EICMA 2019: Supercharged Bimota Tesi H2 Unveiled

The Bimota Tesi H2 is the first hub-steered supercharged sportbike from iconic Italian brand Bimota, after its new partnership with Kawasaki. The Japanese brand has announced that it has picked up 49.9 per cent stake in Bimota, and all future Bimota motorcycles will be powered by Kawasaki engines. So, the Bimota Tesi H2 is based on the 998 cc supercharged engine of the Kawasaki Ninja H2 which puts out 227 bhp. And that engine is mounted on a bespoke Bimota double swingarm chassis, but the unique design is the front end, which separated steering and suspension.

The Bimota Tesi H2 uses a unique dual-swingarm design with hub-steering

Two semi-active Ohlins shocks seem to take care of rear suspension duties, while the front swingarm appear to be connected to its designated shock via a linkage running down the left side of the in-line four-cylinder engine. The advantages of a hub steering is that it provides a narrower front end, and there's virtually no front suspension dive, allowing the rider to trail brake into a corner with braking forces kept separate from the front suspension. However, with so many linkages, front suspension feel may be somewhat compromised.

Twin Ohlins semi-active shocks take care of rear suspension duties

So far, there's been no word on full specifications or power output, but we'll take a guess that the Tesi H2 will put out at least somewhere between 250-270 bhp, thanks to the supercharged Kawasaki engine. With a whole lot of CNC machined bits, carbon fibre components, the Tesi H2 will not be exactly affordable, and will made as a limited edition model. As yet, there's no word on pricing, and the bike is expected to be commercially available in June 2020, when prices will be announced.