Massimo Tamburini (1943-2014)

Italian bike designer Massimo Tamburini was one of the greatest innovators in motorcycle chassis design, and was also the creator of the legendary Ducati 916. Unfortunately, Tamburini was diagnosed with lung cancer last year in December, and since then was under intensive chemotherapy treatment. Tamburini’s condition worsened and he passed away on April 5th 2014 in San Marino.

Tamburnini’s first creation was a revised MV Agusta 750 Sport that he built in 1971, and he even welded the frame of the bike himself. As a young man, Tamburini became a well-known race tuner in Rimini, his native town, and he soon became one of the best MV Agusta tuners in Italy. In 1973, he founded Bimota. After 11 years with the company, he left to join Roberto Gallina’s GP team. In 1985, he joined the Cagiva Group when they had just acquired the Ducati band. Tamburini worked on designs for both Cagiva and Ducati, but he also continued work back at Bimota. The first Ducati bike that Tamburini designed was the Paso 750, which was one of the first bikes in the world to use fully enclosed bodywork. Soon after that, Tamburini began work on the Ducati 916, a bike that broke all existing rules and is now a legend. Ducati was sold again in 1996, but Tamburini continued to work with Cagiva where he designed the MV Agusta F3, F4, and the Brutale. In 2008, Tamburini retired from the Cagiva Group.

Tamburini was 70 years old when he passed away, and his funeral was held in his hometown of Rimini. The legend that changed the world of motorcycle design into what it is today will never be forgotten, and we would like to send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and peers.