Motorcycle exotica lovers will be all too familiar with the Bimota badge, or anyone who was riding in the 90s. More recently, the brand reached a wider, younger audience after being acquired by Kawasaki in 2019 and launched a purpose-built homologation superbike, the KB998 Rimini, to compete in WorldSBK (WSBK). Now, the company has launched its most affordable model ever, the KB399.
The KB399 is the second sportsbike to be launched under the KB line, following Kawasaki's acquisition of 50.1% of Bimota. Just like the KB998 is largely based on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR, the KB399 uses a Kawasaki ZX-4RR as its platform. The thing is, the KB998 is quite a step up from a standard ZX-10RR, hence the reason it costs nearly $20,000 more, but that's not the case with the KB399.
Right now, we only have the KB399's MSRP in the UK, which starts at £9,749 ($13,000) and goes up to £14,699 ($19,600) for the Edizione Speciale (ES) edition. And that's probably the most accessible price point ever seen for a Bimota badge. But has Bimota differentiated itself enough to warrant the price increase over a ZX-4RR, which comes in at around $9,999 in the US? What I'm really asking is, are you paying ≈ $3,000 for a rebadged ZX-4RR?
