The frame number has everything you need to know within it! There is a thread on hear that gives you codes and tells you what factory, when, what engine, if it has homodulation mods, if it was a bi/p so etc and production number. The latter might not be 100% because a little Italian lady with a role up and a glass of vino had a pile of frames next to her to stamp!
All righty everyone avert your eyes. Just picked up Varese 2674. It was the “cherry on top” if you will as the owner’s other machine (a French market Honda RC30) is what I really fancied after learning of it years ago. Each bike has been laid up/not running for over a decade. Although the ‘30 is much more taken apart. Now that I think about it the RC was in fact running about 5 years ago. Still it will be a lot of work to put back together but I’m chomping at the bit as they say. I had enough dumb luck that the nice man sold me both machines. The 916 was originally delivered to a New York dealer. Then a dealer in Tokyo sourced it for the man I bought it from today and off to Japan it went. After they kitted the bike with nearly every widget and doodad they could think of he rode the bike a bit. He and his machines moved to the states about 10 years ago. Most of the original bodywork is gone. Everything in place now is late 90’s/early 00’s high quality carbon. It may even be Ducati Performance. I do have the original tail with the appropriate inner stamps/markings/decals. Mods a’plenty. Marchesini forged wheels. Old skool Brembo GP calipers. Full whammy front rotors. Brembo pumps. The fancier Ohlins forks/rear shocker. Massive billet lower triple clamp. Billet aluminum rearsets. Carbon airbox, the one with removable sides. Carbon intake tubes. Some kind of Yoshimura tuning gadget. Termi slips but stock midpipe strangely enough. Stack tachometer with the needle broken off. Some kind of very trick billet clip-ons that have the hinges like stock but sit slightly higher. An exquisite brownish-tan suede seat. The trickest kill/start switch you’ve ever seen. Factory service manual. Factory parts microfiche catalogue. The list goes on. The engine turns over with very healthy feeling compression. Gearbox clicks through the gears crisply. The clutch clutches. I’m told it was running when parked and I have no reason to doubt the nice gentleman that sold me everything. Both kickstand bolts were ever so slightly loose. Summoning all my courage I gave each of them a vigorous/healthy snugging… they each got wicked tight! Thank the heavens for small miracles. I’m not in UK rather Seattle WA USA. You fine chaps are much more delightful to converse with though I can just feel it!
@Kie I think those forks are FG43 R&T. I have the same, along with the beefy lower yoke. If I recall the ohlins yoke didnt come with the spindle. I had to remove it from my oem ones. So your spindle will likely be oem.
Kie- just looks like a highly modified 916 to me. Claiming you have Varese 2674 as if it means anything is kinda silly, considering how the bike looks now. After all, 'They're only original once.' The fact you got a 916 *and* an RC30 in one deal is very cool, though. Glad this thread got revived, was my favourite banter of 2020.
@TNR no claims here. I’m just recounting the facts of the matter. I happen to own a 1995 916 with a “V” in the 11th digit of the vin. It does not mean anything aside from that. The fact that the term “Varese 916” has become the accepted vernacular decades later is of course curious. The very nice Japanese man who modded this bike years ago couldn’t care one whit which factory built the thing. Before he installed the Brembo pumps he had replaced the original non-adjustable control levers with billet non-adjustable versions that say “ant lion” lol. I must say I admire his attitude. Other than the vin the only things remotely “Varese” about this 916 remaining are the levers and fuel cap I have in the spares. Well I do have the tail section although someone tagged it with “Infostrada” graffiti. Oddly enough the RC30 only received 2 modifications. A 17” 3-spoke HRC rear hoop and a US-spec speedometer calibrated in MPH. The ‘30 does happen to be a French market example. As such each side of the main fairing proudly says “BOL D’OR” which was unique to the bikes delivered there. Perhaps I shall find an RC30 forum and claim I have a special factory made endurance racing model and see how that goes over haha. We’re just playing with toys here. Those are my sentiments at least.
Honda really nailed the clean design of the RC30. Definitely a score to pick one up. The undertail exhausts were an extension of what they did with the NR750, I guess... along with the single-sided swingarm. Tamburini himself admits that once he saw one, he wanted to include these elements on the 916. ... which brings me to my main takeaway on the whole conversation. His personal bike that was on display at the museum shows his true intent on what he thought the 916 should look like. We get caught up in what the production team put out within the constraints of their budget, rather than what the designer meant for the bike to be. It appears Mr Massimo always preferred the 5 spoke wheels, carbon airbox, and magnesium yoke & swingarm, for example. It's changed my view on what is considered 'correct' for my bike, and has made me think about what I want to do to upgrade my fairly standard '95 Strada to get closer to the original idea.
I totally agree with this. The « Varese » thing seems to be a very speculative phenomenon mostly hitting US and UK crowds. Interestingly enough, over here in France, nobody gives a rat’s ass about it. Some people will value early 94’s, with the elephant labeled gas cap, non ajustable levers and rivets instead of dzus fasteners. But it’s merely a collector thing (who wants rivets and non adjustable levers?) Borgo or Varese seems irrelevant here. I wonder what the markets say about Varese bikes in the rest of Europe and Australia, though.
Would any of you guys have a pic of an original early 916 key pref a 94 bike. I know of three different types logos but I’m not sure of which one is the early type
Thanks. There’s also ..CRD cagiva Keys. It’s one of the lads on the monster owners site talking about the differences which got me wondering which is the correct one for my 94 916
Great that’s cleared things up thanks for posting guys. So I’m looking for some rocking horse stuff!!!
eBay has the stickers. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-Sti...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=724-127637-2357-0 And the key blanks https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ducati-B...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0
