DUCATI 900 SS
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| DUCATI 900 SS silver & blue body paint |
Ducati's
original 900 Super Sport was one of the most singleminded sporting
superbikes that ever devoured an innocent public road. It was
essentially a street-legal production racer: fast, raw and
uncompromising. It handled and stopped brilliantly, looked and
sounded gorgeous and was a match for anything on road or track.
The
900SS owed its existence to Ducati's victory in the Imola 200 race in
1972, when factory pilots Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari had finished
first and second ahead of numerous factory opponents. The factory
celebrated by producing a small batch of road-legal replicas of the
racebike. These were popular, so more were built, this time called
the 750 Super Sport instead of Imola Replica as the model had
initially been known.
The
half-faired 750SS mimicked Smart's fully faired racer with its silver
finish. Its 748cc V-twin engine came from the firm's 750 Sport, and
was tuned with desmodromic valve operation, high- compression forged
pistons, polished internals, big Dell'Orto carbs and free-breathing
Conti pipes.
Fabio
Taglioni's engine format of 90-degree, inline V-twin with bevel drive
to single overhead camshafts had already become a Ducati trademark,
but this was the first roadgoing twin to use his desmodromic system
of positive valve closure.
DUCATI 900 SS
Racing
success
Ducati
built only about 200 bikes, but all were snapped up and some were
raced with good results in 1974.
The
Bologna factory was encouraged, and the following year created the
more widely available 900SS, by replacing the smaller engine with a
V-twin unit based on that of the existing 860GT.
This
combined a bigger, 86mm bore with the original 74.4mm stroke, giving
a capacity of 864cc. Like the smaller model, it featured desmo
valvegear. polished conrods. unfiltered 40mm Dell'Ortos and barely
silenced Contis.
Those
mods lifted peak power to an impressive 7l)bhp at 7000rpm at the
crankshaft, or 68bhp at the rear wheel, and the 900SS had the chassis
to match. Like its 750SS predecessor it was starkly functional, with
its half-fairing, clip-on handlebars, rearset footrests, twin drilled
Brembo front discs, and racy single seat. There was no electric
starter, nor anything else not required for the bike's sole purpose
of providing high performance.
The 900SS
roared to a top speed of 135mph (217km/h), and cruised at lOOmph
(161km/h) with a smooth, long-legged feel. That was seriously fast in
1975, and the Ducati's handling was even better.
It was
not the most agile of bikes, but no rival could match the cornering
poise and high-speed stability provided by the lean V-twin's blend
of rigid frame, long wheelbase and taut Marzocchi suspension.
Roadholding, braking and ground clearance were all exemplary too.
The
uncompromising 900SS demanded commitment from it rider, and was too
extreme for some. But it made a superb production racer.
And
for road riders who were captivated by its beauty,
speed and
pure-bred character, there was no bike to touch it.
To
paraphrase a road test of the time, the 900SS was a distillation of
all the thrills and sensations that made high-performance
motorcycling worth while.
DUCATI
900 SS prices 2014
MINT $15.000 $20,000 £9,000 £13,000
GOOD $12,000 £7,800
FAIR $9.000 £5,500
PROJECT $1,000 $2000 £800 £1500
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