MY VIEWS by Ian Sheppard. 916 SPS 19th April 2004

I've been riding for just over two years now, and recently decided to upgrade from my first ever bike, a Y2K 750SS. This was a great learner bike (except for the turning circle) and took me from Wiltshire, England to Monte Carlo and back with no problems. But you know how it is when you get the hunger...

So I spent ages gawping at 916SPS information and bikes for sale on the 'net (not much info around about the 916SPS, is there?), trying to get the cash together and pick the best example. In the end I bought the bike in November. A good price, because of the time of year. But within two weeks, I crashed. Because of the time of year. All on my own, in a straight line, at about 70mph. Having busted up my hands (and my poor bike) I then barely rode the thing again until February, taking it out for just the occasional cold-but-sunny short winter blast.

Now Spring has truly arrived, I've had plenty more opportunities to ride the bike. So what's it like?

Firstly, some things you need to know. The compression ratio is so high that anything below 'a bit chilly' on the barometer, or any hint of a less-than-freshly-charged battery, and the 916SPS is about as keen to turn over as a member of Westlife in a shared cell in the Scrubs. You will need an Optimate or similar, especially if you have an alarm/immobiliser. Which you will. Because the insurance company will insist. And still charge £100 a month for fully-comp cover...

Then there's all the trick bits. The carbon looks great, as does the Ohlins suspension and steering damper. However, my bike had either been set up by a confused, quadraplegic baboon, or its previous owner was Pavarotti. For me at 5'8" and 10.5 stone it was like riding a block of granite mounted on a roller skate. And it didn't want to turn. Or so it made you think. So you'd give it a bit more on the inside bar, maybe weight the footpeg a little more... and the bike would be on its ear. None of this is good for the confidence.

A quick trip to a local racer and suspension specialist, and for £15 I appeared to have a new bike. The difference his 20-minute fettling made was astonishing. I had to get used to the bike all over again; it was softer, more comfortable, more forgiving, had more grip on the power, less dive on the brakes, turned more easily and progressively and didn't make as many Calvin Klein-staining, bone-crunching noises when the suspension compained about the surface quality of British A-roads.

This bike now rides like a dream. It will hold any line at any lean angle possible on any public road in Britain, I'd bet my Termis on it. A little unsettled over bumps? Dial in a little more Ohlins steering damper. Reluctant to lean? It's a Ducati, put some bloody effort into it! This bike will make you feel like a riding god. An average rider like myself will be flattered; for anyone with more than a modicum of talent, the pub tales each night will be of smoking blackies, elbows down, wheelies in third off the power and possibly riding on water. The SPS feels secure and planted, giving loads of feedback through the bars, seat and pegs. So far, I'm nowhere near its limits.

If I was, I'd be glad of the brakes. The Brembos don't grab or snatch, just stop you quickly, from gentle brushes of the lever around town, to dragging you to a halt from license-threatening speeds. I've been led to believe that there is a small lever by the left footpeg which operates a second brake on the rear wheel, but I've not had cause to investigate this further...

So what about the engine? My bike is nowhere near 'run in' yet, and neither am I, because it's only April and I'm generally against cruelty to brass monkeys. But I am able to confirm that the engine revs cleanly to over 10,000 revs, with no flatspots, no snatchiness anywhere in the range on full-or part-throttle, and with that intoxicating Termi burble, like a half a Subaru Impreza. And it is so loud that people in the next county have filed complaints with the aviation authority about the sonic boom. This is because I have the full Ducati Corse race kit fitted (as supplied with the bike), including race Termis and custom-programmed ECU. No attention from plod as yet, but I suspect it is inevitable.

Moving up from the 750SS, I'd expected (from what I'd read about the 916, the SPS and indeed litre-sports bikes generally) involuntary wheelies in first, off the power in second, and with a whiff of clutch in third. So far I haven't got the wheel even an inch off the ground. Can't imagine what rear-wheel bhp I've got; the race system and ECU is fitted and so are the Ducati Performance air filters. And in many ways the bike is an easy ride - smooth, torquey and obedient - but when the bike clears its throat at around 7500rpm, it takes genuine concentration to stay on the bike. But only 2500rpm later you're at the redline and snicking up a gear whilst trying not to fall off, as the SPS tries desperately to headbutt the horizon.

Around town the bike is perfectly manageable. Admittedly, it's not a SV650. Your wrists will hurt. The engine will burn your legs. The clutch lever requires forearm muscles like Geoff Capes. There's just enough storage space under the tail unit for a medium-sized bacteria to store its hand luggage, as long as it wasn't carrying anything too bulky. But you don't need to slip the clutch everywhere, or treat the throttle like a cute little baby otter. Most of this is due to the light weight of the bike, the excellent balance, and neat fuelling courtesy of the fancy Ducati/Termi chip. And believe it or not, I do commute on my SPS - over 50 miles a day.

Is it worth the extra compared to a 'standard' 916BP? Well you certainly get a lot of trick bits. Plus, it says '916', but you know you've got 996cc. And you get the white detailing on the paintwork (I changed the mirrors back to standard 916 red ones, looks a lot better), carbon fibre, trick wheels, bike cover, paddock stand, road-legal cans and chip... of course it's worth the bloody extra! The bottom line is that, despite its imperfections, the SPS makes you feel special. I spend a couple of minutes each morning just looking at the bike, while I wait for the engine to warm up. (If I don't, it stalls when I use the brake. Nice touch, Ducati). On the open road, there are plenty of bikes that are faster, louder, more practical, far less expensive and use less fuel. If you care about those things, I believe 'The Care Bears' have their own website, where you should consider redirecting your browser forthwith.

If, however, you enjoy motorcycle ownership with scant regard for burnt hydrocarbon pollution or storage space for cigarettes and small packs of pasta; and if you're past the 'mine's bigger/faster/louder' stage; then there are few things which can beat the owning - or riding - experience of the SPS: the 'special' feeling and the grin-inducing, laugh-manically-inside-your-helmet performance, the exclusivity ("only 400 in the world, you know") and that gorgeous Termi soundtrack. And there can be few bikes that make you feel so roundly, completely special.