I was going thru the library last night and found a copy of Performance Bikes from 1994 with the first road test of the 916 written by Mark Forsyth.
It makes wonderful reading with some great qoutes.
'To all of you out there who thought you'd like a 916, let me tell you; you do want one---badly. Whatever you're riding at the moment, its not half as good as a Ducati 916. Strong words? Not a bit of it.'
'So if you've put down a deposit and missed a goodly part of the summer waiting for your 916 to turn up, fear not. You have ordered an absolute peach of a bike, possibly the best sports road bike ever.'
Re. 916 or Fireblade. The conclusion is 'The only reason you should consider a Fireblade is if you can't afford the extra dosh for the 916'
The test does mention niggly little faults that shouldn't be there on a bike of this price but concludes......
'There's no doubt that a more clinically engineered Japanaese bike is better finished but there is no Jap bike in existence than can match the 916 for feel, noise and soul...or ridability. All of the big four could learn a thing or two from the 916 and its incredible grip-finding power delivery. What an engine. What a chassis. What a bike.'
There's been a lot of waffle about MCN's best bike, the 916; and 996 vs 999 argumnet. As long as the respective bikes give their respective owners the sort of buzz Mark Forsyth got in this road test then we're all happy, even if the 999 is................................................ .................................................. .................................................. ..............................
