Kevin's Ducati 916 Page

Ducati Monza 250
Kevin's love of motorcycles, and of Ducati bikes in particular, may have started when he was exposed to his Uncle Mike's Ducati Monza 250 when he was two-years old.
	That's Ted and Kevin on Uncle Michael's Ducati Monza 250 in summer 1966 in Kingston, Ontario

Yamaha R1

Kevin briefly owned a Yamaha R1 in 2000, but it survived less than 6 months. It took 5 months before all of Kevin's modifications (holy-fuck-fast at nearly 150hp) were complete. Less than a week after final modifications Kevin crashed on the Périférique at rush hour (8:30 in the morning) going 120 kmh en route to a meeting with a bank. Executing a reasonably decent slide, both Kevin and the bike survived relatively intact. However three days later the R1 was stolen and has not been seen since. It was fun.

Having won the World Superbike Championship umpteen times, the 916 is indisputably the world's most awesome sportbike. Here are a few opinions from the guys at Motor Cyclist (taken from Motor Cyclist's September 1996 issue selecting the World's Best Sportbike).

Eventually, after scrimping and starving myself for a few years, I'm gonna own a 916. You'd think that after riding the latest, trickest machinery, the Duck would lose some of its appeal; but every time you get on one and fire it up, the lust returns anew. There's just nothing else like it - the look and feel, the sound, the way it effortlessly shreds corners.

Kent Kunitsugu

Well, seems to me that if you're going to call it the World's Best Sportbike, like we just did, then the only bike that can win is the 916. It's not the World's Best Practical Sportbike, but it is the best sportbike, hands down, no argument. It generates heat like Madonna generates nausea -sneakily- and it sticks to the road like The Material Girl's undies. Going quickly on the 916 is ridiculously easy; while all the other marmots are back there shifting and revving and braking, the 916 just sits out front going yyaaAAAAAAAAWN, yyyyyyyaaaAAAAAAAAAwn.... The tires always feel so planted, and the chassis is so steady that you barely ever touch the brakes on the street. And the geahbox is like buttah.

John Burns

Spend a month trying to sort out the best sporty-bike on the planet and you end up confused. Dizzy. Bleary. Mized up and all shagged out, even. You think this job is easy? Huh? Forget bangs for bucks or city riding or sniveling about overpriced tune-ups. This is all about the best sportbike on the planet, which, once you bin all the other detritus, is the Ducati 916. Call us elitists or Republicans or whatever you want. But if one ride on the 916 doesn't convince you it's the best license-plate-equipped corner-carving contrivance ever devised on the third rock from the sun, check in for professional help. You're sick.

Tim Carrithers

The next five pictures are of Kevin's own, beautiful, 916, replaced with a new version in January 2001. After that I present assorted racing shots of the 916.

My bike the day of purchase. July12, 1996	My bike the day of purchase. July12, 1996	Nicolas in the background. July 12, 1996
	<--- Nicolas getting ready to race on the 916. July 12, 1996 Nick & Katie on the 916 2 1/2 years later, Boxing Day, 1998 --->
Katie looking far too cute on the 916 in November, 1998. --->

Some shots taken by someone else.


Kevin's Ducati 916 (1996-2001)	Kevin's Ducati 996 (2001-2003)	Kevin's Ducati 848 (2008-)
Check out Kevin's Yamaha R1 here

Ducati 916

That's my boy Nick on my 916.