Unveiled to the public and media for the first time at the 2024 EICMA motorcycle show – and forming the base model for the BbKRT WorldSBK race machines of Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani – the sales start for KB998 Rimini customer machines at European and Asian bimota dealers has been announced as April 9 by the iconic Rimini-based company.
Featuring the formidable Ninja ZX-10R engine at its core, enveloped in a bimota designed and manufactured chassis featuring premium quality suspension and braking components, the first batch of KB998 Rimini machines for Europe are currently being shipped to a central European warehouse ready to be despatched to the growing bimota dealer network poised for eager customers to collect their pre-ordered machines.
According to Chief Operating Officer of bimota, Pierluigi Marconi, the official sales start on April 9 will soon see the first machines appearing in showrooms*.
“We concentrated on producing KB998 Rimini customer machines following the creation of the race versions for BbKRT to campaign in WorldSBK. The same people who crafted the race bikes are also responsible for the manufacture of customer machines. Each example of the KB998 available at a bimota dealership has been hand made in our Rimini workshop and each is the product of just one technician from the start to the end of the build process. We remain true to the bimota philosophy of innovation and hand-crafted quality which our customers expect from such exquisite machines and look forward to the reactions of the initial clients in April.”
With a production plan focussed on creating units to satisfy customer demand, and in order to participate in WorldSBK, activity in Rimini has been exceptional as explained by bimota’s Marketing Manager, Gianluca Galasso.
“Interest was already intense after EICMA but the WorldSBK activities of BbKRT have taken global awareness to another level. With the help of our partner, Kawasaki, we have developed robust back-office systems offering the best level of support and information to our growing dealer family. The demand for wholesale units is a welcome challenge and we are packing machines in readiness for imminent despatch. We relish this new era for the revered Italian motorcycle brand that we are the custodians of”.
