SP2

[Nattyboy]

You dont see too many of these. To quote baines racing in my 851/888 book;

"a f*****g rocketship"..!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2491850873&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:UK:1

[Jools]

Phew...for one moment I thought this post would be about one of those Honda things with the twitchy fuelling.

Lovely bike. Shame about the number plate though. Go on, admit it, if you had a 888 with the number plate K885... you'd be going "bugger, bugger, bugger, why couldn't the person who registered it wait until just 3 numbers later"

[Nattyboy]

A bit like this one Jools...:D:D

Nat

[Jasper]

Or this one::D

[sparkin]

Jools,I think it`s about time you took the plunge,you know you want too:D;):D

[weeveetwin]

:P

[sparkin]

That`s just showing off,the lot of ya! :P Now where`s that phone book........................cherished plates.......................:mad:

[Redsps]

I've got P888 SPS which came of my 916sps, but have'nt worked out yet how to get asigned to my J reg bike.
Must be a way surely.

[Jasper]

As far as i know you can't make a vehicle appear younger than it is.So you could put a J plate on a P bike,but not the other way round.Mine is a "K" plate so no problems making it a "J".I no doubt will be proved wrong by somebody with alot more experience than me!!;)

[yellow916]

Nat

Which 851/888 book liked the SP's so much?

Andrew

[Nattyboy]

Originally posted by yellow916
Nat

Which 851/888 book liked the SP's so much?

Andrew

The 851/888 performance portfolio one...you got it ??

Nat

[sparkin]

Speaking of books Nat,do you know where I can get the 851,888,916 one by Paulo Conti?

[Jools]

Originally posted by sparkin
Jools,I think it`s about time you took the plunge,you know you want too:D;):D

Dead right mate.

Next year there's only my sons last year at uni, my daughters wedding, and the holiday me and Mrs Jools want to take after the wedding to pay for. Then all I need is to save a few thousand quid and a T8 is on the cards. Yeah right...maybe the year after then :(

Trouble is I couldn't put my cherished plate on it could I.... V2 DUC (alright then 0UC).

[Jasper]

Sparkin,i got it from Amazon.co.uk

[yellow916]

Nat

haven't seen that - any good (apart from the quote in your post!)?

I got the Conti book from Amazon - it's printed in an interesting font!

Andrew

[Nattyboy]

Sparkin..got mine from borders bookshop (had to be ordered though)

Cheers
Nat

[Jasper]

Sparkin,again,got the 851/888 portfolioo from amazon.

[sparkin]

Got that one Jasper,but can`t locate the Conti one thou:puzzled:

[Jasper]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/026-7579225-8538046Used & New from £10.49


4. Ducati Super Bikes: 851, 888, 916
Motorbooks International
Hardcover
Avg. Customer Review:
Usually dispatched within 1 to 2 working days


If the link doesn't wotk,just type in DUCATI in the search window,the book is number 4.

[Edited on 29-9-2004 by Jasper]

[sparkin]

Yep,done that.It came up with used at £50+:o:(:flame::puzzled:

[Jasper]

OUCH!!!!I think i only paid £20 for it!!try:

http://www.dukevideo.com/products/M1222.htm

[Nattyboy]

(assuming you havent already got it) Can I also recommend desmoquattro superbikes by Ian Falloon..about 40 pages of 851/888 stuff with some cracking photos..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0760312362/qid=1096493665/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_0_1/202-5725539-2677424

Cheers
Nat

[sparkin]

cheers Jasper,just ordered it:Don it`s way:D:D:D

[Jasper]

No Probs.

[sparkin]

Ain`t got that one Nat,but soon will have:roll::eureka::roll:

[sparkin]

I`ve had a look thru some of the other model threads(don`t want to upset anyone here,seriously)but is it me, or are we more crazy about our model than other members are theirs,or are we just plain crazy to start with?

