Description
The Ducati 851 was the successor to the air-cooled two-valve 900SS. Development had lagged with the continued use of two valve engines, but new investment funded the technological advance that Ducati desperately needed. After buying Ducati, Cagiva invested in the development of another V-twin, but with liquid cooling, and four-valve desmodromic heads. Massimo Bordi had designed a 4V Desmo in 1973 for his thesis at the University of Bologna, and with Cagiva in 1985, saw his updated ideas come into production as the Desmoquattro. Based on the Pantah motor, but with liquid cooling, fuel injection, and desmodromic four valve heads (with an included valve angle of 40°), the 851 made Ducati once again competitive in motorcycle racing.
The original Desmo Quattro was an experimental 748 cc 4 valve racer (seen at the Bol d'Or in 1986) and used 750 F1 Pantah crankcases. Bordi collaborated with Cosworth to develop the heads, but in the time they had, they were only able to reduce the included valve angle of the desmodromic engine to 40°, while less than 30° was possible with valve springs. Ducati stuck with the desmodromics. The subsequent 851 road bike had stronger crankcases, while the heads and valves remained the same; designed to fit above the 88 mm bore of a 748 cc version.
The 1987 – 1988 Ducati 851 Tricolor used the signature steel tube trellis frame, adorned with Marvic wheels, Brembo brakes and Marzocchi suspension. That first release was criticised for its handling, with the 16inch wheels so the wheels were enlarged from a 16-inch to 17-inch wheels. In addition, upgraded Ohlins USD suspension components were fitted front, along with fully floating front Brembo brake rotors.
While the iconic 916 is usually celebrated as the machine that restored Ducati to a path of race success and fortune, the truth is more than a little different. Instead, it's actually the 916's predecessor, the 851, which truly changed everything.
Introduced 30 years ago, initially as a racing prototype, then officially unveiled as a production road machine in the autumn of that year, the 851 was simply revolutionary - and not just for Ducati but for motorcycling as a whole.
The all-new, liquid-cooled, four-valve, fuel-injected Desmoquattro V-twin (or L-twin as Ducati call it) at its heart was not just a quantum leap from anything the Italian firm had produced before, it was also a true moment of change for both Ducati and the whole idea of modern superbikes. In short, without the 851 the 916 simply couldn't have happened.
This Biek - very smart example, fully serviced and will be supplied with a fresh MOT
