BIKES THAT HAVE BOOMED...

Ducati 916 - Like all the bikes in this category, the 916 should really not need any introduction, but as an example that in recent times has gone mad in value, this shines.

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It’s hard to believe that not very long ago, one of motorcycling’s greatest icons could be found for as little as £5000 (I know this as I sold mine for £4500 in 1999), yet today, don’t expect much change from £10,000 for the base Biposto (twin seat) model or £20,000 for the more desirable SP and SPS models. It’s mad to think that today a nice low-mileage 916SPS commands Panigale V4 money.

The 916 ticks all the boxes when it comes to being a bike that was always a safe bet to take off in value, but it took its time. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 30 years, the 916 rocked up in 1994 and changed the way the whole world looked at motorbikes. In terms of sheer performance, it was average at best; the Japanese had that area nailed down in the mid/late 1990s, which is probably a factor in why it dropped so dramatically in value and took so long to come back up. But what it lacked in outright performance (the engine made about 112bhp), it more than made up in the looks department. It looked like nothing else back then, and still does today.

Folklore has it that the 916’s looks were inspired by the oval-pistoned Honda NR750, and that may well be true, but whatever the source of inspiration, the 916 looked and was packaged like nothing before. Under-seat exhaust pipes, while not a completely new idea or concept, were executed so perfectly on the 916 that you could be forgiven for believing it was the first.