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23-508: This lightweight, compact racer was built with many technical innovations that strongly influenced the design of the 916 . The single cylinder Ducati racer was built with power to weight in mind. Carbon fiber pieces included bodywork, sub frame , fuel tank , rear sets, airbox and instrument housing. Magnesium was used for case covers, chain adjustment covers and triple clamps. The front suspension used an Öhlins 42 mm (1.7 in) inverted telescopic forks, similar to those used on

46-458: A dummy connecting rod that acted like a second piston in terms of making the dynamic balance equivalent to a ninety degree Vee twin. This engineering was the key to overcoming vibration problems typically handled with either balance shafts or the incomplete solution of a crank counterweight. Pierre Terblanche designed the look of the Supermono and Claudio Domenicali and Massimo Bordi designed

69-458: A top speed of 152 mph (245 km/h) and a braking distance of 60 to 0 mph (97 to 0 km/h) of 123 ft (37 m). The wet weight of their test bike was 497 lb (225 kg) and the rear-wheel horsepower was 94.0 hp (70.1 kW) at 8,740 rpm, and torque was 59.4 lb⋅ft (80.5 N⋅m) at 7,000 rpm. Ducati said the 1992 racing version of the 888, the SBK had

92-660: The Bologna Motor Show in December 1994, the 916 Senna was a special edition to commemorate Formula 1 World Champion, Ayrton Senna , an avid Ducati enthusiast who endorsed its release shortly before his death in May 1994. At the time, the project was facilitated by the fact that Claudio Castiglioni, Ducati's owner, was a personal friend of Senna's. In total, between 1995, 1998 and 2001, Ducati released three "Senna" editions and, in every instance, net proceeds were donated to

115-553: The Ducati 888 Corsa, and the rear used a cantilevered Ohlins DU2041 shock . It had a Termignoni exhaust and 3 spoke Marchesini magnesium alloy wheels . The front brakes were Brembo 280 mm (11 in) fully floating iron front discs and Brembo P4 30-34 racing calipers. The Supermono inherited many of its features from 888 Racing. Liquid cooled double overhead cam shaft with four valve desmodromic cylinder head . A horizontally placed 550 cc (34 cu in) cylinder used

138-692: The Guggenheim Museum's 1998 The Art of the Motorcycle exhibit. Looking back over a decade after its introduction, it is regularly placed on top lists of important designs in motorcycle history by authorities like the Guggenheim Museum, Bennetts , and Design Week ; and authors Ian Falloon, Hugo Wilson, and Margaret Henderson. In a retrospective on the 1990s, Motorcyclist magazine simply stated, "1994: Ducati 916 debuts. Did anything else happen that year?" In addition to

161-658: The Instituto Ayrton Senna charity. Ducati won 4 Superbike World Championships with the 916, in 1994–1996, and in 1998, with riders Carl Fogarty and Troy Corser . Ducati won the Manufacturer's Championship in all those years. On March 1 and 2 in 1999, at the AHRMA Classic Days at Daytona International Speedway , Devin Battley rode a 1998 Ducati 916 to two victories. First, in

184-492: The 916 is frequently cited as one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever. The first development of the 916 model family can be traced back to the development of the four-valve Ducati engine, the Desmoquattro , through the development and racing of the earlier Pantah models, to the road-going 851 and 888 models. The chief designer of Ducati motorcycles since the 1970s was Fabio Taglioni (1920–2001), who introduced

207-633: The 916 received the title 'Motorcycle of the year' and many other well-deserved compliments. Making its debut in 1994, the Ducati 916 was admired because of its new design and outstanding technical features. At the time of introduction, the 916 was recognized by winning "every magazine's Bike of the Year award for 1994", and Ducati sold out its entire first year's production run in the United States before any had actually arrived there. First presented at

230-462: The American market. A total of 2070 units. 1994 models: 1571 × 888 Stradas & 100 SPO for the American market. A total of 1671 units. Over all years there was a grand total of 7594 units produced. Riding the Ducati 888, Doug Polen won first place in the 1991 and 1992 World Superbike Championships. After losing to Kawasaki in the 1993 World Superbike Championship, Ducati ceased production of

253-551: The Ducati 888 and released the Ducati 916 which had a larger engine capacity. Continuing refinement yielded the next two generations of the Ducati Desmoquattro superbike , resulting in the 916 /996 and 999 lines. In a 1993 road test of the 888SPO, Cycle World measured a 0 to 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.00 to 0.40 km) time of 11.25 seconds at 123.45 mph (198.67 km/h), and a 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) acceleration of 3.3 seconds. They measured

