How The Ducati 916 Came Into Being

[Hugh Janus]

After 25 years, the 916 (here shown in SPS form) offers a purity of design that continues to endure. (Ducati /)

Maestro Massimo Tamburini’s first Ducati was the 1986 Paso, its sleek styling and perfectly balanced chassis making it the most “after 1950” motorcycle ever for the marque—and modern at the time by any standard. So, while the Paso is not the nearly mythological creature the Ducati 916 is, it remains a cornerstone in the evolution of motorcycle design. It was also key as Tamburini capitalized on the Paso’s lessons in aerodynamics, purity of design, and man-machine interface when it came time to embark on his greatest work.

Around 1990, when Tamburini began working on this new project to harness the mighty Ducati 851–888 eight-valve Desmo V-twin, goals for the chassis were simple yet difficult: Build a long-lasting reference point by being the best-balanced Ducati chassis on the company’s shortest- ever wheelbase. Ducati’s 90-degree “L” twin does not help here because the lower cylinder forces the front wheel away from the center of gravity, and the eight-valve Desmo is even more problematic by being at least 1 inch bulkier than the SOHC 750 of the Paso.

RELATED: Massimo Tamburini, 1943-2014

In addition, the 16-inch wheels and tires of the Paso were no longer in fashion, thus Tamburini could not count on the smaller diameter of the 130/60-16 front radial to pull the front end closer to the bike’s center of gravity. He designed the 916 chassis around a 55.5-inch wheelbase, marking these limits to scale on the drawing board, and then setting the side-view blueprint of the engine on top of it and progressively sliding it toward the front wheel. Whenever things came to a stop, he would extract two more millimeters from his immense creativeness to further bias more weight to the front.

The last shot came by rotating the engine downward by 3 degrees and by daring an extreme front-end geometry: a 23.5-degree rake was used to reduce the amount of horizontal wheel recession when the fork was fully compressed.

Tamburini was still a little short of that optimal 50-50 weight distribution (empty) with not one single millimeter to spare. The solution came by setting the battery aside the front cylinder, hidden under the fairing.

The late Massimo Tamburini’s personal 916 is on display in Museo Ducati at the Bologna factory, its custom dash with only a tachometer and temperature gauge. (Ducati /)

Short wheelbase and steep steering geometry generate twitchy steering response, but Tamburini adopted 30-millimeter-offset triple clamps for a 92.3-millimeter trail. When Massimo felt that his “balancing act” was finalized, he called me to proudly announce that he had obtained that 50-50 weight distribution on a Ducati spanning a 1,410-millimeter, or 55.5-inch, wheelbase. Knowing what designing an alternative chassis around the Ducati 90-degree V-twin means, I told Massimo that he might need to add one extra inch to the swingarm on the much more powerful SBK racer.

A carbon-fiber clutch cover in black weave next to an either lightweight fiberglass or carbon-fiber fairing—no one remembers which! (Ducati /)

Of course, Tamburini’s favorite steel-tubing trellis frame design made for a very elegant, lean structure, perfect for a rational and comfortable man-machine interface. On this lean structure, Tamburini set a compact tank that would naturally induce the rider to set their weight forward enough to keep the optimal 50-50 balance. The single-sided swingarm was Tamburini’s choice, and its structure was calculated resorting to the dear old sliderule—CAD was not there yet. Swingarm design was very complex, and the casting firm spent a lot of time and tons of bad words to get it right. Then came the magnesium superbike racer version (1 inch longer, as we had discussed), but the casting firm sharply rejected the order.

Magnesium wheels, swingarm, Öhlins suspension spec’d, as maestro would. (Ducati /)

Tamburini also played an obsessive role in defining fairing aerodynamics. How so? One rainy day, Tamburini donned his riding gear and set out in the pouring rain aboard one of the prototypes. An hour later he was back, completely drenched, and sharply ordered that the bike be left to dry untouched—he wanted to check the streaming marks left by the rain on the fairing to see where its design might create unwanted turbulence. That was Tamburini!

In his quest for maximum neatness, the exhaust system had to be totally tucked in, not to interfere with the rider or his styling vision. Tamburini kept honing the 916 project in every single technical and styling detail for more than four years, working on at least three prototypes, with immense dedication, passion, and love.

The Best Superbike in 1994’s Ten Best Bikes? You’re looking at it. “The most sensational superbike so far this decade.” Don Canet tests the original 916 in period-correct Bates custom leathers. (Bruno DePrato /)

We know how it turned out. The Ducati 916 is an innovative, sleek, elegant superbike; it also was light, fast, easy to ride, stable, neutral, and immensely agile, with solid and precise steering response.

It was designed by the wind.

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Tamburini kept the last of his prototypes for himself. It is unique in that it was progressively fitted with special parts, like the magnesium superbike swingarm with large hub, and magnesium racing wheels. The fairing is very light, but nobody remembers if it is the experimental thin fiberglass or the carbon-fiber version. And only the tachometer is there. Tamburini would not need more. Godspeed Massimo, ciao! Your Ducati 916 is pure art, still unequalled.

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[boboneleg]

Rare bikes, I don't think I've ever seen one

[Pedro]

How do you like them, mechanically, Bob?

To me, they look great but aren't the kind of thing I'd want to ride except to look cool going for a coffee. 

[boboneleg]

I can't even get into the position to ride one Pedro, if I have to take one for a MOT it goes in the van

Beautiful bikes to look at though, we specialise in the 748/916/996/998 models.

[Specs]

 My joints and back aren’t designed for those ergonomics.

[Buckster]

My left leg says no, that’s the part bionic one.

[Catteeclan]

Think I've mentioned in the past bro in law had one. Couldn't ride it for longer than 45mins and he's a short arse,