1998 Ducati 916 Senna III

Description

After Service Video:

Cold Start Video:

Additional photos of this 1998 Ducati 916 Senna are available here for your perusal.

Ducati’s 916 was an instant classic as soon as it was shown to the world. Built for 5 years before evolving into the 996, this bike was one of Massimo Tamburini’s crowning achievements. Though it produced less horsepower than the Japanese competition, the engine made more torque, and no bike from any country could compete on style.

In 1998, the Guggenheim featured an exhibit called “The Art of the Motorcycle”. The 916 was one of the few modern bikes to make the cut. But you probably already know all about the 916 and what makes it fantastic – the lovely single-sided swingarm, designed to speed up wheel changes during races, for example. Or the underseat exhausts that cleaned aesthetic lines, but also aerodynamic flow. Forget all that for a moment. Today we’re featuring a very special version of this classic – the Ducati 916 Senna.

Built as a fund-raiser for the late Ayrton Senna’s namesake foundation, there were three series of the Senna – the 1st was gray with red wheels, the 2nd was silver with red wheels, and the 3rd was black with red wheels. Each run was of 300 units.

Ayrton Senna was a personal friend of the Castiglioni family (partially, no doubt, because he was a repeat high-profile Ducati customer), and personally agreed to the first run in his honour before his demise. Profits from the reps went to the Senna Foundation, to provide Brazilian kids with free sports facilities, as long as they went to school. It combined a Strada-spec engine (minus the posh Pankl rods) with a SP chassis (Öhlins shock, cast-iron, fully-floating Brembo discs and braided brake hoses).

The Senna III also gained a carbon fiber front fender and carbon fiber air box.

This example (VIN: ZDM916S*013146*DGM536190M, Engine #: ZDM916W4*013638*) is #241 out of the third run.

The odometer shows 7,219 miles.

This Senna came to us from a collection in England, and the sale includes some documentation, several MOT Test Certificates, and maintenance records from October 1999 – July 2018.

In preparation for the listing, the seller had us install new belts, adjust the valves, install new intake/exhaust valve cover gaskets, clean and oil the air filter, change the engine oil/filter, flush the front/rear brake fluid, flush the clutch fluid, flush the coolant, install a new chain, install a new battery, install new NGK spark plugs, clean in the inside of the tank, clean the headlight lenses, remove an aftermarket alarm system, replace the flasher relay, and detail the bike. Daniel and Angel did the work, they note that the brake pads are at 80% front and rear.

Modifications:
Termignoni carbon fiber exhaust.

Carbon fiber belly pan.

Oberon clutch slave cylinder, carbon fiber front sprocket cover, carbon fiber rear fender, carbon fiber swingarm guard, carbon fiber chain guard.

Carbon fiber clutch cover, Ducati 916-branded frame plugs, chromed rear sets.

Aftermarket tank protector.

The left mirror and right edge of the windshield show remnants from a previous Datatag installation.

Battery tender lead.

Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album up top for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:

Inside of the tank:

It is riding on Michelin Pilot Power tires with date codes of 3021 and 3121.

The sale includes one key.

Currently located at our facility in Santa Monica, California, (please make an appointment for an inspection), this Ducati is offered on a clean Oregon title. Please note that this is titled as a 1995 model. Have any 916 Senna stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!