The Tesi H2 Tera uses an unconventional centre-hub and swingarm steering system.

Where to start is my big question. Do I lead with the fact that the new Bimota Tesi H2 Tera is a supercharged adventure tourer with 197 horsepower that weighs just 233 kilograms? Or is the big deal here the fact that, thanks to its compact “Tesi” hub-centre front end, the Tera’s wheelbase is more than 100-millimetres shorter than the best of current litre-plus adventure bikes and just a smidgen longer than the very best superbikes, and shorter than a good many. We’re talking Ninja ZX-10RRs and Ducati
Panigales here, folks, and the new Bimota is, again, an adventure tourer.

So, it’s a tough call as to which attribute reigns supreme. Let the Tera loose on the Autostrada Adriatica between Rimini and Bologna, for instance, and you’ll be totally convinced the engine — liberated from Kawasaki’s H2 SX SE — is what makes this latest Tesi so special, its supercharged 999-cc creating a seemingly never-ending reserve of power. But then, an hour later, when you’re unravelling the tournantes — that be Italian for hairpins — between Marradi and Palazzuola sul Senio, you’ll pledge undying fealty to the miracle of hub-centre steering for making a monster-engined adventure bike feel like a naked 600. 

WHICH TO CHOOSE?

Thankfully, there’s no need. Assuming you have somewhere just north of $65,000 — that’s about how much the Tera costs when you do the conversion from €40,800 — you can just mosey on down to one of the select Canadian Kawasaki dealers that will become Bimota (by Kawasaki) outlets and find out for yourself. Here’s what you’re in store for:

Starting with the engine. Kawasaki’s 999-cc supercharged four — lifted, as I said, from Team Green’s H2 SX SE, to be exact — boasts no less than 197 horsepower and 102 pound-feet of torque. Of those two numbers, I think it’s those torques that most impress. Oh, to be sure, those 197 horses are why Ginaluca Gallasso, Bimota’s marketing communications manager, claims the Tera can hit 288 km/h. I never tested his claim, but considering how hard the Tesi pulls past 240 km/h — which I did manage on that blitz from Rimini to Bologna — I have no reason to doubt the former Formula 750 racer. Nonetheless, it’s those 102 pound-feet that dominate the Tera. You can roll it on at three grand in top gear and that supercharger will still get to those (almost) 300 klicks in a big hurry. In fact, Kawasaki’s supercharged four gets my vote for the widest — that should be read “most useful” — powerband in all of motorcycling. You can pull fourth or fifth gear at 2,000 rpm and the blower doesn’t shut down the party until…