Ducati 888 SP4 Superbike 1992 pampered bike perhaps the quickest 888

Ducati 888 SP4

I have owned the bike for 16+ years.

It has been a UK bike from new.

MoT's from new and comprehensive service history.

In 2010 my Ducati riding friends planned a trip out to Italy and an arms race developed amongst us with various new exotica being bought for the trip including Desmosedici RR's. I am a huge fan of 888's and rather than buying something new decided to create perhaps the ultimate 888 road bike. So my 888 SP4 went up to John Hacketts. If you know about Ducati's then you know who he is and why I choose him to build my engine. Apart from a long history of building very successful Ducati race and road bikes he also has a great passion for 888's and I doubt if anyone knows more about them than he does.

Engine

The 984cc engine was built into a brand new set of factory 888 crankcases which contained a complete set of new factory bearings so the whole engine has only done around 4k miles - probably the lowest mileage SP engine around. When the 888 SP5 came out they started blowing up and Ducati soon ran out of its stock of crankcases. I have heard various versions but it appears that Ducati built a final batch of new strengthened 888 crankcases. some say they built 10 sets. some say 20 but this engine was built with a set of these.

The whole engine was blue printed by John to get maximum performance and reliability. It runs Ducati 955 barrels and pistons. ported and flowed heads with big valves 37 and 31mm. The long throw crankshaft has been lightened and balanced. It runs vernier/adjustable pulleys so that you can very precisely set the valve timing. It runs a P8 ECU that was setup for this bike on a rolling road by John. It was fitted with a new carbon clutch and a new JHP clutch slave which improves the ratio by around 30% - makes it lighter to use. I am sure I forgotten more. but hopefully you see the upgrades were well chosen. The receipt for the work goes on for pages and pages. No expense was spared.

The engine was created to make lots of mid range and it does. It makes more torque over 82ft/lbs than an 1198s (measured on a dyno) and it makes it earlier and more smoothly. For comparison a standard 888 SP4 makes about 55ft/lbs.

I think the 984 is the nicest Ducati engine I have ever used. stonking mid range and unique deep Ducati exhaust note. The exhaust is as per the factory except they have been polished and had the baffles removed. Amusingly the PDI instructions issued by the Ducati factory explained how to remove the baffles to let the full Ducati soundtrack out. They make a fine proper Ducati noise. but not so noisy that they attract unwelcome attention.

You can hear it at video.

As you can see just a whiff of throttle at just 4/5.000 rpm is enough to make more than adequate progress.

Handling

A standard 888 SP4 handles very well. with perhaps its only criticism being that initially it is slow to turn. To address this the rear ride height has been raised and the front Ohlins adjusted accordingly to optimise the steering. The front and rear Ohlins suspension has been rebuilt with progressive springs to improve matters further. The standard wheels are heavy and reducing the sprung and rotating mass of any bike makes a huge improvement. Accordingly I had fitted Magnesium Marchesini's specially designed for the 888SP. which look beautiful and are unbelievably light. They cost over £1. 00 new and are now unobtainable. I think people now realize the huge improvement they make to an SP and I have seen a second hand pair sell for over £2k. The bike now turns quickly and remains super (Ducati) stable in the bends.

Braking

The original specification cast iron discs are no longer available from Ducati. but a few years ago I sourced what may have been the final new pair (I think they cost me £500). They are on the bike and show hardly any wear. It runs twin braided hoses on the front and a Brembo radial master cylinder and lever. The standard original master cylinder is a not very good and the setup on the bike gives the best feel of any brakes I have ever used. They are very powerful and you can use all of their power to chirp the tyre.

The chain and sprockets are high quality items and are almost new.

The front tyre is almost new and the rear tyre in new. They are Michelin Pilots.

Other bits

The side fairing panels have been replaced with light weight carbon race parts and professionally painted to suit. The original fairings are ludicrously heavy and the carbon panels save many Kg's.

It is SP4 number 568. I was told when I bought it that it was the last SP4 made. I contacted the factory to see if this was true. but they do not seem to know the number of the last one made - so maybe it's the last SP4 made and if it is then I am pleased it is also probably the most sorted. tuned SP4 on the road. A word of warning - I have seen replica SP yoke plates for sale and some people are using them to create fake SP's. If you are buying an SP make sure you can trace its history back to new to ensure it is genuine.

The mileage is low as I rarely use it on UK roads. I prefer to take into Italy and Switzerland and use it as the factory and God intended!

