Designer, motorcycle icon and businessman Massimo Tamburini passed away this weekend at age 70. Designer of the forward (for the time) PASO and the universally loved 916. Godspeed.
Don't leave out the MV Agusta F4 and Brutale. MV of today is basically a freshened version of the bike done in 1997.
Specifically the work of art name after him MV Agusta Tamburini (I used to own #262). It really was beautiful to look at and I may acquire another to put in the living room, I'm done with street riding and that bike is far too pretty to race.
Oh, how I would love to trade up from my 996 into that! I don't ride any longer due to injuries, so it sits in the garage (can't part with it, I suppose), BUT the MV Agustas are simply works of art and design icons. The 916 was so right on, too. CW
That crossed my mind, as I looked at the sea of bikes at Ducati Island, at last weekends MotoGP at COTA.. Thanks for all the wonderful machines! RIP
I was looking at a KTM Super Duke on Ebay recently w carbon wheels...I 'get' the weight reduction, etc, but how are they for pothole crack resistance and general durability? Anyone have any FHE?
NYC Fred As I recall, there was (is) an extensive thread on the BMW forum about a s1000rr having a carbon wheel failure. The advantages of lightweight are clear. Perhaps the durability of carbon in harsh (potholed road) environments is less so. Philip
OMG I didn't hear that he passed!!! I am a major Ducati fan, and I put the 916 / 996 / 998 at the top of my "wanted" list. RIP!
The difficulty to assess damage and the near impossibility of successfully repairing that damage are what makes CF wheels unsuitable for the street, IMO.
He was as important to motorcycle design as Pininfarina and Bertone is to automobile. Owned many Ducati's in the past....the Paso was one of my favorite. When I road that around in '88 people didn't know what the hell it was.
very few would today either .I have a 1400 mile example which is 'garage art. Not a great riding bike mostly because of the tires but really a stunning forward design, even today. Well said btw, " when engineering mattered. " I would add before CAD and the like, from the mind and what worked before. RIP indeed.
Godspeed Tambo! One of the sweetest bikes ever IMO. The look, the sound, the torque, the narrow tank & frame... Image Unavailable, Please Login
As a side note, I doubt any of the Bimotas you owned were made or designed while he was still with the company. He joined Cagiva about the time the Castiglioni's bought the company in the mid-80's. Paso 750 (named after Renzo Pasolini, the "other" rider killed with Jarno Saarinen) was his first bike with Cagiva/Ducati.
The new 'Ducati Museo' book, along with the bikes, has a special photo of his personal drafting table/drafting machine. I thought that was pretty cool....
He did the ones I lust for; The old school tube frame Bimotas and new wave Tesi included. What a cool life to have lived.
