916/996 experiences/advice
Discussion
This winter I'm looking at picking up a winter bargain in the form of a 916/996. I'll be keeping the blade as commuting and distance fodder and the duc will be a toy.
I don't have any experience of bikes that aren't japs but do all my own maintenance on the bikes I've had including taking the engine out of the blade, removing the head to be repaired and rebuilding it all so I'm not scared of getting stuck in. I will be serving the bike myself including the cambelt services.
My budget will be about 3-3500 and it looks like there's choice on ebay for that sort of budget even before the winter price drop kicks in.
The bike will live outside during the winter heavily doused in preserving oil (there's some special stuff you can get I understand) which will be washed off come spring and the bike will live under a cover. ACtually this is one thing that I could change as my shed is half workshop at the moment and could make space for a second bike if the duc simply is unable to survive being outside.
Basically the kind of advice I'm after is anything that suggests that any of the above is crazy talk, what I should expect the riding experience to be like compared to a y2k blade, what pitfalls and problems I should be looking out for when buying, differences between 916s and 996s and basically anything else that's appropriate.
I don't want any other bikes recommending though. I've always wanted a 916 (I always wanted a blade and buying that was the best bike related thing I've done). I can't afford an mv and any other twin such as aprilias just doesn't do a thing for me regardless of the comparative reliability. This is a heart thing
Cheers,
Mark
I don't have any experience of bikes that aren't japs but do all my own maintenance on the bikes I've had including taking the engine out of the blade, removing the head to be repaired and rebuilding it all so I'm not scared of getting stuck in. I will be serving the bike myself including the cambelt services.
My budget will be about 3-3500 and it looks like there's choice on ebay for that sort of budget even before the winter price drop kicks in.
The bike will live outside during the winter heavily doused in preserving oil (there's some special stuff you can get I understand) which will be washed off come spring and the bike will live under a cover. ACtually this is one thing that I could change as my shed is half workshop at the moment and could make space for a second bike if the duc simply is unable to survive being outside.
Basically the kind of advice I'm after is anything that suggests that any of the above is crazy talk, what I should expect the riding experience to be like compared to a y2k blade, what pitfalls and problems I should be looking out for when buying, differences between 916s and 996s and basically anything else that's appropriate.
I don't want any other bikes recommending though. I've always wanted a 916 (I always wanted a blade and buying that was the best bike related thing I've done). I can't afford an mv and any other twin such as aprilias just doesn't do a thing for me regardless of the comparative reliability. This is a heart thing
Cheers,
Mark
Edited by dern on Monday 24th September 11:41
If you have enough 'getting your hands dirty' experience and regilously look after it then you should be OK.
Before buying looking, join the Ducati Sporting forums and glean as much info as possible. There's a good few knowledgable 916/996/998 owners here that be doubtless post as well.
What I would say though is, if you really can find a way of accomodating the bike inside out of the elements, then you should do so, this will be a much, much better prospect than caking it in 'stuff' and keeping under a outdoor cover.
Even keeping inside, get a cotton cover for it as well.
I kept my Monster in a garage under a cover, and my mate kept his Monster outside under a outdoor cover.........you could easily tell the difference in the condition of both bikes, and he still spent twice as long looking after it as I had to.
Before buying looking, join the Ducati Sporting forums and glean as much info as possible. There's a good few knowledgable 916/996/998 owners here that be doubtless post as well.
What I would say though is, if you really can find a way of accomodating the bike inside out of the elements, then you should do so, this will be a much, much better prospect than caking it in 'stuff' and keeping under a outdoor cover.
Even keeping inside, get a cotton cover for it as well.
I kept my Monster in a garage under a cover, and my mate kept his Monster outside under a outdoor cover.........you could easily tell the difference in the condition of both bikes, and he still spent twice as long looking after it as I had to.
Edited by aeropilot on Monday 24th September 11:51
Edited by aeropilot on Monday 24th September 11:56
916/996 are high maintenance bikes but can be reliable if looked after well, my 9yr old 916 has been as reliable as any other bike (and better than some), try to get one with a service history by a reputable Ducati dealer/specialist, if in any doubt change the cambelts as failure will necessitate a huge £££'s engine repair bill (at dealer prices probably as much as the bike's worth 
) particular issues are; flaking rockers, (need to remove cams to check) Regulator/Rectifier failure due to bad connections and marginal charging system (mainly 916 as 996 has uprated 3 phase alternator) a blocked fuel filter can cause RR's to burn out.
