BIMOTA DB3 MANTRA (1995 - 2002) Review

”What the hell is that?” is likely to be the first comment from anyone who sees you ride into town on a Bimota Mantra. But don't be scared, underneath designer Sacha Lakic's tribute to Buck Rogers sci-fi there's a sensible Ducati-engined cruiser/roadster. A claimed 85bhp from the old 904cc Duke motor, plus classy suspension and chassis detailing make the Bimota Mantra surprisingly easy to ride. 

Again, the Bimota Mantra is a surprising bike, because although it looks bizarre, it actually handles very well, with a stiff trellis frame, meaty Paioli 43mm forks and a firm monoshock at the back. The brakes are excellent and a 24 degree fork angle gives the Bimota Mantra real agility in town, or on very twisty roads. In a word, it's classy. 

The Bimota Mantra's 904cc Ducati engine appeared in the first generation Monster 900 bikes, the Paso, 900SS as well as the Cagiva Elefant 900, making it a mainstay of the Italian bike industry during the fist half of the 1990s. It's a reasonably punchy unit and so long as you look after it, you'll cover many miles in a relatively zen-like state.

Not may Bimotas from the 1990s have 100% reliability records and the Mantra is likely to suffer the same electrical niggles and various bodywork blemishes as an SB or YB series Bimota. For all their faults however, owners, especially those who bought them new tend to lavish thousands on them, so buying a Bimota Mantra used might not be too risky - so long as you don't plan on riding it very far, or requiring any unobtainable spares.

Priced at £13,500 back in the mid 1990s the Mantra, indeed most Bimotas, were for the seriously rich biker. Few were sold obviously, as the oddball looks and high price ticket tended to put off all but the most determinded extroverts. Now, they fetch about £4000-£5000 used and are sought out by collectors in the main, as their sheer rarity means the value of the Bimota Mantra will probably rise in the future.  Find a Bimota mantra for sale.

There's some classy bits of engineering on the Bimota Mantra, with top notch Italian suspension and braking components for the era on show. The tiny screen doesn't offer much wind protection however and the motorcycle's oddball bodywork shapes more or less rule out practical duties like slinging luggage on the bike and touring on it. Definitely more show than go. Compare and buy parts for the Bimota Mantra.