MOTOFOODIE

Arguably the most ICONIC Superbike ever, the Ducati 916 was stunningly beautiful and well ahead of the curve when compared to the bulky and traditional styling of contemporary 1990s sportbikes. 😍

Designed by the legendary Massimo Tamburini and his team at the Cagiva Research Centre (CRC) in San Marino, the Ducati 916 became the poster-child of sportsbikes stoking the dreams of thousands across the globe.

Deriving the design elements from a relatively obscure Honda NR750 – such as underseat exhaust, narrow tank, squared-off dual headlights, and single-sided swingarm holding a large-section rear tyre.

The Ducati 916 rose to stardom like nothing before to become ‘THE TEMPLATE’ of modern sportsbike design.

So what’s it like to ride a Ducati 916?

Equipped with a captivating aesthetic and a timeless grace, the Ducati 916 is a slender motorcycle – than what you expect.

The tall and wide tail-section forces you to get on & off the motorcycle in an acrobatic way. The riding position is aggressive and seat height is reasonable for shorter riders. Compared to the modern sports bikes, this is relatively comfortable.

Once you hop on, the gorgeous fuel-tank and the simple analog instrument cluster with huge green Ducati Racing tachometer commands your attention.

Thumb the starter and the motorcycle comes alive with a distinct, finicky dry-clutch noise at idle – giving the bike an air of perpetually imminent mechanical destruction. Quirks a modern rider isn’t used to!

But once you hit the open road and throttle up the motorcycle, everything comes together in perfect harmony to deliver the most Fun, Rewarding, Satisfying and Connected Riding Experience.

Riding a Ducati 916 vs a Japanese Sportsbike:

While the Japanese sportsbikes are easy to ride, forgiving, and are even docile when treated with respect, the 916 is a fierce, loud and unforgiving ‘Purebred’ that will not suffer fools gladly.

Engine Specifications and Performance: 

Featuring a 916 cc fuel-injected, 4-valve, demo, liquid-cooled, 90-degree V-Twin producing 114bhp and 91Nm of torque – this was prodigious performance for that era.

Producing most of its power in the upper rev range,

• The low end torque is ok – anything less than 3,500 rpm, the bike shudders and questions your inputs.
• The mid-range offers plenty of usable grunt with a slight buzziness, but nothing comes through to the handlebars or footpegs.
• It is above 6,000 rpm where the motor truly shines – producing a hard-edged roar from the huge ram-air intakes and lunges towards the 10,000 rpm redline – absolutely brutal power!

The un-deadened intake roar of a 916 is one of the most incredible noises I have ever experienced. 🔥

Handling:

The real revelation of riding a Ducati 916 is the superb handling, it is a paragon of stability combined with fluid response. ❤️

The Ducati 916 loves to corner – with an absolutely magical ability to effortlessly lean and carve through apexes, to hold a line, even over road imperfections. 

The handling is so confidence inspiring and intuitive – it is very easy for the rider to get carried away.

Fuelling and Throttle Response:

Throttle response from the fuel injection is great. On/off transitions are relatively smooth and easy to modulate, and the throttle feels directly connected/linear feel to the motor.

Brakes:

The front brake comes with a pair of 320 mm discs and rear is a single 220 mm disc – both with rubber brake lines that gave a mushy feel and fade when hot.

Braking on the motorcycle is feels wooden, but the front brakes will haul the bike down very easily with a firm hand on the lever.

Suspension:

The front suspension is 43mm Showa and the rear is a Showa rising-rate mono swingarm – both are fully adjustable for preload, compression and rebound.

The OE Steering dampener further isolates the vibrations from reaching the rider.

The stock suspension setup is very sporty and rewards spirited riding only. 

Bad patches of tarmac and any undulations on the road are transmitted with 100% efficiency onto the rider!!

Electronics and Rider Aids:

It’s a taboo to even have this section!

The Ducati 916 cannot process or understand them. So yes it’s a motorcycle without any electronic rider-aid safety-net.

No ABS | No Traction Control | No Ride Modes.

City Riding:

The Ducati 916 is designed to flow through a racetrack or around a nice set of corners, not suffer in crawling traffic. 

The motorcycle feels like a caged beast, growling in anger and frustration.

Heavy clutch pull, constant clutch chatter, racy-riding position, wide turning circle, heat from the engine roasting the legs, wooden brakes – everything conspires against you to deliver a nightmarish riding experience.

All this drama is further accentuated by having to explain to people at stops that yes, that noise is normal, no there is nothing wrong with the motor, that’s just the clutch…

Pillion Comfort:

Does not exist.

Touring:

Riding the Ducati 916 over long distances is demanding. The aggressive riding posture, limited options to mount luggage and its ‘conditional-quirks’ makes it a challenging motorcycle to tour.

However, the beautiful mid-range power, crisp throttling and a healthy tank range – aids touring.

Mileage and Fuel Tank Range:

No fuel-level gauge or fuel-trip or Distance-to-Empty indicators are present on the Ducati 916 – so one has to manually take a note of the odometer while refuelling to calculate the range. Low-Fuel Light is provided.

• City Mileage: 10 – 11 kmpl
• Highway Mileage: 15 – 16 kmpl
• Full Tank capacity: 17 litres 
• Real world full tank range: 140 – 210 kms (14l of usable fuel)

What I love about the Ducati 916:

• Handling: Awestruck by the amazing, sublime, intuitive handling on a 25-year old Ducati 916 – truly reflects the race pedigree of the motorcycle.🔥
• Looks: Hands-down the most elegant, beautiful motorcycle ever made.❤️
• Engine: this V-twin is so unlike the modern, tamed, electronic-feel V-twin engines – so much connect, raw, wild torque on tap – love it!!

What I Dislike:

• Brakes
• Visibility of the OE Rear-View Mirrors is poor
• No Fuel Gauge Indicator
• Electrical Quirks especially when it rains

Living with a Ducati 916:

PS: Not trying to discourage anyone from acquiring such motorcycles. Stating things upfront.

• Finding an Atom in the HayStack: Such iconic motorcycles rarely surface on the usual platforms – finding one is super-rare and needs lot of scouting, patience to find one and lot of following-up/persuasion for the owner/agent to sell the motorcycle.
• Patience, Patience & More Patience: Bringing the motorcycle to its glory-days is another marathon – sourcing parts, getting a mechanic to restore and oftentimes finding out the part which reached you after years – isn’t a straight-fit on the motorcycle.
• Maintenance-Nut to the T: Maintenance is a super crucial element of ownership to ensure a smooth-ride; one has to be pro-active (beyond the recommended service intervals) in up-keeping the belts, fuses, oil etc.

Conclusion:

The Ducati 916 was a marvel and the ‘poster-bike’ of its time.. 

It was

AN ASPIRATION.

AN ATTRACTION.

THE MOTORCYCLE to see, touch, ride and maybe own someday.

And even today, it invokes the same feelings in me.🥰

In all fairness, the 916 has its quirks, owning and living with one is an arduous and a testing journey, one that requires a certain temperament, lots of perseverance and energy.

But man, that PURE. UNCOMPROMISING. RAW sport riding experience was ‘Lightyears Ahead’ of its 1990s contemporaries and still respectful amidst the current ones.

Ever grateful to my dear friend Chez for trusting me with his Ducati 916 🤗

Follow his motorcycling on Instagram.