Luckily, former AMA Pro Thunder class champion (as well as successful Ducati dealership owner and official Ducati North America tech maven) Jeff Nash was on hand to help us get near a suitable ballpark setting. The Öhlins FG353P fork follows the current MotoGP spec of having each fork leg handle rebound or compression damping exclusively, with the left fork leg handling compression and the right fork leg dealing only with rebound. Unfortunately, it appeared that the previous group who tested the D16 mistakenly thought the adjusters were the conventional variety, resulting in both ends of the compression damping being far too stiff. Nash softened up the suspension considerably, providing a much more stable and compliant ride that allowed the Ducati to more readily display its surprisingly agile steering characteristics despite its 56.3-inch wheelbase.
The Desmosedici's extra-long...
The Desmosedici's extra-long 21.75-inch swingarm is constructed out of cast, forged, and pressed aluminum sections and weighs just 12 pounds; its overall geometry and linkage ratios are lifted directly from the GP06 MotoGP bike. Bridgestone rubber was specially developed with the 6.25 x 16-inch Marchesini magnesium wheel to replicate the profile of the 16.5-inch rubber that is now standard in MotoGP.
Turn-in and major directional changes on the D16 are far easier than the vast majority of sportbikes, and flicking the bike from full lean on one side to the other in slow or fast chicanes requires less effort than you'd expect. Besides the well-balanced chassis, surely helping in this regard are the Marchesini magnesium wheels that have less gyroscopic effect. The extensive suspension adjustability surely doesn't hurt either; for example, rear ride height can be easily altered by turning the exposed top shock mount bolt on top of the swingarm.
Handling the task of scrubbing off all the speed generated by the engine and chassis are the same brakes found on the 1198 series V-twins. Huge 330mm discs are clamped by Brembo's latest radial-mount/four-piston M4 monobloc calipers sporting 34mm pistons, all actuated by a Brembo radial master cylinder providing unrivaled stopping power and feel. A nice MotoGP-style touch is the manual brake free-play adjuster on the left clip-on bar; continuous very aggressive braking over the course of a race wears pad material and causes the calipers' aluminum pistons to expand, changing the brake lever free play and travel. Turning the adjuster knob immediately takes up this free play, allowing the brakes to feel more consistent.
Unfortunately, all this engine/chassis competence exposes the one weak link in the D16: the tires. The BT-01R "Uno" tires were developed specifically for the D16 by Bridgestone, with the 6.25 x 16-inch rear wheel sizing chosen to provide the correct tire profile that more closely replicates the 16.5-inch rubber that is common in MotoGP. While the BT-01R tires are fine for street use, they never really came to grips-literally as well as figuratively-with track usage. The Bridgestone's only average edge grip-coupled with the D16's tremendous power-contributed to difficulties coming off corners. Any attempts at aggressive corner exits would easily spin up the rear tire, and great care was necessary when getting on the throttle early in the corner. Overall bump compliance wasn't that good either, with a rather stiff carcass feel leading us to theorize that the tire was developed on smoother pavement than we normally have here in the States-street or racetrack. And because of the rear wheel's 16-inch diameter, you're basically stuck with one choice there. We've heard of some D16RR owners fitting 999-spec rear wheels that allow them to run the more plentiful 17-inch rubber choices, although we'd imagine if you have the money for a D16, placing a call to your local Marchesini dealer would net you a proper 17-inch magnesium wheel to match the front.
Instead of the stock exhaust that runs underneath the seat and exits out the top rear of the tail-section, our test unit was equipped with the Ducati Performance tail-section and accessory exhaust that replicates the GP06 MotoGP unit, with one collector exiting from beneath the rear of the tailpiece, and other mounted flush with the fairing bellypan just below the right footpeg.
A Very Impressive Feat
Even the homologation specials for superbike racing that Ducati has built over the years pale in comparison to the Desmosedici RR. Although out-of-the-crate performance may not be a match for the latest V-twin 1198R, the performance potential is there, and the exclusivity and quality of components is unrivaled. Just the fact that Ducati had the ambition and drive to build such a bike speaks volumes about the company's enthusiasm for racing-and its relationship to the company's products. And while we all love the booming sound of an 1198R at full song, the distinctive banshee wail of the Desmosedici RR will raise the hair on the back of your neck.
Make no mistake, if you're lucky enough to own one of these exclusive machines, you have what amounts to the only real Grand Prix replica sportbike built by any manufacturer. And it's one that is definitely no poser.