[Redsps]

sparkin, no we're not crazy mate.
It's just that we appreciate the finer things in life, bikes with real class, with decent performance to.
All the other dukes are cool, but having had a wide selection of them I really do prefer the851/888 bikes now.

probably becuase I'm an old bloke;);)


cheers
robin

[sparkin]

Originally posted by Red SPS
sparkin, no we're not crazy mate.
It's just that we appreciate the finer things in life, bikes with real class, with decent performance to.
All the other dukes are cool, but having had a wide selection of them I really do prefer the851/888 bikes now.


That`s excactly how I feel Robin:) Oh dear what have I started!

[Jasper]

I'm 38,don't consider myself old,but started off in 90 with an 851,then 888,then SP4,then had to sell it to buy a house.Spent 8 years with the 748 trying to make it be something it couldn't be- an 888.So sold it and returned this year with the SP5.Absolute and utter bliss.They are SO special.Brutal and with a presence that the 748/916/996/998 range will never have.They refined it all away.I will prepare myself for the onslaught from the 748/9*6 group!!:D

[Edited on 30-9-2004 by Jasper]

[weeveetwin]

Jasper hit the nail on the head. These bikes ARE special. I think we all feel the same way about them. Don't forget, they were built before Ducati became a household word. They weren't 'trendy' and thus were not sold to every flash harry with the cash to buy. In a way - and in my humble opinion - that's what has taken the shine from all of the later bikes, be they SP/SPS/R etc etc. None of them have the 'presence' of the 888 simply because there are so many of them out there. Riding through the narrow villages in and around Durham, my SP4 turns heads/ears like nothing I've ever known - whether in the company of rice-burners or other Ducatis - simply because it's a bike most bystanders (bikers included) have never before seen 'in the flesh'. Fast bikes, testing the SP4 in 1992 called it "the most conspicuous bike in the world". (...and even today, nothing's changed!!)

[Gordy]

Here here, well said chaps, i came from a 748( written off, oops!!) and it was very good, but the 888 fits me better therefore i feel more comfortable & confident,

plus i'm an old git:D.

Gordy.

BTW, how come all your avatars are crisp and bright, but mine looks as if the picture was taken through a net curtain??:puzzled:.

[Edited on 30-9-2004 by Gordy]

[weeveetwin]

Gordy

Load your photo into some kind of paint program, click on filters, then click on sharpen. Just mess about with contrast/sharpen/unsharp-mask etc unti it looks right.

(Or just save this one and upload it..!)

[Nattyboy]

Yep.....we are keen arent we .:D Think the appeal has been covered. My 888 was on display at a stand at the superbike grand national at castle combe last weekend, next to a 748 which had just been fitted with a QB carbon motogp kit and sprayed in marlboro colours - an it didnt get a look in..!!! All sorts were looking at the 888..young and old..having a right good poke around they were and lots of pics being taken. Didnt stop smiling all day !

As I think ive said before, my (jap bike) owning mate summed it up.."your 916 was a pretty, almost feminine bike..but this looks brutal..deffo a blokes bike"!!

The new dukes are great.. I love my S4R..it goes like stink, its a lovely smooth ride, and will no doubt prove to be much more reliable..but it has nowhere near the amount of charachter (and noise!!) my 888 has...and if one had to go...then it wouldnt be too hard a choice !

Think youll be pleased with the falloon book sparkin...it has probably the best 851/888 reference info ive come across in a book with some great pics...theres even a rare 1986 pic of the 748 prototype which went on to become the 851.

Also..did you know that it was (a young) pierre terblanche that did the restyle for the last of the 851/888's with the chiselled tank and cutaway side panels (he did one decent job then..:lol:)

Cheers
Nat

[Otto Otto Otto]

weeveetwin, are you also known as weeveefour on a different forum?
If so have you had any joy with an RC30 yet?

[weeveetwin]

Hi Otto...

Yep, thet's me! I've had a couple of guys wanting to do deals. One with a good RC30 (but he/and the bike are in southern spain, and I don't really want the hassle) and another abroad with a nearly new RC45. I'm in no hurry though - so would rather wait for a UK bike.