As regards differences between 916/996 basically they are the same bike with the 996 having a little more power and, more importantly torque but the 916 revs higher and can sustain higher revs better due to the lighter pistons, standard 996's have a 'dodgy' twin injector system that means the fuelling is not as good, particularly at low RPM - easiest mod is unplug 1 injector and fit an ultimap chip although this will probably have been sorted by now. As said above the 996 has a superior electrical system with a 3 phase, larger output alternator and so should be more reliable electrically.
If doing your own maintenance you will need some specialised kit and a stock of shims for rocker adjustment which, along with the cam belts is most critical, it is time consuming but if you're mechanically inclined & patient should be OK. There are several books on the subject including Haynes, Ducati service manual and the 'Desmotimes' book and it's worth having them all.
I would heartily recommend either, or better yet in terms of power & reliability a 998 (not at that price though) but I personally wouldn't leave it outside.
You know it makes sense.....
) particular issues are; flaking rockers, (need to remove cams to check) Regulator/Rectifier failure due to bad connections and marginal charging system (mainly 916 as 996 has uprated 3 phase alternator) a blocked fuel filter can cause RR's to burn out.As regards differences between 916/996 basically they are the same bike with the 996 having a little more power and, more importantly torque but the 916 revs higher and can sustain higher revs better due to the lighter pistons, standard 996's have a 'dodgy' twin injector system that means the fuelling is not as good, particularly at low RPM - easiest mod is unplug 1 injector and fit an ultimap chip although this will probably have been sorted by now. As said above the 996 has a superior electrical system with a 3 phase, larger output alternator and so should be more reliable electrically.
If doing your own maintenance you will need some specialised kit and a stock of shims for rocker adjustment which, along with the cam belts is most critical, it is time consuming but if you're mechanically inclined & patient should be OK. There are several books on the subject including Haynes, Ducati service manual and the 'Desmotimes' book and it's worth having them all.
I would heartily recommend either, or better yet in terms of power & reliability a 998 (not at that price though) but I personally wouldn't leave it outside.
You know it makes sense.....
Thanks very much for all the information. I may chuck the workshop bit so I have space for the bike as I don't do that much on the bench type work.
Can't make up my mind whether I like the red or yellow ones best. Having said that I followed a black one filtering on the m6 past birmingham of friday in the rain... it looked and sounded amazing. <toad>poop poop, want one </toad>
Cheers,
Mark
Can't make up my mind whether I like the red or yellow ones best. Having said that I followed a black one filtering on the m6 past birmingham of friday in the rain... it looked and sounded amazing. <toad>poop poop, want one </toad>
Cheers,
Mark
Edited by dern on Monday 24th September 13:31
I love em...they look and sound fabulous..im sure 996SPS will be along shortly to comment.
However I find them so uncomfortable to ride that i can bear no more than 20-30mins at a time actually riding them...my back and wrists cant take the strain.
I know of 2 other people who have sold them for just this very reason so maybe a test ride is in order?
However I find them so uncomfortable to ride that i can bear no more than 20-30mins at a time actually riding them...my back and wrists cant take the strain.
I know of 2 other people who have sold them for just this very reason so maybe a test ride is in order?
podman said:
I love em...they look and sound fabulous..im sure 996SPS will be along shortly to comment.
However I find them so uncomfortable to ride that i can bear no more than 20-30mins at a time actually riding them...my back and wrists cant take the strain.
I know of 2 other people who have sold them for just this very reason so maybe a test ride is in order?
I don't mind that to be perfectly honest. It'll just be a toy, I'll keep the blade for practical stuff... went to lancaster from newbury and back on it this w/e and don't need to do the same on any other bike.However I find them so uncomfortable to ride that i can bear no more than 20-30mins at a time actually riding them...my back and wrists cant take the strain.
I know of 2 other people who have sold them for just this very reason so maybe a test ride is in order?
dern said:
This winter I'm looking at picking up a winter bargain in the form of a 916/996. I'll be keeping the blade as commuting and distance fodder and the duc will be a toy.
