This is my 2000 Ducati 996. The Superbike comes on the heels of my summer spent learning about the Ducati experience thru my 2V 900SS. Similar in many ways, yet quite different and distinct in its own right. A truly high performance machine, the 996 makes no excuses for its racing lineage. Rather, it embraces the uncompromising requirements of competition, and this shows thru both in its sheer performance and unchallenged beauty.
Update - April '03
It all starts so innocently, doesn't it? Just a little change here, little tweak there... Before you know it you're (I'm!) in the middle of a significant project, trying to create something a little different or distinct. The goal of the winter project was to reduce the total weight of the bike by as much as possible, while retaining a relatively stock powertrain - with initial focus on rotating and/or unsprung mass. Few internal engine mods were done, so the power output can be assumed similar to a stock 996 - albeit a little freer revving.
The net result: A steel-framed 996 with a dry weight of 352 lbs. (Yes, I weighed it!)
With fluids (no fuel) and ready to go, she's 368 lbs. Not bad, and there are lots of additional places to go after further mass reductions.The result is a total transformation of the bike. It doesn't have any more power than last fall, but the machine is truly "flickable" and super-responsive to the throttle. A fun project, and a great way to keep the engineering juices flowing thru an otherwise ho-hum winter season. As I said, there are many things left to go after, including suspension bits and geometry, and some more deep-dive into exotic materials, but the bike is an excellent package (IMHO) as-is, and will remain in this form for the summer riding/track season.
The Plan...
The plan for this bike is to leave the majority of the bodywork in carbon, but with silver number plates and belly pan. I've also had the wheels powder coated in a light metallic silver which really gives the bike a lighter/taller look. I intend to add a small blue "fade" at the trailing edges of the tail and upper fairing, much like Chili's bike from last year (Laconi's bike this year) - but in blue to match the custom anodizing work I've had done. Click here for a photoshop preview of the final scheme...
Engine / Driveline
