Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127653
ping a gea r too low every time. This bike is tuned for the road, not the track. Revs just make it touchy and skittish. I foun d it was far better to hold off on the las t down shift and ride around lazily, yet no slower , relying on the torque and hig h m id range horsepower to drag me ou t. This kind of power is much less threatening to use - you have no fear of highsiding out of the comers; the smooth, unstressed d elivery gives you trac tion. Much the same could be said of the 888, though the d e livery of th e 916 is far s moot her and more fo rceful in the midrange. The engine is ma rkedly less lumpy low down than the 888, too. From tickover to around 4000 rpm the big twin is usually rather uncomfortable and uneven . The 916 se ems to pull more cleanly, possibly because of improvements in the fueling and ignition map. The gearbox is exactly the same as the 888, though the prototype 916 I rode had a smoother, more precise change. The rear sprocket is one tooth smaller to take advantage of the extra po wer; this didn't help the bike a t the top of the revs, though. Progress beyond 8000 rpm is slow, but revs are not wha t big twins are about. Unless, of co urse, you're d iscussin g th e factory' racer 916. Mass imo Bord i told us th e new racer is much m ore powerful than last year's 926cc motor. The extra capacity (954cc is possible, now) and headwork has given the engine, a nd I quote, "More th an 150 bhp." Honda and Kawasaki have much to worry about Returning to the road machine, one criticism I could level at the power delivery is how jerky it can be as you roll the throttle on from closed. Fea thering it to get smooth p rogress arou nd the slow co rners was difficult; hop efu ll y it's something the factory will recognize and tun e out of the fuel injection map. The real imp rove ment over the 888 is in the handling dep artment. Compared to th e h andling of the likes of the ZXR750 and the Honda CBR900, the 888 Strada was clearly behind. Not only did the suspension feel crude against the Japanese rivals, the 888 had a tendency to flop over into slow corners as you shut the gas, and fight you into the faster ones. The 916 is a different bike. The suspe nsion is far more refined than that of the 888, the chassis is twice as stiff. After the morning session I was short of complaints, one of which was that the fork dived too suddenly in the initial phase of the stroke while hard on the brakes. It would upset the rhythm a little and was pr obabl y something easily remed ied with screwdriver. The bike has loa d s o f rear suspens ion tra vel. It promises to be good on bumpy roads at sp eed . And w ith such as ' sho rt wheelbase, it helps keep the back wheel on the deck under braking. I gu ess the only real complaint I had was I felt it was hard to hold a tigh t line on a constant throttle on the sharpe r corners. The bike had wo rn Pirellis for the session. In the afternoon, on a Michelinshod bike, there was no such problem. It would hold its line w ithou t extra effort and could be pulled in yet tighter. Discussions with various top race rs afte rwards confirmed that Pirellis are much heavier than Michelins and would create a stronger gyroscopic effect making it understeer. The bike I rode in the second session didn't dive as quickly as the first bike, either. . The balance of the 916 is clearly different than that of the 888. There is less weight on the front of the 916. The easiest way to demonstrate this is to open the throttle wide in first gear - the front end comes straight up. It wheelies effortlessly on the power where the 888 won't It could be the e n g in e' s increased ou tput, but I'd bet a lotta lira that it's due to the different weight d istribution. In it s handling, the bike fee ls better balanced. Although the r acing world will tell you it's bett er to ha ve plen ty of wei ght over the fro n t w heel, th e 916 beha ves superbly in every position you can put it . Misano h as I eve ry type of bend: a fast fourth gear tip-in, a hairpi n, horsesh oes and three increasingly fast left kinks, the last which is taken a t around 120 m ph. Nowh ere d id the bike feel out o f shape or lose its comp os u re. Swooping around the ho rs eshoe, left ear skimming the tarmac, you could snap it on and off the gas and the bike would just hold the line. Out of comers hard on the throttle, the 916 acce le r ates on target - no understeer or