1981 Ducati 900SS Darmah

Make Model	Ducati 900 SS
Year	1981
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	9.4:1
Cooling System	Air cooled
Induction	2 x Dell'Orto PHF 32C carburetors
Spark Plugs	Bosch WM7B
Ignition	Electronic
Battery	Yuasa B68 36Ah
Starting	Electric
Max Power	47.8 kW / 65 hp @ 7500 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	2.400:1 (15/36)
Final Drive	Chain
Front Suspension	Marzocchi telescopic fork
Rear Suspension	Marzocchi 330 mm dual shocks, 3-way adjustable
Front Brakes	2 x 280 mm Disc, 1 piston caliper
Rear Brakes	Single 280 mm disc
Front Wheel	3.50 - 18
Rear Wheel	4.25 - 18
Dimensions	Length: 2260 mm / 88.9 in Width: 700 mm / 27.6 in Height: 1280 mm / 50.4 in
Wheelbase	1550 mm / 61.0 in
Seat Height	740 mm / 29.1 in
Dry Weight	216 kg / 476 lbs
Wet Weight	224 kg / 494 lbs
Braking: 100 km/h - 0	39 m / 128 ft
Fuel Capacity	15 L / 4.0 US gal / 3.3 Imp gal
Top Speed	205 km/h / 127 mph
Manual	Bevelheaven.com
Road Test	Bike 1980

The mid-’70s were not kind to Ducati. The company discontinued the excellent 250/350/450 singles and 750 round-case GT, Sport and Super Sport and tinkered with clumsy parallel twins, as well as the valve-spring 860GT and 900GTS. This left die-hard customers to kick-start the brutal 900 Super Sport Desmo twin for the Ducati experience. Surely, there had to be some middle ground… That finally emerged in 1978 with the Darmah 900 Sport Desmo, designed by Tartarini, and it became the company’s mainstay for five years. It was a detuned 900 SS, with smaller carbs, an electric start, two-up seat, Bosch electronic ignition, Nippon Denso gauges, warning lights and Bosch headlight and indicators. Best of all, the price was very competitive with the Japanese bikes.

Another twist appeared in 1979 when the Darmah SS was introduced. With handsome two-tone paint, it was only made from 1979-81.