Photo: Facebook capture
The makers of the Tamburini T12 Massimo recently posted a video of the bike being revved to the max on the dyno, and the sound of the tuned BMW S1000RR engine blew us away. And we're not the biggest fans of superbike sounds... But what we heard from the Tamburini made our hearts sing and made us dream of seeing more of the T12.
So far, it looks like the machine will not make it on the street. Massimo Tamburini's final and most ambitious project was intended for track use solely, and things are iffy from at least two perspectives.
First of all, we don't know if the Tamburini T12 Massimo can be homologated as a street bike, and it's not because it misses a headlight, turn signals or license plate holder, but because of the emissions.
The BMW S1000RR engine in stock trim is compliant even with the stricter European regulations, but since it was tweaked to produce around 230 horsepower now and, most likely, the exhaust system used currently is not exactly road-legal.
Then comes the problem of Massimo Tamburini's heritage. In case he specifically wanted this machine to remain "confined" to the closed environment of a race track, then having it homologated for street use would be nothing short of utter impiety regarding his memory.
We remind you that this beastly superbike can be yours for €300,000 ($341,000), which is 50% percent more than what Honda asks for their MotoGP-derived RC213V-S. This alone makes it a "rara avis" only a few rich guys will afford, and we reckon that even fewer owners would take it to the street if they could.
It's not that a 300-grand vehicle on the road is something unheard of. Cars that cost 6-8 times more can be seen in traffic quite often. However, with the increased risk of a crash that comes with motorbikes, we imagine that no rider will be that quick to scorch the highway asphalt astride it.
As for those who want to have fun with a Tamburini T12 Massimo at the track, the makers are "locked and cocked," and can start producing these bikes any time.
First of all, we don't know if the Tamburini T12 Massimo can be homologated as a street bike, and it's not because it misses a headlight, turn signals or license plate holder, but because of the emissions.
The BMW S1000RR engine in stock trim is compliant even with the stricter European regulations, but since it was tweaked to produce around 230 horsepower now and, most likely, the exhaust system used currently is not exactly road-legal.
Then comes the problem of Massimo Tamburini's heritage. In case he specifically wanted this machine to remain "confined" to the closed environment of a race track, then having it homologated for street use would be nothing short of utter impiety regarding his memory.
We remind you that this beastly superbike can be yours for €300,000 ($341,000), which is 50% percent more than what Honda asks for their MotoGP-derived RC213V-S. This alone makes it a "rara avis" only a few rich guys will afford, and we reckon that even fewer owners would take it to the street if they could.
It's not that a 300-grand vehicle on the road is something unheard of. Cars that cost 6-8 times more can be seen in traffic quite often. However, with the increased risk of a crash that comes with motorbikes, we imagine that no rider will be that quick to scorch the highway asphalt astride it.
As for those who want to have fun with a Tamburini T12 Massimo at the track, the makers are "locked and cocked," and can start producing these bikes any time.
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