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276-535: The Guggenheim exhibit noted above, an example is also held by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art . Ducati 888 The Ducati 888 is a motorcycle manufactured by Ducati between 1991 and 1994 as an upgrade to the Ducati 851 . The earlier 851 had introduced liquid cooling, computerized fuel injection and four-valve heads to the company's two cylinder motors. In 1991 Ducati increased

299-542: The Pantah in 1979. The engine was updated in the 1990s in the SuperSport (SS) series and all modern Ducati engines are derivatives of the Pantah, which used its camshafts to both open and close the engine's valves, eliminating the usual valve closing springs, a system called ' desmodromic '. Taglioni, did not, however, have an interest in four-valve head engines, and so this was left to his successor. The eight-valve V-twin

322-690: The capacity of the 851 to 888 cc to create the 888. Both engines featured the Desmoquattro valvetrain concept in which a four valve per cylinder motor was given desmodromic valve actuation, with cams both opening and closing the valves. Ducati's desmodromic system reduces the frictional penalty from conventional valve springs. Production figures known for the various models are: 1991 models: 1200 × 851 Stradas, 534 × SP3 & 16 × SPS. A total of 1850 units. 1992 models: 1402 × 851 Stradas, 500 × SP4 & 101 × SPS. A total of 2003 units. 1993 models: 1280 × 888 Stradas, 500 × SP5 & 290 × SPO - for

345-606: The eight-lap Formula One class, and then in the Battle of the Twins Open class. The 916 was later replaced by the 996 and 998 with similar design but revised engines and more power. Massimo Tamburini went on to design the MV Agusta F4 , the bike which is seen as his replacement for the 916 range, and it shares many similarities with the 916 especially in the tail section. Both of these Tamburini designs were featured in

368-418: The face of sports bikes in a way that only the original Suzuki GSX-R750 had managed a decade earlier. [W]ho could forget 1994 when Ducati stunned the world with the amazing 916? It was another Ducati-inspired revolution in the high-performance sports motorcycle category. With the 916, technology and style, performance and symmetry reached maximum levels. ... From the worlds most prestigious bike magazines,

391-444: The frame, power plant and other unique parts of the motorcycle. In the mid-1990s, 100 octane aviation gas was the fuel of choice for many Supermono race teams. Spark plugs with a 54 to 55 heat index were required. Several teams used Champion spark plug QA55V. New Zealander Robert Holden placed second in the 1994 Isle of Man TT , winning the 1995 singles title. Holden won Ireland's NW 200 Supermono class in 1995. The Supermono

414-435: The same 94 mm bore size as the 888, resulting in a capacity of 916 cc. (By the time the 916 was introduced, the final 851/888 Corse engines had also had their bore sizes increased to 96 mm resulting in 'race only' capacities of 926 cc and 955 cc respectively.) The 916 was a smaller motorcycle than the 888, with a chrome-moly trellis frame which was shared with the Ducati 748 in 1995 and beyond. This

437-449: The stroke of the 888 from 64 to 66 mm. ... This was the work of Massimo Tamburini, who has been described as one of the greatest motorcycle designers of the late 20th century – and with good cause. ... To many enthusiasts around the world, the 916 was not simply the latest superbike, but the best there had ever been. It set new standards of performance, handling, and braking, but also style and charisma. ... The 916 changed

460-516: Was "one of the most influential machines of the last twenty years", the design is actually derivative of the Honda NR750 , with the shared elements of underseat exhaust, narrow waist, similar squared-off dual headlights, and single-sided swingarm holding a large-section rear tire. The really big news for 1994, however, was the arrival of the ground-breaking 916. This machine's engine size matched its code number and had been achieved by increasing

483-552: Was a "test bed" for the World Superbike racers, who would go on to race at the World Superbike Championship . Ducati 916 The Ducati 916 is a fully faired sport bike made by Ducati from 1994 to 1998. Featuring a 916 cc (56 cu in) fuel injected , 4-valve, desmo , liquid-cooled, 90° V-twin engine in a trellis frame with a single-sided swingarm and USD forks ,

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506-451: Was combined with striking new bodywork that featured aggressive lines. In contrast to Japanese inline four-cylinder competitors of the time, its V-twin engine produced less outright power, but a more even torque spread. The 916 model was replaced by the 996 model in 1999. Design of the Ducati 916 was a synthesis of form and function: Journalist Kevin Ash suggested that although the 916

529-567: Was the work of Taglioni's successor, Massimo Bordi. Designed by Massimo Tamburini and Sergio Robbiano and his team at the Cagiva Research Centre in San Marino , the 916's water-cooled engine was a revision of that of its predecessor, the 888 , with larger displacement and a new engine management system. The greater displacement was accomplished by increasing the crankshaft stroke from 64 mm to 66 mm, keeping

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