Ducati 1000SS DS

The Supersport 1000 DS, with its classic tubular trellis frame, twin-spark engine and top-flight components, provides all the excitement you expect from a true sports motorcycle, guaranteeing nothing less than pure riding pleasure.

Its powerful two-valve 992 cc air-cooled L-Twin engine is of exemplary simplicity and delivers broad linear power and big bore excitement. Each cylinder features twin-spark ignition, making combustion more complete, enhancing mid-range power and lowering emissions. The camshafts are supported by compact oil pressurized plain bearings that reduce weight, simplify the cylinder head and aid heat dissipation. For these reasons and many more, the 1000 DS is the most advanced air-cooled Desmo engine ever to be built by Ducati.

The front suspension features fully adjustable, lightened 43 millimeter Showa forks, while at the back an Öhlins single shock (also fully adjustable) optimizes performance by letting the rider set ride height via the adjustment of shock length by up to 12 millimeters, independently of spring preload.

A cantilever aluminum alloy swingarm maximizes riding precision by combining lightness and rigidity to perfection. The top-of-the-range braking system consists of a powerful pair of Brembo Gold Series calipers with 320 millimeter discs at the front and a single 245 millimeter disc at the rear for world class stopping power. The running gear is completed with lightweight five-spoke Marchesini wheels.

Features
The Supersport 1000 DS features a fully electronic, lightweight instrument panel with two analog dials and two LCD display panels. Information includes: speed and rpm’s, odometer and trip meter, time, oil temperature, and low-fuel and time-for-service warnings. An anti-theft immobilizer system is also standard.
The Supersport 1000 DS, with its signature Ducati trellis frame, advanced suspension and 992 cc Dual Spark engine guarantee confidence-inspiring stability and torque-filled power.

Suspension is provided by fully-adjustable, lightweight, 43 mm, Showa front forks and an exclusive Öhlins fully-adjustable rear shock. The shock length is externally adjustable by up to 12 mm. This unique feature permits ride height adjustment without changing spring preload, allowing the rider to tailor handling characteristics to variable conditions and riding style. A lightweight and rigid aluminum swingarm joins forces with the Öhlins rear shock to ensure confident and stable handling. Superior Brembo front and rear brakes ensure potent and progressive stopping power. Lightweight Marchesini 5-spoke wheels are standard equipment.

Engine design
The 1000 DS is an innovative, Desmo L-twin, fuel-injected engine. The design utilizes dual spark plug cylinder heads and further innovations that extend to the very heart of the motor. A reduction in valve angle between intake and exhaust allows a better shape for the combustion chamber and reduces volume, resulting in more complete fuel combustion, higher compression and more power, especially in the mid-range.

This configuration also places the camshafts in a more direct relationship to the valves, lowering friction and stress on valve components and consequently increasing reliability. Furthermore, oil-pressurized plain bearings support the camshafts, reducing moving parts and improving heat dissipation. In all, the 1000 DS is the most advanced air-cooled Ducati Desmo engine ever designed.
The years go by, but the fascination of the Supersport remains unique for all motorcyclists seeking the true spirit of Ducati. The Supersport has never needed radical updating: it has constantly EVOlved and improved. All its legendary agility and pure Ducati character remain unchanged in this latest 2006 form. The classic Supersport attitude blends perfectly with the latest, most advanced technical solutions. The only model in the new range, the 1000 DS, is living proof of the uninterrupted development that link the Ducati racers that dominated the racetracks of the 1970s with the Ducati superbikes of today, that make life so difficult for many more powerful four cylinder machines.

The rider who buys a Ducati Supersport is not fooled by fashion, nor tricked into believing that riding satisfaction comes from speed and power alone. He is a discerning rider who demands character from a motorcycle above all else, handling tailored for the tightest bends, and the unique sound of an engine that loves to please. Compared to last season’s range, this year’s Supersport will be available in just one colour scheme, with a red frame, tank and fairing and black wheels, in keeping with the highest traditions of the motorcycle that everybody recognises as embodying the genuine spirit of Ducati.

