Ducati 851

The Ducati 851 is a liquid-cooled, fully faired sport motorcycle with a 90 degree V-twin and four-valve heads that Ducati produced from 1987 to 1992, when the 888 succeeded it. It followed the air-cooled two-valve 750 F1 and came out of the investment Cagiva made after buying Ducati, built on the Pantah motor with liquid cooling, fuel injection and desmodromic four-valve heads from Massimo Bordi, whose Desmoquattro idea dated from his 1973 thesis. The first 1987 to 1988 Tricolor used a steel tube trellis frame, Marvic wheels, Brembo brakes and Marzocchi suspension, and was criticised for its handling until the 16-inch wheels were enlarged to 17 inches and Ohlins suspension was fitted. The 1991 SP series of limited race replicas, needed for homologation, led to the 888. Raymond Roche won the 1990 Superbike World Championship on it, and the Formula One champion Ayrton Senna was a notable owner.