2000 Bimota SB6-R

The Suzuki 1100 engine was one of the classic hooligan powerplants of the early 1990s, but it took an Italian Company called Bimota to realise its true potential as the scourge of all suburban neighbourhoods.With 160mph performance, a short, wheelie-prone chassis and a screaming banshee wail from the under seat exhausts each time the rev needle passed 6,000rpm, the SB6 was perhaps the ultimate cafe racer special of the mid-1990s. A truly exotic, handbuilt, carbon fibre everywhere, 'R' version of the SB6 was also produced for those who demanded the very best, which cost a staggering £17,995 nearly 20 years ago.The “S” of SB6-R tells you that the engine for this bike came from Suzuki. Specifically, it was yanked from the GSXR 1100 of the time. With Bimota-developed camshafts, it produced 156 horsepower and could propel the bike to a top speed of 175 miles per hour. It also came with stereotypical Italian build quality inconsistencies, which were tough to bear on a bike this expensive, however, it must be said that this money did buy you some of the best components available at the time – Paoli suspension, Brembo brakes, Marchesini wheels and more. Still, time heals all wounds, and you can now get a Bimota SB6-R, in excellent condition, for not much more than comparable Japanese bikes of the era. This SB6-R is a late production bike and was first registered on the 1st June 2000. It was purchased by our vendor, the bike's second registered keeper, on the 10th May 2016 and is now presented to auction with a fresh MOT and in a superb condition totally commensurate with its odometer reading of a shade over 1,700 miles. The bike appears completely standard apart from a Mark Hill Performance exhaust.This is a stunning concoction of a hugely powerful Japanese engine, Italian styling, and sweet high-speed handling and would make an attractive addition to any collection of performance bikes.