I have the original wheels and fairings. They are not part of this listing but if the buyer wants then we can agree a price. They are in excellent condition. The small dent on the left side of the tank was caused by my wife and the bike has not been dropped. I have another undamaged 888 tank which is not included in this listing. but if the buyer wants it then we can agree a price. The dent doesn't interfere with the operation of the bike. It is fitted with a high power Odyssey PC680 battery which is slightly larger than the standard battery. but puts out enough power to start a large V8!

The nose fairing was painted white to make the bike more visible to sleepy car drivers. It is an original factory item. The blue and white stickers are there as they make the bike highly visible to other road users.

After it was built and run in. I took it on a c2. 00 mile ride to France. Italy. Switzerland and it was glorious. It hasn't really been used much since. A couple of friends were on £40k Desmosedici RR and on a mountain road (Ducati's natural habitat) it would leave them behind. It is a very quick bike and perhaps the only one of kind in the world. As it is designed for fast long distance riding I have fitted it with a small waterproof case on the top yoke that is powered and takes a Smartphone so that you can use it as satnav to guide you along your route. rather than stopping to look at a map and disturbing the flow of the ride. I have had some great rides on this bike. On one ride heading back from Venice to Switzerland (a 700 mile day) I was just leaving a petrol stop in Italy when an F40 Ferrari on Italian plates flashed past and naturally I set off as you do - who wouldn't? We were both heading north toward the Swiss border and the next 45 minutes on Italian mountain roads in and out of twisty tunnels with epic mountain views were awesome as I caught the iconic supercar and sat with him. the noise from his car and the 888 in the tunnels was spectacular and the local Italian drivers cleared the road to let us pass as they enjoyed the spectacle. Emerging from one tunnel side by side at an unmentionable speed I thought we were for it as parked at the roadside were two Italian Police cars. the F40 driver knew the form and keep it nailed but I rolled off expecting the nicking of a life time. but instead the Carabinieri just gave us the thumbs up as we flashed past! I caught up with the F40 again by the Swiss border and we shook hands as we queued to cross the border and he babbled enthusiastically in Italian having obviously enjoyed it as much as I did. After that he headed for the motorway and I headed into the Swiss mountains.

It now is due for a service. I thought about doing this before I put it up for sale. but most Ducati enthusiasts have their own favorite garage so I will leave it to you. It will need cambelts as they are time expired and accordingly I strongly suggest you service it before you ride it as it would be disastrous to snap a belt and wreck this engine. The engine has only done c4k miles since it was built and all the bearings etc. were brand new factory items.

With standard 888 SP4's with c30k+ miles on dealers sites for £17k and prices of these iconic Superbikes appreciating. If you wanted to recreate this bike you would need to buy an SP4 and then spend c£12k+ to recreate it and that's if you could find the parts Hopefully it will go to someone who will ride it.

The bikes comes with its Original factory handbook. both sets of keys and two alarm fobs. It is fitted with a Datatool alarm and comes with the handbook and certificate of Installation. As it is now a "classic" it is even now cheap to insure! Also included are the MoTs. servicing bills. numerous other receipts and loads of paperwork right back to its PDI paperwork. The V5 is in my name. I have a PDF version of the factory workshop manual. It has been featured in magazines. but I think I will keep them as a souvenir of owning it.

When buying a Ducati I always want to know if the owner has looked after it properly. My father was an aero engineer and keen motorcyclists from the late 1930's and taught me how to look after and maintain bikes. Even my Grandfathers was a motorcycle engineer so I have had the benefit of a century of family knowledge. I bought my first Ducati in the early 1980's a 500 Pantah (NJO 50W are you still out there?) and my Dad and I stripped it and blueprinted the engine. We ran it Bruntingthorpe at 121mph and it was faster than the then new 750 Ducatis! I bought my first 851 in 1990 and have had a variety of 888SP's since. I have been a member of The Ducati Owners club for 30 years. I have been a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists for decades and a trainer/observer for them on and off for the last 20 years - so I am not a hooligan! I change the oil and filter every 1. 00 miles and as you can see from the servicing it is well looked after. I never ever thought I would sell it. but I have been offered my Grandfathers bike which he owned a century ago and courted my Grandmother on and I have been trying to buy that bike for 30+ years so bikes have to go to fund it.

Understandably it is collection only. I am in Midhurst. West Sussex - not far from Goodwood. If you want to arrange collection (at your cost) then I will be happy to help in whatever way I can.

Payment will be cash on collection.