Massimo Tamburini's 916 at the Ducati Museum

As part of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the Ducati 916's production launch, an authentic masterpiece by the unforgettable designer Massimo Tamburini, the Ducati Museum now features a new, incredible piece of its history: Massimo Tamburini's 916. 

This exhibition, made possible by the precious collaboration of the Ducati Museum with Simona Tamburini, the daughter of the Italian designer and owner of the motorcycle, allows us to reveal some secrets behind an already 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 in 1986 (also on display in the Museum), 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. Moreover, the bike is embellished with racing components like the five-spoke magnesium rims (used exclusively on racing versions at the time) 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.