916 vs. 996 vs. 998 - Ducati.ms

gsxr1k · Apr 14th, 2007, 5:58 pm

So this is my first post on this forum. I'm trying to decide which model to buy. My favorite is the 916, 996 and 998 bikes. I intend to keep one of these three indefinitely. I need to know the pros and cons between these generations, other than price of course. Including the Bi, Mono, SPS, S and R models. I've done some searching on in this forum and have found only bits and pieces. Since I intend to keep the bike forever, maintenance issues are very important to me. Any links, information and advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks...

JEC · Apr 14th, 2007, 6:04 pm

916 FAQ.
http://www.desmoclan.org/news/?p=25

the-duc-master · Apr 14th, 2007, 6:33 pm

ill go for the 998 because of the flaking is fix on 998 i have a 996 and i love it all are good bikes

TonyTuzz · Apr 14th, 2007, 6:48 pm

Buy the nicest, newest one you can afford. The flaky rocker issue notwithstanding, they really did get better as they went. The 998 is by far the best one- faster, smoother, and the most reliable.

ducatimike · Apr 14th, 2007, 9:01 pm

I have had a 97 916 for about 3 years and have mainly used it as a track bike. Have a had a few minor problems, but nothing expensive, or difficult to fix. I have really enjoyed the bike. It handles well, and has just enough power to be fun, but not too much to get you into trouble. It just fits my riding style.

I think it is true that the newer bikes (996, 998) have had the problem areas cleared up, but if you get a 916, it is not difficult to fix the weak areas and make it reliable. I think the motor itself is very robust. If taken care of, can last many thousands of miles.

I just bought another 916 (98) for a very low price and have fixed it up for track days for my son. I installed the MBP retainers and checked all the rocker arms and not one was flaking. Good deals are out there.

Mike

John · Apr 14th, 2007, 10:31 pm

I like all three models but if I had a choice and could spend a little more, I would get the 998. As others have said, the bikes got better as they got newer. The 998 having the Testastretta motor will have more power and more reliability. Three things come to mine: the flaking rockers, flywheel nut backing out and older electrics plagued the desmoquattro machines. The 95 916 was pretty much imune to the flaking rockers, but it still had the other aforementioned issues. Personally, my 95 916 had only one problem (so far) and that was the rectifier taking a crap. I upgraded the wiring and got a new rectifier and built a better heat sink in order to dissapate the heat better. Considering the bike is now 12 years old, thats not to shabby. However, I have to balance that statement with the fact the bike only has 7.8K miles on it.

Geof3 · Apr 14th, 2007, 11:11 pm

The general rule is buy what you can afford. You won't find a WELL SORTED 998 for much less than 10k most likely. You might get lucky, and find one less but they do hold the premium.

All the talk of flaky rockers, bad electrics etc, are a bit overblown IMHO. I've talked to several mechanincs about the rockers of the Desmo motors and while there is certainly an issue and should be checked at regular service intervals, it is not as wide spread as it seems on this board. If you do get a bad rocker or two, change it/them out and all is good to go. Some of the Test motors have flaky rockers as well. Even some of the 999 series have rocker issues, but they are better.

As to the electrics the issues there were early (pre 99) in the 916 bikes with the single phase charging system. The 996/998 pretty much have those issues sorted. Some little glitchy things here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The biggest issue with this entire series of bikes is the maintenance records in terms of valve adjustments, belts etc. Without full, up to date maint records, add 1000.00 to the purchase price of whichever model you choose. Any one will be great if you take care of it and treat it with a bit of TLC... They all have their stuff, but they are ALL truly sublime... there isn't much out there that can give you the sweet satisfaction of owning a piece of racing history for such a cheap price...

gsxr1k · Apr 15th, 2007, 12:39 am

Thanks for the info, Sounds like the 998 is a good bet. What about the 996R? Isn't it a different motor?

DucDucGoose998 · Apr 15th, 2007, 2:26 am

996R is a testastretta, same as the 998. However I don't know if it is a deep or normal sump, nor do I know performance differences. If I could find a 996R for cheap I'd jump all over it in a heartbeat...................John

TonyTuzz · Apr 15th, 2007, 7:47 am

One other thing- Ducatis are like Ferraris, meaning low miles can be a bad thing. These things really deteriorate when they are kept as garage art. If I had a choice between two ten year old examples, and one (with, let's say, 12k miles) had been well maintained and documented, versus a 2k mile garage queen, I'd pick the bike with miles every time.