Bimota DB3 Mantra in retrospect

Bimota DB3 Mantra

With Phil Aynsley

Few bicycles are as polarizing as the Bimota DB3 Mantra, which means “tool of thought” in Sanskrit! It’s the company’s attempt to expand its reach with a naked bike – and in fact, by all accounts, it’s a great ride. It also sold well by Bimota standards with 454 built.

The design was the most radical of the three presented by French Yugoslavian Sacha Lakic after he was commissioned by General Manager Walter Martini of Bimota to produce something ‘spectacular’. He only provided body styling; The chassis was designed by longtime engineer/designer Pier Luigi Marconi.

Lakic, interviewed later, said he was inspired by Rumi’s Gobbietto – see Rumi | From submarines to motorbikes and Mantra production differed in several important respects from his prototype, which was first shown at the Cologne Exhibition in December 1994.

First, Yamaha FZR600 headlights were used instead of the much smaller ones fitted to the prototype, which dramatically changed the contours of the crank. Second, it was decided to divide the fuel storage portion of the tank into two sections allowing for a lower center of gravity.

The problem is that the entire tank has to be made much wider to achieve the required amount of fuel. Other features that ended up being adopted on the production bike were the handlebar mount and the walnut console (later replaced with plastic material instead).

The DB3’s chassis is a departure from Bimota’s previous tubular steel spaceframe or dual-alloy girder design. It uses an oval cross section alloy mesh with a swingarm (a combination of square and round alloy tubes) that rotates directly from the engine crankcases. An eccentric monoshock was used. Compact wheelbase 1370mm (less than Monster 60mm) and dry weight 172 kg. The company’s BB1 uses the same basic chassis.

Ducati’s 904cc V-twin, fitted to the 900SS and Monster, is the powerhouse and is used in standard trim in addition to the Bimota’s own airbox design and the 38 mm Mikuni cabin. Power is 86 hp at the crankshaft. For ease of installation, two small 12 V batteries are connected in parallel. A small storage compartment is provided at the top rear of the tank.

Production began in late 1995 and the Mantra cost about 15% less than the SB6 and YB11, making it the company’s ‘entry-level’ model. All 404s of the first version were painted yellow, with the exception of a small number of red bicycles that were exported to Japan.

A second version (only 50 were produced) was produced in 1998. These had more streamlined cranks with reshaped headlight bezels, distinct rear fenders and fenders, tubular steering wheel instead of the original pair of wheels and three-spoke Antera wheels. Red paint is an option. The factory also provides kits to update the first version to the new style.

The later DB4 used the same chassis as the Mantra but equipped with a more conventional bodywork.