oversteer. The front, however, could feel ligh t and not well-planted under hard accelera tion, causing the front wh eel to waver slightly while wanting to lift. Again, I'd point to the weight distribution. Falappa's gonna love it. The bike is far from intimidating. It's small and narrow, and there's very little plastic around or in front of you. You sit neither in it nor on top of it. It's just r ight - the ki nd of bike you can ride harder and harder, going faste r and faster, p ushing your limits and boosting your confidence. Tamburini has spent a long time in the wind tunnel with the 916 exp loring a new approach to aerodynamics on bikes. I'd give credit for this new line of thinking to John Britten, the m an w ho built his own Ducati-eater. That bike, although good for a stable 180 mp h, had no fairin g as such. It accounted for th e rider as part of the aerodynamic package, ra ther than to shield him from the wind blast. The same theory is applied to the Supennono and now the 916. Tamburini and Paren ti are claiming their bodywork (the bike's streamlining) ha s added the eq uivalen t effect o f around 10 bhp at top whack. The same engine was tried in two ch assis - last year's World Superbike chassis, then the 916. Tardozzi passed the timing lights at Mugello at 176 mph.six mph faste r tha n he did riding the 888 chassis with the same motor fitted. Now, to look at the 916, none of this is very obviou s. How can a bike which leaves its rider flapping (Above left)The steering damper Is located on the triple clamps and can be adjusted while on the move. (Above) The 916 uses Brembo disc brakes and a Showa Inverted fork. (Left) This year's Ducatl superblke gets a singlesided swlngarm and a stainless-steel, two-one-two exhaust system. DUCATI916 ~eations in the wi nd be so m uch more aerodynamic that it makes the bike faster? Tamburini's theory is tha t the rid er is part of the aerodynamic whole. You don't try to shield him from the win dblast - tha t just creates turbulence be hi nd the fa iri ng, which slows the bike a nd rider. You offer the smallest, narrowes t fro n ta l aspect possi ble. Tamburini noted in the wind tunnel that by mak ing the fairin g narrower to the bike, exposing more of rider's legs, it actually increased the aerodynamic efficiency of the fairing. Anyway, I was having no trouble hanging on down the back straight at 140 mph. The Hockenheim ro u nd of the World Superbike Series will be the acid test. This is cine Italian motorcycle which doesn 't beg forgiveness for its poor attention to detail. It's the most beautifully finished motorcycle ever to come out of Italy, Bimotas included. The footrests and levers are petite and stylish; the clip-oris are hinged for quick removal (a patented feat ure); the small, neat steering damper sits beh ind the headstock, adjustable while on the move (another patent p e nd in g ); the unique headlamps are held by a smart but hidden light cast alloy su bfra me; there's a shaped single-side swingann, and tha t st unning cast a lloy q-d r ear wheel. It's covered in nice bits and they all fit beautifully together. ' Ind eed, if it weren't for the badge on the tank and the familiar bow- wow-wow ' from th e exhausts, I'd say this bike wa s ano ther make altogether. A Cagiva perhaps? When he's not eating pasta with Italians, Grant Leonard is the edit or of SuperBike magazine in England...Editor. Engine type Water-cooled, ,. . 9O-degree V-twin, 916cc desmodromic, four-valve Bore x Stroke : 66 x 94mm Compression ratio ,I l;1 Induction .; Weber Marelli EFI Claimed power 114bhp at 9000 rpm Clutch : .Dry multiplate Gearbox .Six-speed Final drive Chain Frame .5teel trellis using engine as stressed member Front suspension .....Showa , inverted fork, 43mm stan chions, fully adjustable Rear suspension Showa, fully adjustable Brakes Front Twin Brembo 320mm floating discs, two four-piston calipers Rear 22Omm single disc Tires Front.. 120/7G-17 in. Pirelli Rear , 190/ 50-17 in. Pirelli Wheels Front 3.50 x 17 in. 3-spoke Rear 5.50 x 17 in. 3-spoke Wheelbase 56.4 in. Castor: 24.5 degrees, adjustable +/ - 1 degree Trail 2.56-4 in. t..;; , 429 Ibs. istribution 49.75%(front)/ 50.25% (rear) ยทยทยท, ;.: ,.....;..31.6 m. ..........: : 4.42 gallons While Cycle News beli ves thefuregoing test relie able, it is the opinion of the reoieuers only and slwulJi not be relied upon in determining the performance or safety of the ""hid e(s). The reader should make his or her awninvestigatiDn