[JUCE]

Hello fellow Ducati friends,


I have a question regarding my beautiful 1995 Ducati 916 desmoquatro...

First off, the last 6 digits of my VIN are 002385, and the motor ID number ends with 002709. Now i heard that the numbers don't correlate, but im still really worried that the engine isn't original?! im emailed Ducati 5 minutes ago and hope to hear back!

The other (and main) question is about the 916 S1 - is there such thing? or is that just a standard 916 strada? I have single injector per cyl, P8 computer, possible chip mod?, showas on front and rear, cast (and warped) from brakes, and the elephant logo on gas lid, swing arm, and motor.

Do I have anything special here, or just a normal awesome Ducati???

Thanks in advance!

Here's some pics


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[El_Gladiator]

It's not exactly a "normal" 916. The fact you have a P8 ECU means it's not a 1995 916 but a 1994.

IMO, it's a very early 916 strada built at Varese, not Borgo Panigale, at the CAGIVA RESEARCH CENTER (CRC).

ONE OF THE 200 VERY FIRST 916 OF HISTORY. Mother of all 916/748/996/998.

If the bike is bone stock, it must be monoposto with aluminium subframe.
Your engine is somewhere between 1995 biposto specs and SP specs.

If it's truly that kind of bike, it's a collector....holly grail....the kind of thing you keep as stock as possible and that is more reliable that a financial investment in a crappy bank.

 

[Shazaam]

Actually, the one injector/cylinder Weber-Marelli IAW P8 ECU was used on 1994-1995 916 Strada, 916SP, 916SPS, and 996SPS. The Weber-Marelli IAW 1.6M ECU
was used later on the 916 Biposto, so your P8 is stock.

While starting production in Bologna, Ducati also hand-built some early 916's at the Cagiva factory in Varese. The highest serial number 1995 V-bike is around 002800.

The 10th character is an "S" so it's a 1995 model. The 11th character in the VIN is "V" so you have an early Varese factory built 916 with (from the picture) a stock exhaust chip. Most 916's were built in the Bologna factory, so yours is medium rare. These early bikes didn't have the flaking rocker issue of later bikes.

Buying a Used Ducati Superbike - Ducati.ms - The Ultimate Ducati Forum

 

[silvaire]

IMO, it's a very early 916 strada built at Varese, not Borgo Panigale, at the CAGIVA RESEARCH CENTER (CRC).

Yes, some 916s were built at Varese. That is the location of Cagiva/Husqvarna's main plants in that era (and where they made Aermacchis before and now MV Agustas). A lot of Monsters were also assembled at Varese, because the Ducati factory was busy making SS's. At the time, they tried to hide that they were assembling Ducatis at Varese for fear of bad publicity. Over time they moved the 'new' bikes to Bologna too and let Varese make Husqvarnas, Elephants, Gran Canyons, Mitos etc.

CRC is something different - that is the shop set up by Cagiva to *design* the bikes (including the 916) and was near Rimini, where Tamburini lived. Cagiva built him his own design shop to lure him away from Bimota. They did not produce bikes at CRC, but the bikes designed there have CRC badges regardless of where they are built.

 

[916duc]

'95-916 Vin# SV002606, motor #SB8S002852 Under seat sticker Manuf date 12-94, also tagged ZDM 916 S1. Cagiva logos everywhere...... even underneath footpegs.

Motor has "H" bean con-rods. Anything special about this other than the con-rods?

 

[ray916mn]

According to Ian Falloon, 2663 916s were produced in 1994 at Varese. A paint shop fire at Bologna in early '94 necessitated production in Varese. As these bikes were produced on a temporary assembly line, they were "hand produced" as opposed to the bikes which were produced later in Bologna. Spec for early bikes also was a bit different. Early bikes have different Pankl rods than later production as well as the P8 computers. The P8 bikes could be chipped or reprogrammed.

Surprisingly the tire spec tag on the underside of the tail section of my bike calls for a 170 section rear tire, while these bikes were delivered with an oversized for the rim 190 section rear tire, and most people prefer to run 180 section rear tires. Clearly when the early bikes were built the spec for the bikes was still a little fluid.

Unmolested versions of these bikes command a premium in the marketplace over later bikes in equal condition and spec. There was a clean example recently sold on this forum that went for close to $7K.

The engine numbers do not match the frame numbers. The last 4 digits of my Vin are 2312, 72 bikes ahead of yours. I can't remember my engine number.

Warped front brake rotors are common. A nice upgrade is cast iron full floater Brembos which came on some special later models. There are a slew of other modifications which can made to improve the bike. In any all cases, save your stock parts.

