Ducati 916

Ducati 916

OKAY, SIGNOR DUCATISTA, IT'S POP-QUIZ TIME: IN which motorcycle did the Desmoquattro engine debut?

If you answered the 916, put on the dunce cap and go stand in the corner.

If you answered the 888 or 851, you can stay seated, but you still get an F. Unless you made mention of the prototype Battle of the Twins racer on which Marco Lucchinelli won at Daytona in 1987. Then, you get a C.

Savvy Ducatisti know that the Desmoquattro made its debut in the 1986 Bol d’Or 24-Hour, where in 748cc form it ran seventh before retiring with a broken con-rod bolt.

You’d know this if you read Ian Falloon’s fascinating new book, Ducati 916. This lavishly illustrated hard-cover traces the evolution of the legendary Italian sportbike, from the 1985 Cagiva takeover that forced development of a modem V-Twin to the 996R Testastretta developed for the 2001 World Superbike season.

Along the way, Falloon documents each and every one of the four-valve Ducati models, including the 748, 851, 888, 916, 996,

ST4 and Monster S4, plus all their variants.

Sidebars include two pages on the singlecylinder Supermono, a profile on 916 designer Massimo Tamburini, assorted racing histories and one page on “Living with a 916.” Appendixes give technical specifications and production figures for each of the applicable models.

Ironically, one of the few errors in the book comes from Massimo Bordi, creator of the Desmoquattro. In his foreword, the Ingegnere erroneously states that, “Over the last 13 years, Ducati has won nine Superbike World Championships.” The real number at the time of writing was eight. There’s also the occasional typo, though “Testastressa” is probably more an insight into Falloon’s mental health in assembling this fact-filled volume!

We give him an A. Brian Catterson

Ducati 916, Ian Falloon, 160 pages, $35; MBI Publishing Company, 729 Prospect Ave. Osceola, Wl 54020; 800/826-6600; www.motorbooks.com