Ducati 916 SPS Review - The Ultimate Superbike
Bike: 1998 Ducati 916 SPS
Camera: GoPro Hero 8 Black Edition
Software: MAGIX Video Deluxe
Music: 0:14-1:10 Infraction – Blockbuster, 1:39-2:41 Patrick Patrikios – Away, 7:11-8:06 Alex-Productions – I’m back & a lot of beautiful desmoquattro Termignoni exhaust sound ;)
How do you assess what is the greatest superbike of all time: popularity, impact, performance, race wins? In the end, it’s up to the individual to judge, but the Ducati 916 SPS ticks all the right boxes. Built in 1997 and 1998 as a limited World Superbike homologation special, the SPS was the first to feature a 996 cm³ engine pushing acceleration and top speed specs to new levels. Replacing the 916 SP models, the SPS was the biggest desmoquattro, later succeeded by the 998 testastretta.
The 916 won three WSBK titles with Carl Fogarty and Troy Corser. With the SPS taking the displacement to a full liter, Ducati gathered three more titles, this time with Foggy and Troy Bayliss. The engine upgrade and many other updates to frame, suspension, etc., in the end cemented the bike’s status as one of the most successful superbikes of all time.
In this review, I am featuring a mix of flyby and POV onboard shots to catch the notes of that magnificent Termignoni exhaust and the classic dry clutch. Of course, I have also included a lot of beauty shots to display the extra carbon fiber parts and other stunning details of the SPS. In order to record my talking, I hijacked our Italy trip and bothered everyone with annoying stops for video takes. I hope you enjoy the result as much as I enjoyed bothering everybody else ;)
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