Italy’s latest example of two-wheeled exotica is elusive as it is focused, and it borrows its bones from Team Green.
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Ever since Kawasaki acquired a minority share in Bimota back in 2019, it hasn’t wasted any time flexing the boutique Italian manufacturer’s talents.
As such, along with placing its engines in the exotic packages like the forkless Tesi H2 and the pint-sized KB399, Team Green has also looked to Bimota throughout its competition efforts.
The KB998 Rimini Elite represents an even harder-edged version of the Bimota KB998 Rimini. – Credit: Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team
On the road, this takes the form of a homologation model in the ZX10RR-powered KB998 Rimini. Nevertheless, as refined a bike as that is on account of its many performance upgrades, it still can’t compare to the grail that Bimota has just unveiled.
The ultimate Bimota superbike
It’s called the KB998 Rimini Elite, and it comes courtesy of Provec Racing. If you’re not familiar with the name, know that it’s a key player in the Kawasaki Racing Team’s WorldSBK efforts.
A suite of track-focused tech gives riders what they need to lay down blistering lap times. – Credit: Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team
Needless to say, that kind of expertise shows in practice. As an even more focused and hard-edged version of the KB998 Rimini, the Elite is essentially a track-dominating superbike machine you can buy for yourself (more on that later).
In practice, this means that it brings even more power while weighing in at quite a bit less than its road-going counterpart. Per Provec Racing’s claims, the KB998 Rimini Elite shaves a whopping 36.8 pounds for a 388-pound dry curb weight, and it makes 7.5 percent more power with a total output of 215 thundering ponies.
You can’t go wrong with a tricolor livery on an Italian stunner like this Bimota. – Credit: Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team
Of course, those kinds of improvements require other changes elsewhere, too. Accordingly, Provec has fitted a host of top-dollar parts spanning everything from upgraded Showa suspension and Brembo brakes to OZ wheels, an Akrapovič pipe and GBRacing covers.
It’s not just a case of outfitting the bike with bolt-ons, either. As part of the Elite treatment, Provec also incorporates bespoke in-house components that were engineered for the race team, and it even throws in extras like fork spring kits to adapt the bike to different tracks and riders.
The engine comes heavily upgraded, and Provec is claiming a total output of 215 horsepower. – Credit: Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team
An exclusive experience bundle
Provec’s changes go deeper than the hardware, too. In the pursuit of improved on-track performance, KB998 Rimini Elite sports a trick Mectronik electronics package that includes everything from selectable throttle maps to 2D telemetry and advanced control over traction, ignition and engine braking settings.
It’s a feature that Kawasaki and Bimota are especially proud of, as the technical package was actually used in the final round of the 2025 Spanish Superbike Championship. There, a KB998 Rimini Elite raced to a podium finish in its first and only race entry of the season.
Provec’s technicians will build just five of these beauties. – Credit: Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team
Toward that end, Provec wants buyers to appreciate the bike’s pedigree in more ways than one. Being the result of an intensive pre-season testing program, delivery-model KB998 Rimini Elites even includes an exclusive track day experience with the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team riders Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani.
Moreover, with purchase, owners of the KB998 Rimini Elite are truly part of the family. Beyond getting access to direct technical support from the team for setup and on-track performance, this means that Provec will provide VIP hospitality in the pits at WorldSBK events.
It’s hard to say what’s more eye-catching — those Showa forks or those Brembo stoppers. – Credit: Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team
Availability and pricing
Bimota’s beautiful two-wheeled creations are as exclusive as they are exotic, and the KB998 Rimini Elite is a case in point.
As Provec will be building just five of these track-honed masterpieces, they won’t come cheap. MSRP is set at €99,800 (~$117,500).
That’s a hefty sum compared to other Italian stunners like the MV Agusta Rush Titanio, but it’s still less than what Ducati or Aprilia want for some of their top-dollar two-wheeled creations. What’s more, those production counts, while small, aren’t nearly as limited in scope.
Bimota KB998 Rimini EliteAbout the Author: Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When he’s not chasing the latest industry news, he’s probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers.
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