The project began when engineering student Pierluigi Marconi developed the steering system for his university thesis at the University of Bologna, drawing on earlier work by engineer Difazio. The core idea was to separate the steering and suspension functions that a conventional telescopic fork combines in a single component. In a standard fork, any compression under braking affects steering geometry and vice versa; the Tesi's design eliminates this interaction entirely. Steering is handled through a linkage system connecting to the front wheel hub, while suspension is provided by a separate shock absorber. The result is a chassis that maintains consistent geometry under braking — the bike does not dive forward as a conventional fork would — and allows wheelbase and rake adjustments without affecting handling dynamics.
The concept had been explored by ELF and others in competition, but the Tesi was the first application of hub-center steering to a road-legal production motorcycle.
The first prototype was shown at the Milan Motorcycle Show in 1983, fitted with a Honda VF 400 F engine and a carbon fiber monocoque frame. It incorporated a hydraulic steering system known as the DCS (Dive Control System) that used pistons to translate handlebar input to wheel movement. In 1984, a second prototype entered the Austrian and Italian rounds of the World Endurance Championship, powered by a Honda VF 750 F racing engine producing 90 hp. The frame was upgraded to a hybrid of aluminum alloy, carbon fiber, and Kevlar.
A 1987 prototype powered by a Yamaha 750 FZ engine marked a significant turning point: the hydraulic steering system was abandoned in favour of a simpler mechanical linkage. This change transformed the motorcycle's rideability. By 1988 Bimota had selected Ducati as the engine supplier, as Ducati's engine casings provided better structural rigidity suited to the Tesi's architecture.
The production Tesi 1/D was unveiled at the 1990 Cologne Motorcycle Show. Styled by Massimo Tamburini, it was powered by a Ducati 851 V-twin with Weber electronic fuel injection producing 102 hp at 9,500 rpm. Marzocchi supplied the suspension; Brembo provided braking with two 320 mm front discs. The rake angle was adjustable by up to 30 degrees. Bimota built 127 units of the 851 cc version and 20 units of a 904 cc variant producing 113 hp.
Subsequent variants included the 1/D SR (1991, 164 units, Ohlins suspension), the 1/D ES (1992, 50 units, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, 117 hp), and the 1/D EF Final Edition (1994, 25 units). A 400 cc Japanese-market version, the 1/D 400J, was produced in 50 units from 1992 to 1993 to comply with Japanese homologation rules. A competition version using a 964 cc engine producing 132 hp contested the Italian and World Superbike Championships between 1991 and 1993. Bimota also campaigned a Tesi 500 powered by the two-stroke V-twin that would later become the V Due, though the project was abandoned when Grand Prix regulations required full-season commitments Bimota could not afford.
The Tesi lineage was revived in 2002 by Ascanio Rodorigo, a former Bimota engineer, who developed a successor through his independent company ARP. The prototype, named Vyrus after the designer's comparison of its market impact to a computer virus, dispensed with fairing and exposed the omega-shaped frame and dual swingarms. A commercial arrangement in 2006 between Vyrus and Bimota produced two offerings sharing the same underlying machine: the Bimota Tesi 2/D at 46,000 euros and the Vyrus 984 C3 2V at 33,750 euros. Only 25 Tesi 2/D units were built before the model was discontinued in 2007 to avoid overlapping with its successor.
Introduced at the 2006 Milan Motorcycle Show and designed by Enrico Borghesan, the Tesi 3/D replaced the machined aluminum front swingarm with a tubular trellis structure, reducing turning radius and improving rigidity without adding weight. Power came from the Ducati 1100 Multistrada engine producing 97 hp. Suspension was by Extreme Tech; bodywork was entirely carbon fiber.
Variants included the limited Concept (29 units, 2007), the standard 3/D, the 3D Evo (32 units, using the Ducati Hypermotard 1100 Evo engine at 98 hp), the 3D Naked (50 units, flat handlebar, passenger seat), and the 3D 40 degree (18 of a planned 40 units, built for Bimota's 40th anniversary). In 2010, Luca Pini won the opening round of the Italian Supertwins Championship at Mugello aboard a Tesi 3/D.
Following Kawasaki's acquisition of a 49.9 percent stake in Bimota's commercial operations in 2019, the collaboration produced the Tesi H2. Powered by the supercharged 998 cc inline-four from the Kawasaki Ninja H2, the machine produces 231 hp at 11,500 rpm. Ohlins supplies suspension; Brembo supplies brakes. Dry weight is 207 kg. The Tesi H2 carries the hub-center steering concept into the modern superbike era with a level of outright performance impossible at any earlier point in the model's history.
The Bimota Tesi represents a sustained forty-year commitment to a fundamentally different approach to motorcycle front-end engineering. Where most manufacturers have refined the telescopic fork progressively, Bimota has consistently demonstrated that hub-center steering is a viable alternative offering measurable dynamic advantages. The line's continuity — from university thesis to Kawasaki-powered hyperbike — gives it a coherence unusual in low-volume motorcycle manufacturing.