Bimota DB1 - Ducati.ms

froryde · Jan 21st, 2008, 8:11 am

I know a few of the folks around here have DB1s - can you share what you did to your bike (especially yours, Dave!) or sources to go to for that? Seriously thinking about getting a DB1 and would like to do some research first

First and foremost would be to upgrade to 17" wheels and then onto the power!

Thanks!!

Phil

dnovo · Jan 21st, 2008, 2:17 pm

I would leave the wheel size as is. The bike is tiny, very light, and I would not screw around with the handling at all, nor change what was indeed a historic bike. (First fully enclosed sport bike, despite what the Honda Hurricane folks would tell you.)

Sure, it will stand up a bit if you brake in the corners, as will any bike running 16s, and sure it is a bit hard to find tires, but so what. Keep it original. They are like hen's teeth to find, rarely on the market and with a few upgrades, still damn fast and damn fun to ride. My HB2 has 16s, and has the same low feel when you straddle it. The difference between the two is the stretched out riding position on the HB while the DB1 has a much shorter reach to the bars and the lighter weight offsets the extra performance of the larger bike out of the corners. In a straight line, the reworked 900 Honda Bol d'Or bill on the HB, with upgrades of course, just pulls away.

I had ace Ducati tuner John Lumley (d/b/a Dr. Desmo) set mine up when I bought it as a spare out of the Guy Webster collection about 10 -12 years ago. He went through the engine, put a big bore kit on, flat slides, cams, polished, etc and the result is a tiny fireball that handles as well as any of my Bimotas and will stay with most. The real contrast is between that and my DB2, the extra weight overcome by the extra displacement of the 944 kit. The DB2 will pull the DB1 out of corners.

My son, 'da Hebrew Hammer' rode the DB1 a lot last summer and he loved it. Course he is a lot lighter than me and his shorter legs made for a perfect fit on the DB1. Maybe he can chime in here.

Dave

**Hebrew_Hammer** · Jan 21st, 2008, 2:57 pm

The DB1 was the 1st bike other than my Ninjette that I rode. With whatever mods are done to it, it is quite fast. Handled great, it just has the clutch from hell. It wasn't all that difficult to ride with the 16s on it, very flickable. I forget if it was this bike or his 999S that I learned why nailing it in 2nd will make you see the clouds

Also, if you are around my size (5'5ish with a beer belly) the ergos are pretty much set up for someone of your size. The little sucker actually is more comfortable for me to ride than my Ninja was, certainly way more fun.

dnovo · Jan 21st, 2008, 3:44 pm

It had a clutch issue that is being addressed now. The clutch is normally quite decent and a pleasure to use. This one will be a pleasure too by the time Spring rolls around. Dave (aka his Dad)

**Hebrew_Hammer** · Jan 21st, 2008, 3:59 pm

Needs gold levers.... gold levers makes bike go faster.

dnovo · Jan 21st, 2008, 4:51 pm

You sure you're not adopted? Dave (aka Dad)

froryde · Jan 21st, 2008, 10:00 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hebrew_Hammer

The DB1 was the 1st bike other than my Ninjette that I rode. With whatever mods are done to it, it is quite fast. Handled great, it just has the clutch from hell. It wasn't all that difficult to ride with the 16s on it, very flickable. I forget if it was this bike or his 999S that I learned why nailing it in 2nd will make you see the clouds

Also, if you are around my size (5'5ish with a beer belly) the ergos are pretty much set up for someone of your size. The little sucker actually is more comfortable for me to ride than my Ninja was, certainly way more fun.

I'm 5'5+ (while not quite 5'6") so should be perfect for me!

froryde · Jan 21st, 2008, 10:18 pm

Thanks for the input Dave.

I actually found BOTH a DB1 and DB1sr (imagine that!) with low miles for sale in Switzerland, but by the time I got through to anyone at the shop, they were both gone (no surprise there, as the asking price was very reasonable, cheap even). The shop owner said he literally got hundreds of calls all over the world for the bikes.

Nevertheless, I found an all stock one in Germany that I think I will go for. 2 previous owners, 26,500 km (not super low mileage, but not bad) and a set of racing exhaust is included.

Thanks for the input on wheel size - what tires are you running and what size? I can't seem to find any decent rear 16" rubber? Also, heard that it might not be a bad idea to change wheels since the rivets may be problematic in the long run?

I have tried to contact Dr. Desmo but no reply yet? Do you know how best to reach him or any other sources that I can contact? Thanks!

Phil

dnovo · Jan 22nd, 2008, 4:58 pm

John may be out of town, he is usually available through his website. You may also want to try Bevel Heaven or Bob Steinbugler at Bimota Spirit. Dave

sbmotohead · Jan 25th, 2008, 11:55 am

Ah the DB1...2 cents from a husbands perspective.

Aesthetically the DB1 is right up there with the best looking bikes EVER. There's no question that it's small stature, tri-colore paint, and body work makes this a significant bike in history. My wife always turned heads with this thing and still does (even with out the bike actually).

Mechanically it's more of a bear to work on than most. From a basic convenience perspective there's no easy way to do anything really. From changing/adding oil to valve jobs the job always requires taking the body work off. They make it easy-ish but after doing it over and over it's kind of a nuisance. Secondly, the engine and components are literally poured into the frame. In many places the clearances between hard parts is probably 1/8 inch (2-3mm) making for some interesting contortionist positions to get to things. Truth be told it's a fun challenge to figure out how to get to some bolts.

What I would do right away to sort it out.

Get new carbs on it right away and figure out the best throttle mechanism that you can. The stock carbs are decent but keeping them synced is the devils work and the stock throttle/cables are in need of modern upgrades.

I'm 5'8" and I don't comfortably fit on it and I'm not sure there's a solution but I would take a second look at the seat pad and maybe raise that up and/or add some cushion. It's rock hard in my opinion.

Get some good/better insulation around the pipes and body work less you tarnish the paint finish with exhaust heat.

The headlamp is crap too...

What I wouldn't do...

Keep the 16" wheels. As much as they are out-dated I think it's part of the charm. This bike is small and the small wheels are part of the cool factor. Yeah it's a bit dicey at times and tire choices are limited but that's kind of how it is with classics. And yes this thing will stand you up if you brake in a corner!!!

All in all a cool bike. Congrats and enjoy!