Italians � you gotta love 'em. Can't fight a war obviously, but they know how to build a motorcycle.

I'd love to have been at the meeting when the design team got together to discuss how they should build the Ducati 916.

It had to have style and character, and, of course, it had to be red. All these things went without saying. At this point they probably broke for a suitably large lunch washed down with numerous bottles of Chianti. Now that they were relaxed, the fun started. 'Lets make it a 900cc 90 degree V-twin' someone suggested, 'just think of all that lovely torque trying to pull your arms from their sockets as you headbut the clocks when the front wheel soars skyward'. Obviously with such an agricultural grade engine, they had to make it as small and light as possible to take full advantage of the ever important power to weight ratio. Then someone chipped in with��.fuel injection!!! Just what you need with a light, powerful motorcycle � throttle response faster that the human brain��a bike that accelerates before you think about it. I'm pretty sure someone suggested making it reliable, but they were probably laughed at and then sacked.

Obviously with all this mad fun stuff, there had to be something to bring you back to earth, so they built in the world's heaviest clutch that, combined with such a committed riding position, makes riding slowly in town an experience taken directly from the Spanish Inquisition.

Anyway, enough crap�.have a look at the pics and break into the piggy bank.

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