Getting RC: Naked version of the Bimota KB4 sportsbike unveiled

You wait for one Bimota to come along, and then two arrive all at once. Revealed alongside the stunning KB4 at the Eicma Motorcycle Show in Milan, comes the KB4 RC – a bold and brash naked.

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Sharing the same engine, electronics package, and dimensions as the Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX-powered KB4 sportsbike, the KB4 RC (Racing Café) features the same 140bhp four-cylinder engine and lean-sensitive electronics – all from the popular Japanese model.

They also both share the same colour TFT dash with mobile connectivity, which is now mounted centrally behind the RC’s round headlight. This is joined by bar end mirrors, which bolt onto the aggressively angled clip-ons for a truly exposed café racer riding experience.

Away from the front end, the RC’s four-pot engine is also more on display, with Bimota doing away with much of the standard KB4’s carbon fairing panels to leave just the side-mounted air scoops in place, which help feed the rear-mounted radiator, located above the back wheel.

It’s also got a slightly stubbier tail unit and doesn’t share the same conventionally mounted rear plate and light assembly on the sportier KB4. Instead, there’s a rear-wheel hugging design, mounted on the left of the billet aluminium swingarm.

Again there’s no news on price but with the KB4 expected to cost close to £30k, the RC is not likely to be significantly cheaper, sadly.