Earlier this month, we told you about Kawasaki potentially purchasing Italian boutique motorcycle manufacturer, Bimota.  And, now it appears it has happened.

According to Cycle World and its anonymous source, the deal has been made.  If true, the iconic Italian brand has been saved.

The Tesi 3D. Photo credit: Bimota

For several years now, Bimota has been under the control of investors Marco Chancianesi and Daniele Longoni.  Bimota’s small factory in Rimini has been closed since 2017.  With most of the remaining inventory shipped to Switzerland, the last few Tesi 3 motorcycles were assembled there.

There’s little in the line of information regarding the financial transaction.  What Kawasaki paid to obtain the rights to Bimota is not currently available.  That amount may never become known.

The BB3. Photo credit: Bimota

Now that the deal has been completed, the next question is what does Kawasaki intend to do with the brand?  Will Kawasaki re-open the Rimini factory?  Will they attempt to lure back some of those design personnel and build a premium brand of their own?  Could their intent be to establish a new racing brand?

Sportbikes and cutting edge design are Bimota’s forte.  Since Kawasaki is participating in the World Superbike Series, could they move their racing machines to the Bimota brand?

Not much is clear at the present time, but we will keep you updated as more information becomes available.