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26-590: Due to its problems, it has earned the title of ‘The Widowmaker’. The Suzuki TL1000S was introduced by Suzuki in 1997 in order to compete with the Ducati 916 in World Superbike Championship . A prominent journalist was killed on TLS during a tank-slapping incident with his wife as a witness. This earned the bike its reputation of a widow maker. Suzuki issued a global recall of the TLS after this incident to install

52-451: A chrome-moly trellis frame which was shared with the Ducati 748 in 1995 and beyond. This was combined with striking new bodywork that featured aggressive lines. In contrast to Japanese inline four-cylinder competitors of the time, its V-twin engine produced less outright power, but a more even torque spread. The 916 model was replaced by the 996 model in 1999. Design of the Ducati 916

78-524: A distinctive underseat exhaust system were also built into the new design. The chassis was also modified. Lighter wheels were introduced along with improved calipers, discs and pads stronger compared to the 916. The suspension system was still the same Showa design but both the front and back were fully adjustable for damping and preload. Updates in 2000 saw the wheels change and get updated to all new Marchesini wheels. The front forks were also titanium nitrided to reduce stiction . The spokes also changed from

104-507: A maximum torque of 105 Nm at 8000 RPM. Most of the chassis was the same as the 996 SPS, but using a new Brembo braking system, with thinner discs and 4-pad, 4-pot calipers with 34mm pistons. A Ducati 996 was featured in The Matrix Reloaded . Ducati updated the bike with Öhlins front forks, which featured a titanium nitride coating on the stanchions to minimise friction. An aluminum rear subframe and other detail modifications reduced

130-486: A new damper, which became standard in later-year models. The TLS motor featured a 90° V-twin for perfect primary balance and had hybrid chain/gear driven cams. A traditional cam chain turned a gear that in turn rotated the cams. This hybrid design eased maintenance immensely and gave the motor additional aural character because of the gear whine. The motor was also used for the Suzuki TL1000R . Suzuki also sold many of

156-583: A revised and more streamlined fairing, but most importantly the newly redesigned engine, the Testastretta (narrow-head) which actually displaced 998cc. The engine got its name from the narrower angle between the intake and exhaust valves, down to only 25 degrees, which was designed by Ing. Marchetti, coming from Ferrari F1. It featured more aggressive camshafts, titanium conrods and a shorter stroke and wider bore, which allowed it to rev more safely at high RPMs. It produced 98.5 kW (136 bhp) at 10,200 RPM with

182-470: A single-sided swingarm and USD forks , the 916 is frequently cited as one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever. The first development of the 916 model family can be traced back to the development of the four-valve Ducati engine, the Desmoquattro , through the development and racing of the earlier Pantah models, to the road-going 851 and 888 models. The chief designer of Ducati motorcycles since

208-455: Is a Ducati sport bike motorcycle made from 1999 to 2002, based upon the earlier 916 . From 1999, there were three different models of the 996: a base, or Biposto; the 996S with Öhlins suspension; the 996SPS (Europe only) which had a more powerful engine and less weight thanks to some titanium and carbon fibre parts. From 2001 the 996R replaced the 996SPS and featured the new 998 cc (60.9 cu in) Testastretta engine . There

234-595: The MV Agusta F4 , the bike which is seen as his replacement for the 916 range, and it shares many similarities with the 916 especially in the tail section. Both of these Tamburini designs were featured in the Guggenheim Museum's 1998 The Art of the Motorcycle exhibit. Looking back over a decade after its introduction, it is regularly placed on top lists of important designs in motorcycle history by authorities like

260-540: The 1970s was Fabio Taglioni (1920–2001), who introduced the Pantah in 1979. The engine was updated in the 1990s in the SuperSport (SS) series and all modern Ducati engines are derivatives of the Pantah, which used its camshafts to both open and close the engine's valves, eliminating the usual valve closing springs, a system called ' desmodromic '. Taglioni, did not, however, have an interest in four-valve head engines, and so this

286-436: The 916, technology and style, performance and symmetry reached maximum levels. ... From the worlds most prestigious bike magazines, the 916 received the title 'Motorcycle of the year' and many other well-deserved compliments. Making its debut in 1994, the Ducati 916 was admired because of its new design and outstanding technical features. At the time of introduction, the 916 was recognized by winning "every magazine's Bike of

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312-594: The Guggenheim Museum, Bennetts , and Design Week ; and authors Ian Falloon, Hugo Wilson, and Margaret Henderson. In a retrospective on the 1990s, Motorcyclist magazine simply stated, "1994: Ducati 916 debuts. Did anything else happen that year?" In addition to the Guggenheim exhibit noted above, an example is also held by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art . Ducati 996 The Ducati 996

338-706: The Manufacturer's Championship in all those years. On March 1 and 2 in 1999, at the AHRMA Classic Days at Daytona International Speedway , Devin Battley rode a 1998 Ducati 916 to two victories. First, in the eight-lap Formula One class, and then in the Battle of the Twins Open class. The 916 was later replaced by the 996 and 998 with similar design but revised engines and more power. Massimo Tamburini went on to design