I don't have any experience of bikes that aren't japs but do all my own maintenance on the bikes I've had including taking the engine out of the blade, removing the head to be repaired and rebuilding it all so I'm not scared of getting stuck in. I will be serving the bike myself including the cambelt services.
My budget will be about 3-3500 and it looks like there's choice on ebay for that sort of budget even before the winter price drop kicks in.
The bike will live outside during the winter heavily doused in preserving oil (there's some special stuff you can get I understand) which will be washed off come spring and the bike will live under a cover. ACtually this is one thing that I could change as my shed is half workshop at the moment and could make space for a second bike if the duc simply is unable to survive being outside.
Basically the kind of advice I'm after is anything that suggests that any of the above is crazy talk, what I should expect the riding experience to be like compared to a y2k blade, what pitfalls and problems I should be looking out for when buying, differences between 916s and 996s and basically anything else that's appropriate.
I don't want any other bikes recommending though. I've always wanted a 916 (I always wanted a blade and buying that was the best bike related thing I've done). I can't afford an mv and any other twin such as aprilias just doesn't do a thing for me regardless of the comparative reliability. This is a heart thing
Cheers,
Mark
Mark ring Jeff at Baines Racing get the number off the web he has plenty of knowledge and I often ring him for advice, i've had 2 748's and currently own a 996SPS. They need looking after, left mine in the garage over the winter and it did't take long for the bolts to fur up, all replaced now might I add. As for the 916 I took 1 out and did't like it it ran out of power 2 quick (had a blade at the time) then took a 748 out and found it much more fun, much like a 600 with more grunt however rode to Plymouth with my bruv (he had a Busa) and it made me realise how much I missed the extra power (the 916 makes not much more than the 748, nothing in it) so knew it had to be a 996/8 I was lucky as a 996 SPS was sitting at On Yer Ducati and away I went.I don't have any experience of bikes that aren't japs but do all my own maintenance on the bikes I've had including taking the engine out of the blade, removing the head to be repaired and rebuilding it all so I'm not scared of getting stuck in. I will be serving the bike myself including the cambelt services.
My budget will be about 3-3500 and it looks like there's choice on ebay for that sort of budget even before the winter price drop kicks in.
The bike will live outside during the winter heavily doused in preserving oil (there's some special stuff you can get I understand) which will be washed off come spring and the bike will live under a cover. ACtually this is one thing that I could change as my shed is half workshop at the moment and could make space for a second bike if the duc simply is unable to survive being outside.
Basically the kind of advice I'm after is anything that suggests that any of the above is crazy talk, what I should expect the riding experience to be like compared to a y2k blade, what pitfalls and problems I should be looking out for when buying, differences between 916s and 996s and basically anything else that's appropriate.
I don't want any other bikes recommending though. I've always wanted a 916 (I always wanted a blade and buying that was the best bike related thing I've done). I can't afford an mv and any other twin such as aprilias just doesn't do a thing for me regardless of the comparative reliability. This is a heart thing
Cheers,
Mark
Edited by dern on Monday 24th September 11:41
In your situation with 3500k I would go 748, as it will be a ropey 996 for that money just as much fun on short and twistys and its the whole Italian ownership thing. Theres a gorgeous one on pistonheads with all the bits. Oh 1 of my 748's hit false neutral only problem I had with it, my SPS the sprag clutch went at the TT this year £565 fixed at Baines, full, Ducati service history a must, get Baines to inspect it if the owner has nothing to hide, fail safe then!
996 sps said:
Mark ring Jeff at Baines Racing get the number off the web he has plenty of knowledge and I often ring him for advice, i've had 2 748's and currently own a 996SPS. They need looking after, left mine in the garage over the winter and it did't take long for the bolts to fur up, all replaced now might I add. As for the 916 I took 1 out and did't like it it ran out of power 2 quick (had a blade at the time) then took a 748 out and found it much more fun, much like a 600 with more grunt however rode to Plymouth with my bruv (he had a Busa) and it made me realise how much I missed the extra power (the 916 makes not much more than the 748, nothing in it) so knew it had to be a 996/8 I was lucky as a 996 SPS was sitting at On Yer Ducati and away I went.