[sparkin]

Originally posted by Jasper
They refined it all away.I will prepare myself for the onslaught from the &48/9*6 group!!:D

I`m surprised the 7*9/9*9 group haven`t bombarded us yet:P with all their new technology and refinements;):D:lol::devil:

[Otto Otto Otto]

WVT
It's well worth hanging round for a good 'un as spares etc. tend to be a tad pricier than you might imagine.
I have a Thorsten Durbahn RC30 (check his website) which is pretty funky, and I think is the only one in the UK - 165kg and probably 110-115hp. Feels like a toy, and I love it. And sorry guys, it does sound better than a twin (cue comments from all directions).
Good luck

Otto

[sparkin]

Originally posted by Otto Otto Otto
And sorry guys, it does sound better than a twin (cue comments from all directions).
Good luck

Otto

Another BLASPHEMER for stoning! :lol:

[Otto Otto Otto]

Hey Sparkin

I'll take you up on that ............ now if you'll just pass the joint!!
No honestly, no matter how loud and deep your bike is, and my SP5 is pretty fruity, it doesnt sound different anymore, just louder and deeper than most other twins. Personally I prefer the sound of a race piped TL1000, but a race piped V4, well that's not something you hear everyday.
A lot of people buy Duke's to have something different, and to be honest, is'nt that the lasting appeal of the 888? Whereas the 916 etc is guilty of it's own success. I don't think I like the idea that Ducati is now a massive brand - the amount of trinketry that you can now buy for your bike is reminiscent of that other american gravy-train "Hardly Worthitson".
Does anybody else share this view, or have you all picked up your chosen weapon???

[sparkin]

Originally posted by Otto Otto Otto
A lot of people buy Duke's to have something different, and to be honest, is'nt that the lasting appeal of the 888? Whereas the 916 etc is guilty of it's own success. I don't think I like the idea that Ducati is now a massive brand - the amount of trinketry that you can now buy for your bike is reminiscent of that other american gravy-train "Hardly Worthitson".
Does anybody else share this view, or have you all picked up your chosen weapon???

I can`t agree more with you Otto:) Speaking to KeefyBoy the other week about his Multistuka(hold my hands up,I had one too and thought it was a lot of fun)but the finish on the engine is appalling and the phrase mentioned was"they`re not hand built anymore,they`re mass-produced,wheel `em in,wheel `em out."Nowadays the "Ducati experiance"is more accessable than it was 10 or so years ago.A freind of mine and a fellow club member(Dodgy 749)previosly had a RSVmille and was reluctant to own a Ducati for the "Hardly Worthitson"reason you mentioned,turning Ducati into a fashion accessory,but I think that`s already happened:(

I`m ready for the onslaught:D

[weeveetwin]

Otto...
I'd agree with you about the direction Ducati is taking. But that's what happens when a relatively small 'specialist' motorcycle manufacturing company sells out to the big guys. One day Ducati's 'trinket' manufacturing facility could well be larger than that producing motorbikes, and when that happens owning a Ducati will be almost an embarrassment. The last thing I want is a pen (see another post) with Ducati emblazoned on its side, or aftershave, or soap-on-a-rope (these are all available from Harley Davidson!) The glorious past history of the company can't be changed though, and the 888 played a large part in it. This is the bike that toppled the most famous japanese bike ever made (the RC30) from the top of the tree in WSB - and that, to me, is its lasting appeal.

[Edited on 1-10-2004 by weeveetwin]

[Rob B]

Two thoughts:

1. Green, an 888 and a RC30. Wow, very green.

2. Lifestyle, that's what Harlet ownership seems to be about. It's a bit bling, but we have to be very careful when we start to knock it. So many people who own Harlets talk about the great friendships that they have made since meeting owners from all walks of life, brought together by a common interest. Sounds kinda familiar.


Rgds, Rob:P

[sparkin]

Originally posted by rob41b
Lifestyle, that's what Harlet ownership seems to be about. It's a bit bling, but we have to be very careful when we start to knock it. So many people who own Harlets talk about the great friendships that they have made since meeting owners from all walks of life, brought together by a common interest. Sounds kinda familiar.


Rgds, Rob:P

Wise words:)