Did you know, Kawasaki own a 49.9% stake in Bimota" No" Well now you do. That might have something to do with the fact that the new slightly retro looking Bimota KB4 sportsbike has a big, fat, supercharged Kawasaki engine running it.

Just last week, at the Milan Motorcycle Show (EICMA), the Italian exotica stalwarts, Bimota, pulled the cover off their latest sportsbike. I say sportsbike; it might have a 1043cc supercharged engine, but it?s hardly a superbike. They?ve detuned the H2 SX motor to an asthmatic 140bhp, and I?m not entirely sure why. It makes 111Nm of torque which is a little bit more like it, but nowhere near the Kawasaki?s 137Nm.

The details Bimota have given us about the KB4 are a little sparce at the moment. We do know that it?s got Öhlins suspension (non-electronic), Brembo brakes, and a carbon fibre fairing. It also has the electronics suite from the Kawasaki H2 SX. Although it doesn?t look like it has the latest H2 SX?s radar enabled cruise control.
I think Bimota are going for exclusivity, over performance, with the KB4. If you?re into Italian exotica, and you don?t fancy buying a Ducati, like every dick and their dog, this kind of thing might be up your street. Then again, it might not be.

Because apart from the fact that they?re most likely going to be very rare, it doesn?t have many redeeming features. Yeah, you get top-spec Öhlins suspension, and decent brakes, but that?s about it. Even the jewel in the crown, the s...