888 (1988 - 1994) review
This is an SP5 - the best of the bunch. The Italian tradition of rule-bending began and the 851 grew to 888cc to ensure that Ducati wouldn’t have to try too hard to win, they took 17 out of possible 26 wins and walked away with it in 1992 too. Ducati forgot to increase their engine capacity in 1993 and lost to Kawasaki in WSB.
This is an SP5 - the best of the bunch. The Italian tradition of rule-bending began and the 851 grew to 888cc to ensure that Ducati wouldn’t have to try too hard to win, they took 17 out of possible 26 wins and walked away with it in 1992 too. Ducati forgot to increase their engine capacity in 1993 and lost to Kawasaki in WSB.
The racing was good and the fact that, finances permitting, you could stroll into your local dealer with a massive hangover and put £500 down on a World Superbike motorcycle with some extra wiring in it was unbearably exciting for so many of us. I was certainly daft enough, but had already spent the money on beer and never managed to get my 15 minutes on the OW01. Until today. Today is a big day. I’m outside the pub that was my local in 1993 and I have the keys to the two most desirable bikes of that time.
The Yamaha looks dated and unattractive, yet purposeful and menacing. It is adorned with the finest equipment money could then buy, and many trick features that are not possible for the eye to detect. The aluminium Deltabox frame is lightened internally. We have titanium conrods, 2-ring pistons, hand finished ports, magnesium brake calipers, multi-adjustable suspension with ride height adjusters. Nice touches adorn it – the span adjustable levers and electronic fuel reserve switch – all very trick back in ’93. Its price tag today is high enough to make you wince but 15 years back, it was absolutely through the roof and gave the pub bullshitters all the ammo they needed to threaten everyone within earshot about how they would be turning up at the pub the very next day on their shiny new race bike. The example before me is indeed a shiny new race bike – it’s hardly turned a wheel since 1993 and will be one of the most valuable bikes I get to ride this year.
The Ducati SP5 couldn’t be more different and provides enough of a talking point in the design department alone. It was always a bit of a stunner but dated during the 916 years and became less loved and less impressive. Yet now it has made a remarkable return to its former beauty. As the1098 has adopted a sharper set of angles, the 916 is looking a little frumpy and unfashionable yet this immaculate SP5 number 186 is tiny, pretty and oozes designer class and racing pedigree. No flashy stick-on graphics here. No longer fat and bulbous, its subtle curves, twin carbon Termignoni’s, squared off headlamp and high-stepped tail unit with extra thick bum stop adorned with the Number One are back in vogue. Like the OW01, this particular bike looks like it has just been un-crated and run in especially for me.
This is an SP5 - the best of the bunch. The Italian tradition of rule-bending began and the 851 grew to 888cc to ensure that Ducati wouldn’t have to try too hard to win, they took 17 out of possible 26 wins and walked away with it in 1992 too. Ducati forgot to increase their engine capacity in 1993 and lost to Kawasaki in WSB.
The racing was good and the fact that, finances permitting, you could stroll into your local dealer with a massive hangover and put £500 down on a World Superbike motorcycle with some extra wiring in it was unbearably exciting for so many of us. I was certainly daft enough, but had already spent the money on beer and never managed to get my 15 minutes on the OW01. Until today. Today is a big day. I’m outside the pub that was my local in 1993 and I have the keys to the two most desirable bikes of that time.
The Yamaha looks dated and unattractive, yet purposeful and menacing. It is adorned with the finest equipment money could then buy, and many trick features that are not possible for the eye to detect. The aluminium Deltabox frame is lightened internally. We have titanium conrods, 2-ring pistons, hand finished ports, magnesium brake calipers, multi-adjustable suspension with ride height adjusters. Nice touches adorn it – the span adjustable levers and electronic fuel reserve switch – all very trick back in ’93. Its price tag today is high enough to make you wince but 15 years back, it was absolutely through the roof and gave the pub bullshitters all the ammo they needed to threaten everyone within earshot about how they would be turning up at the pub the very next day on their shiny new race bike. The example before me is indeed a shiny new race bike – it’s hardly turned a wheel since 1993 and will be one of the most valuable bikes I get to ride this year.
The Ducati SP5 couldn’t be more different and provides enough of a talking point in the design department alone. It was always a bit of a stunner but dated during the 916 years and became less loved and less impressive. Yet now it has made a remarkable return to its former beauty. As the1098 has adopted a sharper set of angles, the 916 is looking a little frumpy and unfashionable yet this immaculate SP5 number 186 is tiny, pretty and oozes designer class and racing pedigree. No flashy stick-on graphics here. No longer fat and bulbous, its subtle curves, twin carbon Termignoni’s, squared off headlamp and high-stepped tail unit with extra thick bum stop adorned with the Number One are back in vogue. Like the OW01, this particular bike looks like it has just been un-crated and run in especially for me.
