1983 Ducati 900S2

Ducati 900S2

Make Model	Ducati 900 S2
Year	1983
Production	1236 Units
Engine	Four stroke, 90°“L”twin cylinder, SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder, bevel gear driven
Capacity	864 cc / 52.7 cu in
Bore x Stroke	86 x 74.4 mm
Compression Ratio	9.3:1
Cooling System	Air cooled
Induction	2 x Dell'Orto PHF 30A or PHM 40B carburetors / 32mm Dell'Orto PHF
Exhaust	There are country specific carb & exhaust pairnigs. Switzerland and France: 32PHF carb and Silentium Mufflers Italy; 40 PHM carb and Conti mufflers
Spark Plugs	Bosch WM7B
Ignition	Bosch electronic
Battery	Yuasa 19Ah
Starting	Electric or kick
Max Power	58.8 kW / 80 hp @ 7500 rpm
Max Torque	86 Nm / 8.8 kgf-m / 63.5 ft-lb @ 5800 rpm
Clutch	Wet, multiplate
Transmission	5 Speed
Primary Drive Ratio	2.187:1 (32/70)
Gear Ratios	1st 2.237 / 2nd 1.562 / 3rd 1.203 / 4th 1.000 / 5th 0.887
Final Drive Ratio	2.200:1 (15/33)
Final Drive	Chain
Front Suspension	38 mm Marzocchi telescopic fork
Rear Suspension	Marzocchi ET85 dual shocks, 5-way adjustable
Front Brakes	2 x 280 mm Disc, 1 piston caliper
Rear Brakes	Single 280 mm disc
Front Wheel	100/90 - V18
Rear Wheel	120/90 - V18
Dimensions	Length: 2200 mm / 86.6 in Width: 700 mm / 27.6 in Height: 1250 mm / 49.2 in
Wheelbase	1500 mm / 59.1 in
Seat Height	840 mm / 33.1 in
Dry Weight	190 kg / 419 lbs
Fuel Capacity	18 L / 4.8 US gal / 4.0 Imp gal
Consumption Average	5.4L/100 km / 18.5 km/l / 43.6 US mpg / 52.4 Imp mpg
Standing ¼ Mile	13.3 sec / 163 km/h / 101 mph
Top Speed	205 km/h / 127 mph

The Ducati 900 S2 was released in 1982 as a direct replacement for the Ducati 900 SS, this was to be a difficult assignment for the new S2 as many consider the 900 SS to be one of the finest L-twins ever built by Ducati, which meant the S2 had a tough act to follow.

Ducati, and many other European manufacturers, were going through a difficult financial period in the ’70s and ’80s due to the surge in popularity of Japanese motorcycles. This resulted in funding for R&D to be severely curtailed, which had the Catch-22 effect of cutting off any realistic chance Ducati would have to catch up to the cash-rich Japanese marques. Added to all of this was a range of new emissions regulations that resulted in engine modifications that reduced power and torque in order to gain approval for road use.

For these reasons I’ve always quite liked the Ducati S2. It’s a bike that had to fight tooth and nail for every sale and despite the lack of funds for R&D it actually had a significantly improved transmission over the 900 SS, and handling that was as good or better than the best of the Bimotas.

It shared its frame with the Mike Hailwood Replica Ducatis, which helped explain the handling, and owners quickly realised that they could open up a significant amount of power (possibly illegally) by adding a new less-restrictive exhaust and rejetting the carburettors.

The early 1980s were a time when Ducati had the creditors banging on the factory doors and new bike orders had slowed to a relative crawl. As a result of this the company built just 1,236 examples of the Ducati S2, and by 1985 a deal had been made to sell the company and all its holdings to Cagiva.

Source silodrome.com