbox-racing-con-condotti-bimota-db7.html?___store=gb&___from_store=it

You can see it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a6W_m_xhg4

I can see white magnesium wheels, a spectacular exhaust, an Öhlins Fork with external reservoir (priced around 10.000 USD
but may get more expensive depending on internals), Öhlins rear shock, bigger alloy radiator, Brembo race calipers, most likely triple clamps, etc.

If you combine this with a race ECU and a RS/WSBK engine (6800 Euro sound
like a bargain to me!), you should be able to make life very difficult for almost everyone on track. Just remember that Carlos Checa
was untouchable with the 1198 when he won his world championship. I am sure the db8 chassis is up to the task.

I am less certain about touching the cams and the valves if you still want to drive it on the road. This is not a basic four in row engine that has a lot
of potential to get from such an approach. On the contrary, it is a very sophisticated piece of art, which is already pretty tricked out. Just remember that this engine started it life as a 851 and was subsequently developed to increase power essentially every year, as Ducati was running it in WSBK. Essentially all the modifications entered mass production with the exception of expensive materials which were used only in the RS engines. So, that why I would be tempted to get one of those engines before even starting to mess around.

From my experience in modifying bikes, I would really go down this route:
keep the standard engine and get a map for open air filter and exhaust,
so that it can run in the bike if you use it on the street or if your race engine goes bang, or if you want to sell the bike at one day in the future. And then
get your race engine build to the maintenance interval you consider reasonable.
It may be 500km or even less for a tricked out Ducati engine. And that means take out the engine and dismantle it completely before it goes to the next race.
Not exactly cheap, if you go for the extreme. But Kämna and a number of other specialists are able to build engines to your maintenance interval. It is a matter of carefully matching the items available. You know this game, every single piece goes on the balance, etc. The good thing is that on the Ducati side everything is pretty much available, just a matter of budget. It is very different from e.g. Honda, where you would not get access to what the factory has used in its race bikes.

The bottom line is the following advise: stay away from your local engine guru and go with someone who has prepared Ducati engines for SBK races in the past. Besides Kämna, I would also suggest to contact Charly Putz who was chief mechanic of Andy Meklau within Ducati Corse. You might try to get a old of him at https://twitter.com/cp57racing . He is the real deal, his engines were always the ones with the highest top speed of all Ducati's. Might be a bit more expensive than Kämna who is a very modest artisan (but with lots of race success too !). You should at least ask for prices and you will see that they
compare well with your local garage, and these guys can tell you exactly where you will be with your engine on the grid given the money invested. They WILL tell you exactly what they do. They might also refer you to someone they trust if they are to busy to do your engine themselves.

[djt77]

Few bits on this thread I started a while ago.

http://www.bimotaforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1086&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

[Gavin944888]

Mr Fabricator,
I notice that RIDERS of BRIDGEWATER in the UK are selling off their last year race engines all 5 of them
Word has it they want 5000gbp per engine but may be open to a talk!
The engine is the 1098RS model and unlikely to appeal to many.....so there may be a deal...who knows..but worth an email.
Good luck and if you want to build 2 exhausts for your project.....I may of someone who may take the second one......nudge nudge...say no more!
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On an Island in the River Thames!

Cagiva Elefant 888/955 & adventure sidecar
Cagiva Elefant 999r engined
Cagiva BIMOTA Motard Concept
BIMOTA DB9 (with DB11 rear-end)
BIMOTA DB7-11 VLX MULE (build coming to an end)
BIMOTA DB11 VLX Supercharger

[CNC]

Maybe:

http://www.jetprime.it/en/prodotti/gruppo-aspirazione/airbox-in-carbonio-bimota.html

http://www.jetprime.it/en/prodotti/gruppo-aspirazione/trombette-ad-altezza-variabile.html
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Bimota DB7, Bimota DB5 Mille, Ducati 916, Ducati M900, Benelli Tornado Tre

[tassie v2]

May I enlighten you all on where i've got my 8 to ? I had Allan fit up one of his limited edition tt Arrow pipes with a reflash and dyno tune It now has a believable 183hp and 103 lbs at the rear wheel , ie. about the claimed 200hp at the crank. Also sheds about 4kg with the pipe. I found the suspension becomes very ordinary with the extra power. I've since fitted an Ohlins rear shock but have not had a chance to dial it in properly yet. This is running slicks at P.I.
Also note that when I visited the factory a couple of years ago , all the Ducati crated engines were outside with ports exposed to the elements . I would presume that the engines are dismantled to some extent, probably to check hesd flow and valve clearences ,maybe dialling in the cams too. The Wahlbro ecu is quite advanced and was designed by Bimota to suit their fuel injection etc. I have 3 Ducatis and I can vouch the Bimotas engine and gearbox is a completely different animal to them. It revs up that much quicker and smoother than my other Ducs that it feels almost like an I4.
Suspension wise I would recommend Christian at Superbike Mugello. They specialise in Matris for the DB7-8 . Best contact him via facebook. Hope this helps.
p.s. would post some photos if I knew how.

[mad mundy]

Hello from Mundy, ill ad my point. All of what we strive for is quicker lap times if you are talking other than the street. I can ride any of my bikes on the street & not use the potential of them. First is to work out what you are trying to achieve. I have built many race bikes & streetfighters over 20+ years. Some of this at times is bragging rights. I have a mate that can peddle a "hirebus" respectfully on the road but he knows if we go to the track, he will see my heel's. My RGV800 has 58rwhp & the same ftpnd. But it has K5 front & rear (1000) on it. Nothing goes past it mid corner. Or any part of a corner ! The comparison of the DB7 & Bayliss edition has the Bimota with less RWHP but better track manners. HP is good to a point but then you get suspension issue's. Just remember........? When you take a heap of weight off a bike, in the case of a catalic verter. The rear spring rate is altered, dramatically.
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if you aint` slidn` , you aint` ridn`