Massimo Tamburini’s 916 at the Ducati Museum
As part of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the Ducati 916’s production launch Ducati Museum now features a new, incredible piece of its history: Massimo Tamburini’s 916. An authentic masterpiece “owned” by the legendary designer.
This exhibition, made possible by the precious collaboration of the Ducati Museum with Simona Tamburini, Massimo’s daughter and the owner of the motorcycle, allows to reveal some secrets behind a legendary bike. The 916 on display is one of the three prototypes from which Tamburini developed the bike until its industrialisation in 1994.
Massimo Tamburini, who had already developed the Paso 750 for Ducati, with the 916 developed a bike that was a real revolution in the motorcycle world. The 916’s aerodynamics and chassis were developed exclusively on the roads of Rimini and at the Misano and Mugello circuits. For six, long years Tamburini meticulously studied every detail, without ever using the wind tunnel.
The bike in the museum features details that are more similar to those of the 916 SP series, the highest performing model of the 916 series. The bike is almost completely made of fibreglass, while the air conveyors, front mudguard, airbox, tailpipes and number plate holder are made of carbon fibre. Moreover, the bike is embellished with racing components like the five-spoke magnesium rims and the lightened single-sided swinging arm. Worthy of note is the absence of turn indicators and an odometer: the only instrumentation is a tachometer and a water temperature indicator.
The bike is on display at the Ducati Museum until 15 January 2020.
