As I was cleaning the bike after bringing it back home, I was intrigued by the exhaust system. I had read 45/50 was one of the 851 SP signatures. But the pipes to the end cans seemed bigger than usual (I am used to remove/clean/handle the 45/50 of my 916 SP3). So I went and mesured pipes today and was surprised to find that 45/50 was correct before and after the X-pipe, but then it grows to 54 to the silencers. Interesting piece, this exhaust system.
Wow! What a find! What a bike! What a jammy bastard you are! An SP3 and this? That'll do nicely Donkey, that'll do..
Well, there’s one on each side. They help me not dropping the bike, you see. I may loose them in a few months, if I feel confortable enough.
@Guillaume69, that's a really nice SP2 you have there. I have an SP3 in what looks like very similar original conditional condition. The SP2 and SP3 look pretty similar except for the paint scheme and the wheels (black on the SP3)? I agree with you on the ergonomics compared to the 9xx bikes. Several years ago I had a 916 Bip and it was much more comfortable (for me) than the SP3. However, the 916 is long gone, still have the SP3! Regarding exhaust diameters, I had the fairings off my bike today so I had a quick measure. The pipes seem to be the same diameters as on your SP2 (45/50/54mm). Quick question - you have the original silencers. Do they have baffles/dB killers fitted, and if so how are they attached? The cans on mine don't have any fitted and there is no sign of them ever having been. But I got two bits in a box of spares that came with the bike that look very much like dB killers. Not that I have any intention of fitting them! Andrew
@AndrewS Here are two pictures of the silencers. The OEM A08/B08 I have don’t have dB killers. I imagine them to be rather loud… OEM SilMotors carbon
Perhaps it's a body-shape thing (ooer!) I've ridden both SP4 and 996 back to back for more than 100KM and the SP4 I could ride all day... The knee position is more extreme, but I had NO wrist or neck pain, like I get from the 996... Big fan of the SIL pipes too btw.. they look ace. And I think the quality on them is really top notch. I have a set on the 996 and the 888 I have access to also has Ti Ones. Really nice deep sound
Having ridden both regularly, for me the 888 is definitely more comfortable; reminds me of my old 1997 'blade - 'sat in' rather than 'sat on', but yep hard on the old knees! Also like the SM pipes!
The SP4 came with the A08/B08 OEM aluminium cans. These are just SM slip ons so I can preserve the OEM cans. They are really nice quality and sound great, plus the deci-killers clip in with a circlip so really easy for MOTs.
Yes, it's quite loud, but I've never had even an advisory at MoT time. These are the parts that I got with the bike; they look like dB-killers? Looks like they might have been spot-welded in the cans, although there's no sign of this.
Indeed! I must admit it's quite a few years since I rode a 916, perhaps the old memory is failing... Nowadays it's my neck that gets me.
One little step at the time! To get closer from its original self (pic of this same bike dated 1991):
New air filter, new sprocket retaining plate and screws, piggy backed starter cables, cleaned up dry clutch… Looking good for a future road trip!
So like on most of our Ducatis, the oil and water coolers are somewhat exposed and not natively protected on the 851… In order to keep them in good shape on the long term, you either need to purchase or fabricate your own radiator guards. I didn’t find anything for sale specifically designed for this bike and did not want to use generic parts. So I had to DIY my own. Nothing difficult, really. Everything is in buying the right components.
