Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 851 / 888 > 888 questions ...

[Jools]

Anything is possible with enough time and cash so a Testastretta could probably be mangled into the frame somehow...to be honest though I wouldn't bother. Think of it this way, by the time you've got a tidy Strada and then spent, what, £1200+ on an eBay 'stretta engine you're well into the price of a tidy, late 999 where you'd get your 'stretta with no hassle. T8's aren't bargain basement and even when I got my Strada I could've had a 2003 749S for pretty much the same money. The other thing is, and I'll be just a tiny bit puritanical here, to me dropping a testastretta lump in is not really in the spirit of the bike - but then it wouldn't be my bike so you could do what you liked.

Standard suspension on a Strada is Showa up front, with 40mm spacing caliper mounts and ooh, err, ummm I think Sachs or Boge at the back, but I couldn't be sure without looking in the manual. I find the standard suspension suits me very well (although I am going to drop the front end by 10mm to speed the steering a bit)

[TP]

Originally Posted by Jools

Anything is possible with enough time and cash so a Testastretta could probably be mangled into the frame somehow...to be honest though I wouldn't bother. Think of it this way, by the time you've got a tidy Strada and then spent, what, £1200+ on an eBay 'stretta engine you're well into the price of a tidy, late 999 where you'd get your 'stretta with no hassle. T8's aren't bargain basement and even when I got my Strada I could've had a 2003 749S for pretty much the same money. The other thing is, and I'll be just a tiny bit puritanical here, to me dropping a testastretta lump in is not really in the spirit of the bike - but then it wouldn't be my bike so you could do what you liked.

Standard suspension on a Strada is Showa up front, with 40mm spacing caliper mounts and ooh, err, ummm I think Sachs or Boge at the back, but I couldn't be sure without looking in the manual. I find the standard suspension suits me very well (although I am going to drop the front end by 10mm to speed the steering a bit)

So, an ohlins/white power/something shock for it and a k-tech cartridge kit for the forks .. some nice geometry ... radial pumps and some GP billets ... tuned 996 engine similar to what I had done to my 996 and a lovely SoT machine is born

To be honest although the 999 shape has grown on me to the extent that I'd happily own one (I think!) I'd prefer the 888.

One thing I keep coming back to though is the weight differences between the strada and the SP which is a consideration if I wanted to race it. Especially considering my weight

[Mr.R]

Originally Posted by Jools

Standard suspension on a Strada is Showa up front, with 40mm spacing caliper mounts and ooh, err, ummm I think Sachs or Boge at the back, but I couldn't be sure without looking in the manual. I find the standard suspension suits me very well (although I am going to drop the front end by 10mm to speed the steering a bit)

Hi, Rear shock on a 888 strada is a showa. If you drop the front fork through the yolks, you may find the front wheel hits the head on full compression.
Corse 888 racers had the front head machined back and the sp5 had different castings to avoid this.
Try jacking up the rear,10mm should do to start with. or try Louigi Moto jack up kit Rob B rates this set up.
Steve Robins S.W.

[Jools]

Fair point about dropping the front, but I have seen a strada set up like that (in fact I was gonna buy it) without any problems at all. I think 10-12mm is reckoned to be fine, could run into trouble dropping more than that.

I might try jacking the back end though, it's worked well on my ST even though it makes it more difficult for a stumpy legged little bugger like me to get on the damn thing

[TP]

Originally Posted by Jools

...I might try jacking the back end though, it's worked well on my ST even though it makes it more difficult for a stumpy legged little bugger like me to get on the damn thing

Gives you more ground clearance and by carrying the weight a little higher it also makes it a little more flickable but slightly less stable. Sigma did this on my racebike last year and it would turn whenever I thought about it!

[yellow916]

TP

FWIW, my 2p worth. Agree with almost all that's been said. I have an SP3 (supposed to be even lighter than the SP4?), love the rawness. Nothing sophisticated at all! Not the best "town bike", obviously, even my 916 Bip was better there. I guess if I wanted a bike to cherish, I'd get the SP (which I did); not sure I'd want to track it though - s Strada with some of the mods described here sounds more sensible. And the thought of throwing an SPS down the road...

Whichever you get, you'll like it.

Andrew

[Rob B]

Get down for coffee and a poke around over the winter (only 75mins from yours) and you can take a view on how far you might wabt to go with a strada.

Rgds, Rob

[TP]

Originally Posted by Rob B

Get down for coffee and a poke around over the winter (only 75mins from yours) and you can take a view on how far you might wabt to go with a strada.

Rgds, Rob

Thanks for the kind offer Rob

I'll be in touch about that.

[Mr.R]

Sp3 lighter than sp4? alloy tank yes but lighter seat unit on sp4, i doubt the difference was more than 1 or 2 pounds.
Steve Robins S.W.

[yellow916]

Steve

Wouldn't argue it's a huge difference, just quoting somehing I think I read somewhere!

Andrew