DUCATI 748 / 916 / 996 Engine-Motor Conversion

I sell a lot of motors to customers who have 748/916/996 Ducati Superbikes. If they have a blown motor they ask me for advice on replacing it with either the same size motor or upgrading to a motor with a larger displacement. As it is with most things in life, it depends... I wrote this guide to try to cover everything that should be taken into account before deciding which route to take because there are a few things in addition to the motor itself that need to be considered.Ducati 748/916/996 Superbike are more similar than different, but there are differences besides just displacement. I have tried to list some of the differences below.The throttle bodies on 748's and 916's are single injector while the 996 has dual injectors. Although the 748 and 916 both have the single injectors, the 748 has 45mm intake manifolds while the 916 shares 50mm intakes with the 996. The rear ECU wiring harness that connects the ECU to the injectors is also different. The 748 and 916 harnesses have connections from the ECU to the single injectors while the 996 wiring harness has dual injector connectors. The ECU's of all 748 / 916 / 996 Superbikes from 1997 onwards use the same Magnetti
Marelli 1.6M ECU. The 916's from 1996 and earlier and the SPS models have the P8 ECU and a P8 specific wiring harness. The 1.6M ECU does not have to be changed if converting between a 748, 916, or 996, however, the EPROM chip inside the ECU, is specific to the bike. Therefore a 916 or 996 EPROM chip for the 1.6M ECU would be required if converting from a 748. 748's don't gee stock with oil coolers while 916's and 996's do. The radiator and the rest of the cooling system is the same though.The years of both the recipient bike and donor engine also matter. The 748's and 916's from 1998 and earlier have 2 phase alternators / regulators and have 19 pin connector wiring harnesses. The 748's and 996's from 1999 onwards are 3 phase and have 22 pin connectors on the wiring harness. So if you are installing a 996 engine into an early 748 you will need the 3 phase set up and wiring harnesses. In 2001 Ducati changed the timing sensors and clutch slave cylinders. Also in 2001 the frame / motor mount bolts changed from 10mm to 12mm on both the 748's and 996's. So if you are installing a 2001 motor into a 2000 or earlier frame you will need to either use the 10mm bolts with sleeves through the crankcases or use the 12mmm bolts and bore out the frame mounts 2mm. If you are installing a 2000 or earlier motor into a 2001 frame you will need sleeves in the frame. I would not regemend boring out the crankcases 2mm.So what does this all mean? IMHO if you have a 1997 or 1998 748 with a blown motor you should consider either another 1997-1998 748 motor or convert to a 916 motor. Of course you can convert to a 996 but it will require more parts and more work. If you have a 1999 or later 748 with a blown motor you should definitely consider the 996 conversion but you still need to keep in mind all the differences between the years and parts. Other things to consider. The internal gearing of the motors is different so you might want to think about this when you choose sprocket sizes. Also, one added bonus of upgrading engines is that depending on your state, your insurance will most likely stay the same even though you effectively have a different bike.You can also do conversions from 748 to 998 or 999 motors but that requires more modifications / parts and is beyond the scope of this guide. Some of my customers have done those conversions though so it is possible. Please contact me if you think I should add anything else or if there are any errors.-mikeGotham Cycles