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The
SPS was the culmination of the development of the original 916 as
a roadbike. Producing a lot more power than the billy-basic model
and endowed with extra grunt over the SP, the S really is the one
to get if you want the full-on Ducati experience. Bearing in mind
you can pick up good secondhand ones now for under £8,000
it's not really worth buying a lower spec.
All 916s are a bit extreme with their riding position, but the
wrist-heavy crouch does give you great feel for the front end. Steering
is sedate rather than razor sharp, but once into a turn the bike
is ultra stable, so you can just keep leaning over until you fall
off.
The
motor delivers huge amounts of grunt, and with the thumping drive
of the V-twin giving the rear tyre a chance to grip, the throttle
can be wound on early exiting bends, so the SPS is a difficult bugger
to pass on a twisty road or track.
Marchesini magnesium wheels are worth fitting as they improve the
steering greatly, helping the bike to turn in faster than the slightly
leisurely standard machine.
The suspension is pretty harsh, but it's the stiff setup that gives
the 916 such tremendous feel and corner speed. Soften things up
and the handling suffers, which kinda misses the point of the thing.
It's
also worth running the bike with the steeper head angle set, although
the bar clearance to the fairing is a bit tight. But steering response
is much improved and allows you to turn with those pesky 750s. Gets
a bit flappy over the bumpy stuff but, hey, what are steering dampers
for?
If you can live with the rattly dry clutch, unforgiving
suspension and extreme riding position, the SPS will give you a
pretty unique riding experience. Loadsa grunt, loadsa lean, loadsa
style.
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