Has anyone on here 955'd a 916Bip?
 

I have a 98 916bip. Ive basically modded quite a bit of her. (ohlins R&T forks, shock, stm 48t slipper, mag wheels, ally subframe etc) basically she handles lovely and looks nice. (Ive owned her 9yrs). Ive decided that maybe now i should start some engine work. I ride her frequently (shes got 22k on the clock) and want a bit more power but i want it to retain the reliability she has (she only cooks the occasional reg/rect, spare electrex kept under seat). I ride with my mates and i am down on power as they ride japs and 1098's. I'd like just a bit more grunt and i love my bike to bits and couldnt part with her. I'd just like to breath a bit more life into her. I wondered if anyone can recommend the 955 and would be interested in their experiences. Cheers

Machining the crank case mouths are probably the biggest job and for reliability upgrading to Pankal rods would probably be the way to go. 955 Kits aren't that cheap, Jim at Bike Enders has a new kit for sale at £750 I think and uses the 20mm Gudgeon/wrist pin.
Upgrading to a 996 Bip motor and selling the 916 engine on after swaping the Clutch over may be the way to go

DaveB from the ISC did one for his Senna
http://www.italiansportingclub.co.uk....html?KW=senna

I'd agree with this, having seen others struggle to get a '955' engine properly sorted out.

There were (the last time I'd looked) two 'SP' cranks with Pankl rods on Flea'bay, as well as a couple of 'kits' (BikeEnders being one fo them).

Unless you're able to do all the machining and engine build work yourself though, I'd think that there's be a not so insignificant 'wedge' of cash requried for the labour costs (and that's not even using a Ducati dealer!)


This'd be the most likely route, easier to source (complete), easier for spares and (most probably) easier with insurance, etc.

The 955 motor has certain cache, but there's nothing to be sniffed at with a 996 enigine, eh?

Ive been told the 996 engine route is the way to go, but i would like to keep my engine and frame together. I expect a significant amount of wedge, but as i intend to keep the bike for life and to continually improve it, then the money isnt really an issue. However I could just keep the 916 motor and buy the 996 lump. Is it an easy swap? Electrics, injectors etc?

Although the 996 Bip uses a B version of the 1.6M ECU to run the twin injectors, you could probably find someone that could get it to run with your original single injectors and ECU with a custom chip and maybe a slightly higher fuel pressure regulator. These things would also need to be considered if going down the 955 route

Ive got a Power Commander III on her, would that me me out here? Thats just the kind of info I need to know. Thnx.

btw i have every original part for my bike, down to even the nuts and bolts that ive replaced with Ti items now and again. I'm a bit anal about keeping the bikes history with the bike, hence my reluctance to change motor.

I'd have thought that keeping your original 916 engine, intact and as original as is possible, would be the sensible way to go, if you intend to keep the bike for a long time.

I fully intend to keep my 916 and made the decision that I wouldn't start choping and changing internals (that couldn't be put back to 'original').



What ECU do you have with your 916BP?

To be honest, if I was buying another engine, I'd be aiming to get the ECU with it as some sort of assurance that 'it'll work outta the crate'(?)

Remember that a PCIII piggy-backs with the ECU and doesn't replace the ECU, so if you want to use on a different engine, you'll need to check compatibility.

G:cool:

From memory i think shes got the senna chip. I'll have a look and get the proper code number later.

You make a good point about chopping the engine. But a small bore increase on the cases wouldn't prevent the originals going back on would they?

You've read it wrong fella... The EPROM chip isn't the important part I was getting at, but the actual ECU (the unit into which the EPROM chip goes)

If you've got the same basic architecture with the ECU on your 916BP, as 'might' be found on a 996, then (I'm now guessing, without going back to my reference books) you 'might' at least have an ECU and wiring loom that shoudn't need any significant changes (another cost saving).

'Most' 955 conversions that I know of were based on the 916SP model (so they had the advantage for the crank and Pankl rods to start with, along with the different injector arrangement). The key here is that the ECU would be a 'P8' and a suitable chip, mapped for '955' could be had 'off the shelf' from people like JHP.

Q. Have you spoken to any dealer about what you'd like to do with the 916 engine?


I can't comment on that, but once it's been modified it's been modified... Original will always carry more 'cache' if you want to be able to maintain the value of the original (my previous comment about being able to put everything back).

Thing is, it's your bike and you can do whatever you want to do with it... :cool: