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AST YEAR, KAWASAKI BOUGHT A

49.9 per cent stake in the Italian bike manufacturer, Bimota, and the first product of this collaboration is the Bimota Tesi H2, revealed at EICMA last year.

After months of teasing and hushed tracktests, the Tesi H2 is finally production-ready and Bimota have been accepting bookings for this unique machine since the 10 September.

Only 250 units of the Tesi H2 will be built, each sporting a unique serial number plaque, bathed in carbon-fibre bodywork, and powered by the Ninja-H2-derived supercharged fourcylinder motor that makes 231 hp and 141 Nm of torque, with peak power going up to 242 hp with ram air. Rather than using a traditional fork for the front suspension, the Tesi H2 is endowed with Bimota’s radical hub-centre steering system which incorporates a billetalloy swing-arm up front, while the 998-cc in-line four-cylinder motor acts as a stressed member between the front and rear swingarms. Brakes have been sourced from Brembo and suspension duties are managed by a pair of Öhlins TTX monoshocks, although the production bike misses out on the semi-active suspension that we saw on the concept bike last year.

The Bimota Tesi H2 borrows its electronics package from Kawasaki, with a full suite of lean-sensitive rider aids. This includes ABS, a nine-level traction control system, Bosch IMU, two-way quick-shifter, launch control, and more. The dash, a combination of an analogue tachometer and a large TFT screen, has also been borrowed from the H2. The Bimota Tesi H2 is priced at €64,000 (Rs 55 lakh) in Europe and deliveries have just begun. We don’t expect to see this one on Indian streets anytime soon.