I'm sold Steve!! You've hit the nail on the head of exactly what I'm looking for. Me and my old man built 2 500 dbd34 clubmans, a 350 db32 clubmans and a zb 500 long stroke in trials trim. I loved 'em but wanted the brakes/handling of a more modern sportsbike. The duc is a poster bike from my youth, and I'm hoping its all the bits I want in a bike all wrapped up in a stunning looking package!!! Massively on the hunt now!!!
im biased but id say the 916. mine has a twin injector engine with the P8 ECU. i had a failed injector several years ago which took an age to diagnose, but once replaced ive never had a problem. All Ducati charging systems are crap and i leave mine on the optimate 24/7..ive never had issues with burning/melting but im paranoid about keeping the contacts clean...cant the 3 phase system be retro fitted anyway(?). mine has the gold 5 spoke magnesium marchesinis and they look stunning imho.. this is the 2nd 916 ive owned, after having ridden 996/998's, but they didnt grab me as much..i also think that the cagiva bikes had a little more attention to detail...i ended up buying my 2nd 916, which was older than the first one i owned!! but a much better bike in terms of condition, provenance etc... the 996 is much better vfm as 916 prices seem to be soaring...ultimately its a heart over head decision, and for me, i couldnt drag myself away from the 916...its the original, and anyone with a passing interest in bikes knows what it is...the 998 has never interested me...personally i dont like the slab fairings and the testasretta just didnt seem 'right'....its the step between the original desmo and the 999 and doesnt really stick out in the line up....even though it is probably the 'best' of the breed...the truth is, if you buy a bike that speaks to you and says, 'take me home daddy', you wont be disappointed... this is why guys are still falling in love with their 851/888s every time they open the garage door...and rightly so. thats the beauty of Ducati motorcycles.
