Ducati Darmah 900SS

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The legend that is now Ducati can be traced back to April 1972 when Ducati won the Imola 200 with a for-production based 750cc Desmodromic valve V-twin motor developed by Fabio Taglioni.

Imola was a traditionally fast circuit that placed a premium on high-speed handling rather than brute horsepower. The Super Sport prototypes used for the inaugural race were developed using a 750GT based engine and frame and earned instant fame when pilots Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari finished first and second respectively. This achievement immediately elevated Ducati from a company known since the 1950s for ‘quaintly individual’ motorcycles, into a top player in the superbike market.

The first production Super Sports rolled from the factory in 1974 and immediately set new standards for road bikes although, to all intents and purposes, they were pure production racers with the minimum of concessions to make them street legal. For 1975 the bikes were redesigned slightly to bring down production costs and two versions of the Super Sport were made available based on the 860cc ‘square-case’ 90-degree twin-cylinder motor – the full 860cc version (the 900SS) and a sleeved down 750.

By 1978 several significant improvements had made their way into the engine making them more reliable and solving problems with engine cranks breaking. The electronics also improved and some minor timing tweaks made the bike run more efficiently. Most notable was a redesigned gear change that made the bike a lot easier to live with.

In 1979 the Darmah 900SS was launched with a slightly detuned engine for improved rideability, smaller carbs, an electric start, two-up seats, Nippon Denso gauges and Bosch headlight and indicators. Cast wheels replaced the original Borrani alloy rims and striking two-tone paint came as standard. Added together these changes were very successful at making an aging design more civilised to ride and more modern to look at. With 70bhp on tap and a 5-speed gearbox, the Darmah could scorch to 100mph in just a few seconds.

First registered in March 1981, this Darmah is showing only 24,075km on the clock (15,000 miles) which is believed genuine and is backed up by the outstandingly original condition of the bike. The handgrips and switchgear show remarkably few signs of wear and the original Conti exhausts and Marzocchi shocks are still fitted. It even still retains the factory-applied lead tag on the sump which shows that the engine has never been apart.

A ‘matching numbers’ machine, it is said to run and ride superbly and is due to have a fresh MOT in time for the sale. Only around 750 examples of this model were produced and survivors are increasingly sought after today, making this unusually original example all the more interesting...

PS: This bike has the optional larger 40mm carbs and the full Conti exhaust system