Hi all,

I'm not currently an 851 / 888 owner though I've owned both in the past. The first was an '89 851DS bought in '92:-

1993, Paddock Hill Bend, Brands Hatch.

For many years I didn't own a car so my bikes had to do their duty for commuting, holidays and track days. Going to work through central London on a loud, red motorcycle always felt like a special occasion. The 851 was replaced by an 888 Strada in '94:-

'94 or '95, Island Bends, Mallory Park.

I was knocked off the 888 twice; both times I bought the salvage back from the insurance company. The second time (after the drunk driver had been arrested) I sold the remains on to John Fallon, and in 1996 I bought my 916, the first and only new vehicle I've ever owned. The 916 was run-in (!) on the way to Le Mans in April '96 and as per the previous Ducatis it took me to work, on holidays (including a trip over the Alps to watch WSB at Monza where I had a reg/rect failure...a whole story in itself) and track days (including losing the front-end at Cascades, Oulton Park). We also went to the 'Ring a few times, when the entry onto the circuit was just before the Hatzenbach section and was controlled by a guy in a shed to whom you showed your paper ticket. Some years later, after we'd moved up North I was commuting to work (60-ish miles across the Pennines) and suffered a broken belt. This resulted in a rebuild with A & G cams, SP heads and special pistons with SP-sized cutouts, high comp and 20mm gudgeon pin holes. This was combined with the Strada single injectors and an Ultimap chip. This was not a great spec - I couldn't use the extra top-end which the cams created because I was on stock 'rods, and the map on the Ultimap wasn't optimised and a huge mid-range hole, exacerbated by the cams.
Time passed, we had a family and other projects came & went - Locaterfield road/sprint car, XT500 rebuild, R1 build and a '68 Triumph 650 rebuild. The 916 languished in mates' garages, one of which turned out to have a damp problem. When I dragged the 916 out it wasn't a pretty sight...furry fasteners and white flaky 'cases. It's now in pieces for a proper sort out, and so onto the question...what should I put in these 'cases?

I already have - full set of RHP and SKF bearings for mains and gearbox, low-mileage stock cylinders and pistons (916), 66mm and 68mm cranks, stock rods, SP heads - 34/30 valves, G/A cams, stock cams, standard and close-ratio gearsets, 45mm exhaust, carbon-fibre end cans.

There are a lot of new chassis parts, too - Ohlins shock, new forks bushes & seals, new rear axle and wheel bearings - but that'll come later.

I don't want and can't now afford the ultimate spec or big power. Round here the roads are narrow and bumpy so good suspension setup and a fat, flat torque curve make much more sense, so here's what I'm thinking:-

68mm crank (with machining to timing shaft if required)
Install new mains and transmission bearings, dry build and check end-float
Stock rods, stock flat(ish) pistons, old-spec thick base gasket & head gasket
Check squish and correct (second base gasket or spacer); check valve-to-piston clearance between 34/30 valves and aforementioned pistons; relieve pistons if necessary
Stock cams set to ???-degree cam timing
Close-ratio gearset
Ultimap (is there anyone who can re-map these chips?) or Power Commander?

Sorry for the ramble & thanks for reading!

Eddy