It is with great sadness that PH2 reports the passing of a motorcycle legend - Massimo Tamburini, who died on April 7.
Tamburini was probably the most influential motorcycle designer ever. Having co-founded Bimota (the 'ta' in Bimota stands for Tamburini), he went on to style every one of their models until he left the company and joined Ducati in 1985. Although he designed several Ducati models, his most famous creation was the iconic Ducati 916 - a bike that changed everyone's perception of motorcycle styling. The 916 made underseat pipes and a single sided swingarm cool, was displayed in museums, used in movies and pop videos and went on to dominate World Superbike racing for nearly a decade. No other bike has had this kind of impact on the two-wheeled world.
After leaving Ducati, Tamburini joined MV Agusta and styled the F4, another bike that looks as good today as it did back in 1997.
As a 916 owner, Tamburini was a hero of mine and I was lucky enough to interview him a few years ago in Italy. He will be sadly missed by all in the motorcycle world, although he leaves one hell of a legacy behind...
Here is a selection of the bikes Tamburini designed:
1973 - Bimota HB1 750, Paton 500
1974 - Bimota YB1 250-350, Bimota HD1 250
1975 - Bimota HD350 & 500, Bimota SB1 500
1976 - Paton 500, Morbidelli 250, Bimota HD 250 Junior
1977 - Bimota SB2 750, Bimota YB2 250-350
1978 - Bimota YB3 250-350, Bimota KB1 900
1979 - Bimota SB3 1000, Bimota KB1 1000
1980 - Bimota KB2 500
1981 - Bimota HB2 900
1982 - Bimota KB3 1000, Bimota SB4 1100
1983 - Bimota HB3 1100
1984 - Suzuki 500 GTA
1985 - Cagiva Aletta Oro 125
1986 - Ducati Paso 750
1987 - Cagiva Freccia C9 125
1988 - Cagiva Freccia C10 125, Cagiva 500 GP (styled)
1989 - Cagiva 500 GP (styled), Cagiva Mito 125
1992 - Cagiva Prima 50
1993 - Ducati 916
1994 - Cagiva Mito EV 125, Cagiva Prima Thai 125
1995 - Ducati 748, Ducati 916 Senna
1996 - Cagiva Canyon 900
1997 - MV Agusta F4 750 Oro
1998 - MV Agusta F4 750 S
2000 - MV Agusta Brutale Oro
2001 - MV Agusta Brutale S, MV Agusta F4 750 Senna
2002 - MV Agusta F4 1000 Ago
2003 - MV Agusta F4 1000 S
2004 - MV Agusta F4 1000 Tamburini
2005 - MV Agusta F4 1000 Senna
2006 - Husqvarna STR 650, MV Agusta F4 1078 Claudio Castiglioni
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