 

[JUCE]

Thank you all for your thoughts and insight! Its exciting to know the history of the bike - and even if a S1 is not a 1-of-a-kind leaked experiment bike, its still thousands of times more unique than the asian litter bikes that are all over. The mechanical beauty of the bike is fascinating, and the bike is built in a way that makes at an absolute joy to work on.
Ducati sent me the following information on a previous inquiry :: The bike is a 916 Monoposto USA 1994/1995. Was sell to the local dealer Cagiva North America the 25th October 1994. Ducati produced in total 793 bikes, 470 in 1994 and 323 in 1995.

So far I have all the original pieces (thanks for that great advice!) except possibly the original rotors (mine do not have the circular pattern), front turn signals, and windscreen. I have swapped out for some integrated led tail lights and a sergeant gel seat, but I keep all the spare parts.





Thank

 

[ray916mn]

Looks very nice. You have the Brembo cast iron full floater rotors. They jingle when you move the bike around. I'd be surprised if they are warped. The stock rotors were also used on the 900SS and can be bought pretty inexpensively and readily. The turn signals were also used on the Buells of the late 90s.

 

[John]

I concur what Shazaam said from my recollection of my 1995 916. Mine also had the P8 computer and the S1 designation on the bike. I took the bike soon after I bought it to a well known and respected Ducati mechanic in the Bay Area of SF to have the original tires changed and new belts. I remember him telling me of his liking the P8 over the later ECUs and the fact it was rare indeed a 95 model had a case of flaking rockers. I kept the bike for six years and reluctantly sold it to a gentleman up in Seattle. He paid $9,200 for the bike. He wanted it and it was set up exactly how he would want one. I spent a fair chunk of change and time upgrading it, worth it to me because at the time I couldn't ride after sustaining major injuries in a motorcycle accident. To this day I regret selling it, I mean that big time. I wanted to get into sport touring and landed on a Multistrada. Unfortunately it wasn't what I expected and I sold it after owning it less than a year. The 999R eventually filled the shoes of the 916 and has done a very nice job of it. Enjoy the new ride and one thing I really appreciated about the 916, its ability to stay planted and on the riding line in high speed sweepers.

Heres a pic of her in full glory.

 

[silvaire]

JUCE

Enjoy the bike, I think you've got the right idea. The 916 was a special motorcycle because of the era in which it was designed (things were better in the early 90s Italian industry) and because of who designed it - Cagiva went out on a limb to get the best guy from Bimota and let him do his thing.

I bought my 996 for the same reasons.

Be glad you don't have the 'round hole' front disks. They were cost cutting junk produced in Japan by Fuji and used by Ducati and others to save money. Eventually everybody knew they were junk and when TPG took over it was one of the first things they changed. Brembo had not produced stainless disks by that time, but the full floater cast iron Brembo disks you have on the bike were the BEST you could buy in terms of performance. I wish you could still buy them.

 

[Motobee]

The early 94-95 bikes had rivets with speed-clips holding the windshield on and the upper to lower fairing sections. You almost never see these anymore as they get replaced with the small allen bolts. One of the faults was that one of the rivets would rub against the battery, eating a hole in it.

Does your bike still have the rivets?

I had one of the very first 1994 bikes, and loved it, should have never sold it.
When they first came out, 916 owners banded together as there were about 20 problems with the bike that people came out with fixes (steering damper rubbing on fuel tank, the rivet problem, etc.)

There are a few recalls on the bike, throttle cables and rear axle shaft that you should make sure that they have been performed.

 

[916duc]

Yes - recall the rivets / speednuts, soon replaced with Torx / wellnuts. Was all original, yet I consider everything done so far was for the better.......

Since the last pic, have gone with full floaters and 4 pad calipers w/60mm adapters.... a keeper for me.

 

[Ducatierv]

Mine still has them and also along the two fairing panels.

I bought mine new in Nov 94 and its still magnificant...pic of the time I brought her home

 

[JUCE]

Yes I have the quick clips and rivets on the side panels. sadly there are some repaired cracks in some of the panels. and the windscreen has little aluminum hex button screws... im sure they came with the aftermarket windscreen whenever that was put on.

I originally purchased two salvage bikes, an 06 gsxr600 and an 08 buell 1125R. I intended to flip them both, but really liked the buell and kept it. it was such an insane bike, but eventually I posted it on craigslist for $4k. A gentleman contacted me from craigslist asking that instead of selling it, we trade for his Ducati. which i did! and while i miss the raw power of the 1125r, the ducati is such a fine bike!

The bikes front rotors are warped pretty bad, and im not sure if that is something that can get fixed? it seems that new outer disks cost just as much as entire front rotor sets, at least on ebay. I will have to keep an eye out for those buell turn signals that you mentioned! And the stearing damper rubs slightly against the fuel tank, which has warn down a small portion of the paint... is that what the prior mentioned damper rubber was for? in any case, it just looks like it was built too close - doesn't look like anything was messed with.

and THANK YOU everyone for posting pictures! its fun to see all these early 916's! I wonder how many early 916's remain? seeing as only ~750 of the 94/95's made it to the states.