The 2006 Supersport 1000 DS is the perfect choice for riders seeking a no-frills, all-substance thoroughbred sports motorcycle. Its twin cylinder engine is impressively smooth, and delivers amazing torque all the way through its extended power band. Its success continues to stem from its tremendous elasticity and agility. The superb frame looks simple but is in fact so technically advanced that it achieves a level of structural rigidity very few rivals can match.

The Supersport 1000 DS excels when it comes to performance components too. The brakes are Brembo Gold, and the entire system uses steel braided hydraulic hoses. Not just safe to ride but safe to park too, the Supersport is fitted with an engine immobiliser as standard. You simply cannot fail to appreciate its stunningly essential lines: here is a design that in no way detracts from riding pleasure while actually making access for servicing and repairs much easier, ensuring pleasant surprises in terms of running costs.

Faithful to its perceived role as the essential link between the past and the future of motorcycling, the 1000 DS is essential and free from frills. Despite its purity, however, it is perfectly able to accommodate riders of all statures and offer an impressive level of aerodynamic protection, thanks to a fairing that only partly hides the beauty of the most modern of all air-cooled twin engines. The Supersport 1000 DS’ powerplant belongs to the very latest series of highly EVOlved, twin spark engines originally designed to power the Multistrada. The resulting frame-engine combination is without a doubt one of the most balanced around. It typifies the ongoing EVOlution of the Supersport, which continues to transmit the sort of riding pleasure that only a red blooded sportster can. When you ride a Supersport, you just know that race-winning thrills and performance are yours to enjoy, but that safety is paramount.

Styling
Until model year 2005, the Supersport was available in a choice of colour schemes, some flashy, some elegant. Yet true Ducati fans, continued to demand the most classic of finishes for the bike they all recognised as the most authentic Ducati on the road. To satisfy popular demand, the 2006 Supersport will be a special edition. Its frame and body are finished in typical Ducati Racing Red, with the only element of contrast coming from the black Marchesini wheels. This is a style we simply cannot change if we are to remain faithful to the classic spirit of Ducati.
The Supersport 1000 DS is sensuous and streamlined too, with a fuel tank shaped at the top to permit the rider to adopt a more aerodynamic position. Even the tail blends beautifully with the bike’s overall styling. Thanks to clever design, the full fairing succeeds in the difficult task of combining classic style with wind protection that matches the bike’s performance. In fact, everything about the new Supersport is intelligently made to ensure that the rider intuitively feels that at one with his machine. Complete and effective at speed, the fairing purposefully leaves some of the bike’s most unmistakable features in view, including sections of the beautiful trellis frame, and the equally characteristic vertical cylinder of the engine that has become a living legend. Behind the compact upper fairing, the instrument panel typifies the contrasts that make up this unique Ducati. Two analog instruments incorporate digital displays that provide the rider with all the information he could possibly need.

Chassis
The rigid tubular steel trellis frame is one of the most unmistakable signatures of Ducati motorcycles.The frame of the latest Supersport has EVOlved constantly over the years to become the reference point for motorcycle frame technology. It combines the benefits of exceptionally lightweight, indispensable for agility, with amazing rigidity and strength.
And that is not all! In addition to satisfying a whole series of needs that are frequently difficult to reconcile, the Supersport’s trellis frame is beautiful to behold too. No wonder that many experts consider it a work of art! The exceptional performance of this steel frame is further enhanced by the aluminium swingarm that guarantees rigidity and lightness in an area that is subjected to a great deal of stress.

Suspension is provided by a super-sophisticated adjustable Öhlins rear single shock that permits easy modifications to damping characteristics, and can even be adjusted in length to raise or lower seat height without affecting spring preload. The 43 mm Showa upside down fork is also fully adjustable to suit riding style and road conditions.