In your situation with 3500k I would go 748, as it will be a ropey 996 for that money just as much fun on short and twistys and its the whole Italian ownership thing. Theres a gorgeous one on pistonheads with all the bits. Oh 1 of my 748's hit false neutral only problem I had with it, my SPS the sprag clutch went at the TT this year £565 fixed at Baines, full, Ducati service history a must, get Baines to inspect it if the owner has nothing to hide, fail safe then!
Thanks very much for the info. I think I'll sort the shed out and make room for a new bike. I also appreciate what you say about the 748 and the 916 not making much power but I really don't like 600s and want more lazy power. With that in mind I think my best course of action is to spend more and find a 996.In your situation with 3500k I would go 748, as it will be a ropey 996 for that money just as much fun on short and twistys and its the whole Italian ownership thing. Theres a gorgeous one on pistonheads with all the bits. Oh 1 of my 748's hit false neutral only problem I had with it, my SPS the sprag clutch went at the TT this year £565 fixed at Baines, full, Ducati service history a must, get Baines to inspect it if the owner has nothing to hide, fail safe then!
Cheers,
Mark
996 sps said:
the 916 makes not much more than the 748, nothing in it
Not much more BHP but a shitload more torque & over a greater range, but some prefer the revvy nature of the 748.As for comfort it can be improved, I have slightly higher (about 15mm) adjustable bars that are also longer (biggest plus) and can be adjusted for angle, they have made the bike so much more comfortable despite having raised the rear 20mm and dropped the front 5mm, don't get me wrong it's still very 'arse-in-the-air' but I can happily travel long distances with no real discomfort (90 + mph helps take the weight off your wrists).
Probably nothing new to add - there's been great advice given already, but I appreciate anyone who makes a heart over head decision so wanted to encourage you!!
I had a my 996 from new and kept it for 5 years (2001 model). I live abroad and only used it in the summer when back on holiday so it was stored the rest of the year and this caused no problems (it was inside mind). I did about 6000 on it each summer, including loads of track days and touring (e.g. S France - Ventura luggage used for this) and the only problem was the rectifier which was replaced and I had no other problems.
Only a test ride will tell you how you find the riding position, but I had no problems and I now find other sports bikes too comfortable and insufficiently focussed!
The noise and easy grunt make road riding a joy (the steering is both heavy and slow though - can catch you out on twisty roads like the Cat and Fiddle if you're not careful), and on track it is fantastic!
Certainly buy on condition and history, not mileage or age and go for the newest and most pampered one you can afford. The electrics were better on later models and the 998 was the best and most reliable of the lot, though you'll pay more, obviously.
You don't need me to tell you that it is a biking icon and you will just love owning and riding it! Mine was red and looked the business, but I traded it in for a black track-only 998 and it looks even better, IMHO!
Good luck!
I had a my 996 from new and kept it for 5 years (2001 model). I live abroad and only used it in the summer when back on holiday so it was stored the rest of the year and this caused no problems (it was inside mind). I did about 6000 on it each summer, including loads of track days and touring (e.g. S France - Ventura luggage used for this) and the only problem was the rectifier which was replaced and I had no other problems.
Only a test ride will tell you how you find the riding position, but I had no problems and I now find other sports bikes too comfortable and insufficiently focussed!
The noise and easy grunt make road riding a joy (the steering is both heavy and slow though - can catch you out on twisty roads like the Cat and Fiddle if you're not careful), and on track it is fantastic!
Certainly buy on condition and history, not mileage or age and go for the newest and most pampered one you can afford. The electrics were better on later models and the 998 was the best and most reliable of the lot, though you'll pay more, obviously.
You don't need me to tell you that it is a biking icon and you will just love owning and riding it! Mine was red and looked the business, but I traded it in for a black track-only 998 and it looks even better, IMHO!
Good luck!
before you try ebay, check at www.ducatisti.co.uk or www.ducatisportingclub.co.uk
plenty of good advice and many used bikes in the classifieds.
That's where I sourced my 'new' 748.
plenty of good advice and many used bikes in the classifieds.
That's where I sourced my 'new' 748.
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