 

[ray916mn]

The rotors can not be straightened, and I would take a very close look at the bike for crash damage. Get the front end up in the air, make sure the front wheel is straight and the forks are straight, pull the side fairings off and look for rashing. The rotors should have been very resistant to warping and I would make sure that it isn't that they've been bent.

The allen headed windscreen fasteners as I recollect are what came originally on the bike. The steering damper rubs the tank when the front end steering concentric is set to greater rake (slower more stable steering) as opposed to the steep rake setting (quicker steering). If you set the steering head concentric to the steeper position, the damper will no longer rub the tank.

 

[Motobee]

As 916Duc and DucatiErv have also mentioned, the windscreen on the early bikes was held on by rivets with speedclips, not allen bolts. The later bikes had tiny Torx, not allen bolts holding the windscreen and fairing halves on.

 

[John]

Yes I have the quick clips and rivets on the side panels. sadly there are some repaired cracks in some of the panels. and the windscreen has little aluminum hex button screws... im sure they came with the aftermarket windscreen whenever that was put on.

I originally purchased two salvage bikes, an 06 gsxr600 and an 08 buell 1125R. I intended to flip them both, but really liked the buell and kept it. it was such an insane bike, but eventually I posted it on craigslist for $4k. A gentleman contacted me from craigslist asking that instead of selling it, we trade for his Ducati. which i did! and while i miss the raw power of the 1125r, the ducati is such a fine bike!

The bikes front rotors are warped pretty bad, and im not sure if that is something that can get fixed? it seems that new outer disks cost just as much as entire front rotor sets, at least on ebay. I will have to keep an eye out for those buell turn signals that you mentioned! And the stearing damper rubs slightly against the fuel tank, which has warn down a small portion of the paint... is that what the prior mentioned damper rubber was for? in any case, it just looks like it was built too close - doesn't look like anything was messed with.

and THANK YOU everyone for posting pictures! its fun to see all these early 916's! I wonder how many early 916's remain? seeing as only ~750 of the 94/95's made it to the states.

I bought a new Buell 1125CR back in Nov 09, during the fire sale. It was my first naked bike and I really liked it. I would have kept it because there wasn't anything drastic I didn't like about it. I made a few upgrades, some carbon fiber, etc. It was a cool looking bike and fun to ride. Not as good as the 916 in the handling department though. What forced me to sell it was my lack of confidence in Harley Davidson supporting the brand after the warranty expired. I heard many stories about the lack of service and then the mechanical issues started rearing its ugly head. Too much potential for drama with the ongoing stator problems and various other issues Harley half heartedly addressed if at all.

 

[JUCE]

The 1125 buells were less harley than ever before - and the only problems they were prone to was stator issues similar to the 916, and a poor implementation of the hydraulic clutch slave piston. Other than that, fantastic bike! I'm a firm believer in doing ones own mechanical work (for a more intimate knowledge of what you're trusting your life to), and the 916 truely takes the cake! This is the easiest bike to work on!

Today I went through the electrical system, polishing connectors, and added contact-grease at every electrical connection point. I noticed the wires near the VRM (voltage reg module) were a little melted as expected. I cut out the old connector (high resistance point), and soldered things direct. Hopefully that keeps the resistance much lower, and in turn keeps them a little cooler. Also, the LED tail lights take the strain of two tail lights burning 50-100 watts continuously.

I pulled the clutch apart and dusted it out. One of the friction plates (? the ones without the brake-material) had 5 equidistant areas that were polished to a mirror surface. Is this indicative of one going bad?

Next, with the front brakes. There is zero signs of an accident to this bike; no scuffed rims, sides, engine, frame, etc. Would the issue be that the inner rotors (gold parts) are bent? or would it just be the steel outer disk that warped?

And finally, with the steering dampener - i was not aware you could change the pitch of the front fork! (or thats what I took from your explanation). If so, thats really neat! and I will have to look up the procedure to modify that!


THANKS AGAIN for ALL THE HELP AND SUGGESTIONS, EVERYONE :-D

 

[JUCE]

I have been looking around and cant seem to find any reliable info...

Is there a quick explanations of how to properly change the front fork setup so that the dampener isn't rubbing on the tank?

And is there a forum with rotor cross references? I was hoping to find one from another bike, because it may help me find one more inexpensively.

Thanks again!

 

[JEC]

I have been looking around and cant seem to find any reliable info...

Is there a quick explanations of how to properly change the front fork setup so that the dampener isn't rubbing on the tank?

And is there a forum with rotor cross references? I was hoping to find one from another bike, because it may help me find one more inexpensively.

Thanks again!

For rotors, 996 and 748 items will fit fine if you want upgraded ones that won't warp or crack.
Heres a NOS set on the Bay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DUCATI-748-916-996-996S-BREMBO-320MM-BRAKE-ROTORS-NEW-/110879943842