Customizing can have various reasons. Unfortunately, I don’t know the reason for this particular conversion. Usually, conversions are a way to personalize production machines. But a Bimota? Who comes up with the idea of modifying a motorcycle with such a low production number? Surely, there are some examples that have been turned into streetfighters after an accident due to the lack of available and/or affordable spare parts. Even the company ZTK, Bimota’s general importer in Germany in the late 1990s, converted some leftover YB11 models into streetfighters after Bimota’s bankruptcy and sold them as YB11 Nuda. Presumably, this was to promote sales with a more affordable model and simultaneously ensure the availability of spare parts.
This DB3 was imported by ZTK, and the vehicle registration document was issued on March 24, 1999. The first registration took place on March 27, 2002, by the company Limbacher & Limbacher in Esslingen, who decommissioned the motorcycle just a week later, on April 3, 2002. The conversion was recorded in the vehicle documents on May 5, 2003. A month later, on June 4, the modified DB3 was put back into operation in Kaiserslautern. Unfortunately, the reason for this elaborate customizing is unknown. Was it the desire for a unique Bimota, or was it due to an accident? Or perhaps ZTK had stocked up its DB3 parts inventory?
This conversion is unusual, particularly regarding the parts used. The tank and seat come from the Ducati 900 Supersport SL, the version produced from 1991 to 1996 with a single-seat. A new rear frame made of steel tubing was fabricated for this purpose, the electrical system was relocated from the rear frame under the seat, a new airbox was built, and the batteries were placed under the tank.
The original instruments were set into a milled aluminum plate and screwed to the holder of the front mask. Consistently, the side-mounted aluminum cast brackets that hold the footrests and mufflers were also modified. The lower strut of the bracket and the mounting for the rear footrests were cut off, which is only noticeable upon closer inspection.
