Massimo Tamburini, bike designer extraordinaire, dies at 70

The Italian master designer, Massimo Tamburini, who gave the world unforgettable motorcycles of modern times such as the Ducati 916 Superbike and the MV Agusta F4, has passed away. He was suffering from lung cancer and last weekend succumbed to the disease. Tamburini was part of the founding team of Bimota, and the name which comprises the first two letters of the names of its founders Bianchi, Morri and Tamburini. Later Claudio Castiglioni brought him to the Cagiva group where he created the MV Agusta.

His contribution to Ducati began with the Paso 750, but it was the 916 which displayed his mastery and shot to fame as one of the greatest motorcycle design of all times. While most consider this septuagenarian as one of the greatest motorcycle stylists the world had, he was also a brilliant chassis designer. Tamburini enforced the use of the single-sided swingarm and the underseat exhaust, as mandatory solutions for sport bikes. The designer last worked on the stellar models like the MV Agusta F4 Brutale and the F3 675.