When you meet Gavin, current owner of the only Bimota DB11 VLX that exists in the world, and the work carried out on it to put it into operation, understands perfectly what some call passion for two wheels.
A fundamental feeling to be able to undertake projects of this magnitude, both economically and at work. In addition, it has had the help of experts from the sector, in charge of applying their knowledge in the electronic and mechanical section.
If we look back, more than one will remember that EICMA in 2012 where Bimota officially presented, among others, its new DB11 and DB11 VLXthe latter supercharged, although sharing the same engine base as the standard version. In both cases we were dealing with the well-known 90° V-twin, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled and with four valves per cylinder that was mounted on the contemporary Ducati 1198.
However, those from Rimini integrated a volumetric compressor in the VLX version, increasing the final power up to 191 hp at 9,750 rpm from the original 162 HP that the Italian block managed to offer.
This is at least what the theory said, because in practice the project was not completed and that only copy as a concept was left in a pile. “in the depths of a warehouse”, as reported by its current owner.
Bimota DB11 VLX: A long road to get here
It was in 2014 when Gavin first learned about the existence of the DB11 VLX, although it was not until 2019 when he was able to definitively negotiate his purchase and get hold of it. From that moment on, a long and tedious process began to complete the project. He himself relates that “the VLX was underdeveloped… The Swiss management team (at the time) deactivated the Supercharger project after almost 5,000 hours of work.”
And continues: “Sprintex, who made the compressor, wasn’t much help as I think they were owed money… but anyway, they themselves had to be bought and sold since the bike was displayed. The bike worked… it even covered many kilometers on the Milan ring road… but it was not good… it moved… it got too hot… it gave voltage spikes and then it would not restart until it cooled down… and it would not idle.”
One of the biggest problems with the DB11 VLX was the electronic aspect. Gavin explains about this that “The original ECU was a non-compatible Athena unit that was connected to a system powered by sensors that had limited information and were old. There were a total of 3 wire harnesses, all cut and closed.”
But this was not all, since it was also missing some essential parts such as the instrument panel, the rear shock absorber and even the exhaust system. The latter was in the possession of an Italian racing team, although the new owner managed to recover it along with the rest of the parts to complete the motorcycle. In addition, Bimota, in its new era within Kawasaki, sold Gavin the last TFT frame of that type left in the factory.
From this moment on, the Bimota DB11 VLX has been the subject of a long restoration process where well-known companies in the area, such as Track Electronics, have been in charge of installing and configuring a ECU SCS Delta 900along with the different sensors and probes that manage to keep such important parameters as temperature, idle speed or compressor pressure in order.
On the other hand, a specialized workshop in the country, BSD Performance, completely rebuilt the engine, and assembled those parts that were missing to make it work normally, such as the oil pressure sensor. After several years of various works, it has now been approved to be able to circulate with it.
By the way, the numbering on the license plate coincides with the commercial name of the model, DB11 VLX. In addition, and as a final touch to this ambitious project, Galvin has recently obtained a complete Onero fairing made of carbon fiber, thanks to the help of Bimota Factory and Signature Motorcycles UK.
