Introduced in 1999, the Ducati 996 was the successor to the 916 and was obviously more evolutionary than revolutionary. But while Ducati didn’t want to mess with success in the looks department, the new bike featured a host of subtle but significant changes to the frame, fuel injection, and engine that led to improvements in…
1999 Ducati 996 SPS Sport Production Special A surprisingly wise music producer from Podunk, Texas once told me that our voice is defined by how we translate the our thoughts into words. No shit? My translation for this post is this: I can’t come up with an interesting intro. That’s all you folks are going…
Ducati is well known to crank out “Limited Edition” bikes that consist of some graphics and a unique number plate to try to create a scarce supply / high demand situation. But alongside the marketing LEs, there are also some truly rare and special offerings that remind us what Ducati is capable of. The 996…
Update 3.14.2020: SOLD in just 3 days! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc Hard to blame RSBFS fan Mark for secreting his 996 SPS away to an undisclosed wine cellar, it’s a once and future classic. With under 2,000 examples for the 1999-2000 years, a rare sighting even here. 1999 Ducati 996 SPS #1440 Ducati…
Update: Email link corrected: dan@gravitycavity.com As much as the original 916 set the superbike world on its ear, the last year 916 SPS was worth waiting – or changing horses – for. The new 996cc engine, enhanced suspension, and lightweight wheels made the SPS an homologation special worthy of the name. As presented by RSBFS…
Continuing our recent trend featuring flawed homologation specials comes this Ducati 916 SPS that is, quite tragically, missing its original engine. A truly original example would be pretty pricey, so that missing engine means it might be possible to pick this one up for a relative song. And that’s no bad thing because there’s more…
Not many photos accompany today’s Ducati 916 SPS, although the few that are suggest the bike is in very good, lightly used condition. A classic homologation special, the bike was designed to move Ducati’s production racers beyond the limits of the original 916 engine. The 916 SPS was the first bike to use Ducati’s new…
If you’re shopping for a rare homologation Honda from the 80s or 90s, it’s usually not that hard to be sure you’ve got the real McCoy. Does it have a V4 and a single-sided swingarm? It’s probably the real thing. But Ducati was a much smaller organization, with much less in the way of financial…