364-593: The TL motors to Cagiva to be used in the Navigator and V-Raptor models. Bimota also used the engine for their popular Bimota SB8K . V-twin engines are longer from front to rear. In order to keep the wheelbase as short as possible, the rear shock absorber /damper was separated from the spring. The spring was located on the right side of the bike and employed a rotary style rear damper that provided its damping characteristics through rotating arms. This 'rotary' damper would overheat

390-668: The Year award for 1994", and Ducati sold out its entire first year's production run in the United States before any had actually arrived there. First presented at the Bologna Motor Show in December 1994, the 916 Senna was a special edition to commemorate Formula 1 World Champion, Ayrton Senna , an avid Ducati enthusiast who endorsed its release shortly before his death in May 1994. At the time,

416-401: The crankshaft stroke from 64 mm to 66 mm, keeping the same 94 mm bore size as the 888, resulting in a capacity of 916 cc. (By the time the 916 was introduced, the final 851/888 Corse engines had also had their bore sizes increased to 96 mm resulting in 'race only' capacities of 926 cc and 955 cc respectively.) The 916 was a smaller motorcycle than the 888, with

442-451: The latest superbike, but the best there had ever been. It set new standards of performance, handling, and braking, but also style and charisma. ... The 916 changed the face of sports bikes in a way that only the original Suzuki GSX-R750 had managed a decade earlier. [W]ho could forget 1994 when Ducati stunned the world with the amazing 916? It was another Ducati-inspired revolution in the high-performance sports motorcycle category. With

468-410: The oil under heavy use and can lead to a complete loss of damping. Many have now had this damper set up replaced with coil over shock units like 'Ohlins' etc. Ducati 916 The Ducati 916 is a fully faired sport bike made by Ducati from 1994 to 1998. Featuring a 916 cc (56 cu in) fuel injected , 4-valve, desmo , liquid-cooled, 90° V-twin engine in a trellis frame with

494-499: The project was facilitated by the fact that Claudio Castiglioni, Ducati's owner, was a personal friend of Senna's. In total, between 1995, 1998 and 2001, Ducati released three "Senna" editions and, in every instance, net proceeds were donated to the Instituto Ayrton Senna charity. Ducati won 4 Superbike World Championships with the 916, in 1994–1996, and in 1998, with riders Carl Fogarty and Troy Corser . Ducati won

520-482: The rear shocks were made by high quality Swedish suspensions manufacturer, Öhlins with Showa front forks. In 2000 Öhlins forks were added. The adjustable steering head also allowed geometry changes to the steel tube trellis frame making it suitable for different riding styles or race tracks. In 2001 Ducati introduced the limited production (only 500 were built), 996 R, the suffix standing for ‘Racing’, which featured Öhlins suspension (rear and front), carbon fiber bodywork,

546-465: The standard 996. The 996’s special SPS engine was much stronger than anything that Ducati or any other manufacturer at the time had produced for the track. To ensure a distance was held between the standard 996 and the 996SPS Ducati designed a much higher specification chassis for the SPS. The wheels were a five spoke design but were lighter than the standard three spoke design of the 916 and the early 996. In 1999

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572-432: The three-spoke rim style of the 916 to a new five-spoke scheme. In 2001 another overhaul saw the 996 rear shock absorber change from a Showa to an Öhlins. In 2002, the 996 was superseded by the Ducati 998 . The 996SPS suffix stood for ‘Sport Production Special’. The engine was the same as the one used in the 916SPS but the weight was cut down considerably. The 996SPS produced around 92.4 kW (124 bhp), more than

598-519: Was a synthesis of form and function: Journalist Kevin Ash suggested that although the 916 was "one of the most influential machines of the last twenty years", the design is actually derivative of the Honda NR750 , with the shared elements of underseat exhaust, narrow waist, similar squared-off dual headlights, and single-sided swingarm holding a large-section rear tire. The really big news for 1994, however,

624-510: Was also the 748 , which offered less horsepower. The 996 had larger 98 mm (3.9 in) pistons, larger valves, a stronger crankshaft and crankcases ported from the 916 SPS. But since the 916 camshaft gave a softer, less peaky power delivery and less top-end power (83.5 kW (112.0 hp) versus the SPS’s 92.4 kW (123.9 hp)) the 996 was built with a new air intake system with two fuel injectors per cylinder. A new airbox and

650-541: Was left to his successor. The eight-valve V-twin was the work of Taglioni's successor, Massimo Bordi. Designed by Massimo Tamburini and Sergio Robbiano and his team at the Cagiva Research Centre in San Marino , the 916's water-cooled engine was a revision of that of its predecessor, the 888 , with larger displacement and a new engine management system. The greater displacement was accomplished by increasing

676-410: Was the arrival of the ground-breaking 916. This machine's engine size matched its code number and had been achieved by increasing the stroke of the 888 from 64 to 66 mm. ... This was the work of Massimo Tamburini, who has been described as one of the greatest motorcycle designers of the late 20th century – and with good cause. ... To many enthusiasts around the world, the 916 was not simply

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