Dreaming of a Ducati 888 SP4
1992 Ducati 888 SP4
Any Ducati fan will know the name John Hackett. Born in Coventry, John has been making Ducatis fly since the early 1990s. His tuning firm JHP Racing has won domestic titles and his shop, Ducati Coventry, is one of the UK’s leading dealerships. So, as you would expect, if John was buying a used bike it would have a desmodromic valve system... “I’m a huge fan of all Ducati’s sportsbikes, they are what I built my reputation on, so that’s what I’d buy” says John. “I like the 1098, 1198, Bayliss Reps and of course the Desmosedici RR, which is a proper MotoGP bike with lights. However, one model of Ducati is closer to my heart than all the others – the 888.
“The first Ducati I ever rode was a 888 Corsa, which was the full-on race bike. I still own that very machine and I’ll never sell it, but it isn’t road legal so I’d buy the road-going equivalent – the 888 SP4 - to ride and enjoy. “The 888 is a bit more developed than the 851 and
I love not only its styling but also how it rides. As you sit more ‘in’ the 888 it is far more comfortable than the 916, which perches you ‘on top’ of the bike, and the early bike is much easier on your wrists as a result. They are beautiful to ride, so easygoing, it is like sticking on a pair of comfortable slippers – albeit ones with racing soles on them! “I’d be torn between either the SP3 or SP4, which are better to ride than the later SP5 because they have Öhlins and not Showa forks. I’d probably go for the SP4 over the SP3 as the earlier bike has the 851 slab-sided fairing where the SP4 has the same look as my Corsa race bike. I wouldn’t want the 888 Strada, there is nothing wrong with them but I don’t want a pillion seat and the SP models have twin-injectors per cylinder and more aggressive and powerful engines. Although if an SPS popped up...”