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

[TP]

Thanks Rob, unfortunately I won't be able to do anything about this until at least next year I think. I guess I just wanted to get some info on these things so I can think about these things over winter ...

There's some excellent info in here, thanks everone. I guess if I went down this road I'd go the GRP bodywork and shelve the originals ... I'm even thinking that one of these things would go alright in Sound of Thunder Especially if it was a strada with a 996 engine in it or something similar ...

beancounter, thank you very much for your generous offer. I'd love to have a go on one but at the moment I couldn't afford to do anything to it should the worst happen so I'm better off not taking any risks at the moment! Having said that, I may take you up on that in the spring or something when I'll have a better idea of what I'm doing.

I'm leaning towards a strada really, with a few tuning options I suppose. I wouldn't look after an SP - as Freak and Lily will attest, I don't wash bikes very often My 996 was well looked after, but dirty. Although I did look after my 998R, but that bike was very special to me.

Has anyone tried to put a testastretta engine in one of these things? Is it too much of a bodge?

What suspension did the strada have? Not too fussed about brakes as I'd probably change them anyway.

[TP]

Weeveetwin, I take it you sold the strada then - not the SP?

[weeveetwin]

Yes, sold the Strada. It's a real beauty, but I no longer have the space to keep it so it had to go. After seeing the look on my face, the chap who took it said he felt guilty buying it!

Oh well, it's gone to a very good home. (Hi Howard!) I expect he'll be joining the DSC soon.

[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)

[jgriff]

You no silly Ains old mate. You can get 8-900hp out of Volkswagon beatle engine. They last about 12 seconds!

[phil_h]

Very interesting stuff here guys.
Here am I with an '89 851SP (*000998*) ex-bot full-ohlins chassis with a 900SS in it, and a 748SPS.
I love both of them for completely different reasons
- the handling on the 851sp chassis is just wonderful and light and the engine is wonderfully grunty but runs out of steam
- the 748 in yellow with full race sticker kit always looks as if it belongs in the pit lane and handles almost as well as the 851 but the engine is just so revvy, and though it is light for a 748/916 type, its still quite heavy.
So I'm looking for an 851/888 strada to try
Greedy ?
Me ?
And why not ?

[FiscusFish]

Originally Posted by phil_h

Very interesting stuff here guys.
<snip>
So I'm looking for an 851/888 strada to try
Greedy ?
Me ?
And why not ?

Should've asked a month or so ago at Popham. You had 10 to choose from there...

Darren

[851neil]

what's been done to your "851" to get 134hp at the wheel!!???

good question !
here goes
955 competition piston kit
Pankl SP rods (with 21mm little end) not Ti...
lightened and balanced crank
heads converted to 37mm inlet and 31mm exhaust spec
heads ported and gas flowed
race cams (431 inlet and G exhaust)
lightweight alloy flywheel
factory termi spaghetti system
955 Corse chip for the P8 ECU, rev limit 12,300rpm
running twin green injectors per tb
power commander installed to middle 2 injectors - sorts out air/fuel mix beautifully
factory carbon air intakes & airbox - uses tank as top 1/2 of airbox, it's sealed or as near as can be made so and makes a huge improvement to how she runs
slipper clutch by STM

Ains the motor has now done 1200 miles and I've just had her apart to look at condition - openers and closers all Ok, cams Ok, valves Ok, Bottom end is also fine. I think that the bottom line is that the miles I've done havn't exactly been high stress and, aside from thrashing around the IOM, she's been shortshifted everywhere. Shortshifting at 9.5 / 10k with this motor isn't a penalty either as it pulls as well as the torque and power curves suggest. not sure how long the motor will last but I'm expecting to get around 6000 miles before a refresh is needed

Loony - yeah remember the discussion, pity we couldn't have met up - another time maybe !

[851neil]

oh yeah - running super unleaded, nothing spesh as far as fuel is concerned.
squish at 1mm as well - could be reduced but why bother ?

taking ains & griff's point I suppose that only time and use will tell how long it'll last, but I ain't no Falappa / Polen or Fogarty - I'm not even that quick on track, why bother then ??? because it can be done is why !

[phil_h]

Originally Posted by FiscusFish

Should've asked a month or so ago at Popham. You had 10 to choose from there...

Darren

I was there - my black beast was one of them !