Wallpaper Wednesday: Ducati 851
Welcome to Wallpaper Wednesday. Every week I will post up something beautiful from the world of Ducati that you just might like to have grace your desktop. This week we have another oldie, and one of my personal favorites, the Ducati 851/888.
Launched in 1988 to coincide with the inaugural World Superbike Championship (ultimately won by Fred Merkel on a Honda RC30, the Ducati 851 signaled a major change for Ducati as the very first Desmoquattro added water cooling and 4 valve heads to chase Japanese superbike levels of performance. The engine format and injection system remained more or less unchanged until the new Testastretta 998 in 2001 The wallpaper depicts 1981 500cc World Champion Marco Lucchinelli’s factory machine which proved fast but unreliable. Ducati chose to not travel to the final rounds in Australia and New Zealand, a costly mistake since they could have won the championship! The factory racers ultimately ended up at 926cc and the road machines at 888cc.
A number of desirable, limited edition, homologation specials were launched such as the SP4, featuring powerful 888cc engines and Ohlins suspension.
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As I get older, I think the 888 is one of my favorites and hope-to-own bikes in the near future. I always thought the 748 would take the cake, but the rarity and pedigree of the 888 are tough to beat. Every time I see one, I start thinking 2nd mortgage!
dc
Thanks, I agree about the 888. Pity the 888SPO isn’t really special like the true SP series bikes. Cool idea for a site by the way!