1979 Ducati 900SS -
no longer for sale
* Genuine 7600 kms (4750 miles only)
- almost incredible but true *
Frame #087830
Engine # 088151
You are looking at one of the
nicest original unmolested Ducatis I have come across. The
history of this Ducati 900 SS with its remarkably low mileage is
fully documented. It was imported into Germany in 1979 by Fritz
Röth, then Ducati’s German import and sales agent in Hammelbach,
Germany. Onward sales of the new bike was effected on April 6,
1979 by motorcycle retailer Helmut Eberlein of Kassel, today an
appointed concessionaire of Ferrari Classiche.
First owner was a young chap of 22
who enjoyed riding this beautiful Ducati for no more than a
month, when he surprisingly was conscripted to military service.
Sadly, he sold the bike back to Eberlein on May 8, 1979. Four
short weeks of motorcycling fun were over for him.
It did not take long for the
Italian beauty to find another groom. Just one week later, on
May 15, 1979, a 42-year old motorcycle enthusiast purchased the
bike and had it registered. This guy rode this Ducati 900 SS for
two summers only:
From May 15 through October
24, 1979,
from April 18 through
October 30, 1980, …
and another month from
April 6, 1981 through May 5, 1981.
Why this? He had previously
owned a BMW R 90/6 before the Ducati, and his wife continuously
protested against that new Italian sports bike lacking a pillion
seat – she refused staying at home while her husband was
motorbiking on Sundays. As he had sold his red BMW to the writer
of this story, he looked for another R 90/6 to please his wife,
found a pretty black one, purchased it, and put the Ducati into
his heated and air-conditioned garage. There it sat for some
decades – of course after filling engine, transmission, gearbox
and front forks with fresh oil and the brakes with fresh brake
fluid. Valve clearance was checked and corrected by an
experienced classic Ducati mechanic. Fuel tank and carb float
bowls had been emptied; brake levers, kick starter, wheels,
suspensions were occasionally moved … in order to prevent
corrosion or other deterioration. The odometer read exactly
7.294 kilometers then and did not move on for 35 years.
The meticulous owner even
purchased a new dry YUASA battery for some later day to come …
when he eventually would put his Ducati back on the road again –
simply because YUASA was the battery brand originally used by
Ducati in those years.
That day actally never came. It
was not that he disliked his beloved “Grandma Duc”, but over the
years he had fallen in love with so many other and older bikes
such as Zündapp KS 601, BMW R 51/3, NSU TS 601, Standard Rex OHC
500, AJS, Saroléa, Adler, Triumph, Norton and so forth.
In 2012 when the owner was 75 he
realised he would never ride his Ducati again due to certain
health problems. So he decided to sell the bike to me, the
present owner. I have known the former owner since 1977 and
witnessed the history of all his bikes, so I can confirm that
the history of this Ducati is exactly as described here.
It took me some years to start
working on the Ducati due to time constraints, but now the
beautiful Italian Signorina is back on the road again and
running well, turning people’s heads all the time.
Work done:
-
Fresh engine,
transmission & gearbox oil (Castrol Classic SAE 50)
-
Fresh front
fork oil
-
Fresh brake
fluid, bleeded brakes, cleaned brake discs, checked brake
shoes
-
New Dunlop
Arrowmax tires & tubes fitted and wheels balanced front and
rear. The original ex factory OEM tires from 1979 with still
quite a lot of profile on will come with the bike for those
who want them.
-
New crankcase
breather hose of soft rubber instead of hardening PVC
-
New rubber
grips
-
New NGK spark
plugs
-
New fuel
tubings
-
New banjos
(metal instead of plastic) for fuel tube connection on carbs
-
Replaced all
rubber parts and gaskets in the carbs
-
Installed new
diapraghms in both acceleration pumps
-
Cleaned air
filters
-
New oil filter
-
Lubricated
control cables
-
Machined two
vacuum gauge studs with M5 threads to fit into inlet ports
for carburetter synchronization
-
Synchronized
carbs by means of a U-pipe pressure gauge
Passing the extensive technical
test at TUV - which is compulsory in Germany prior to
immatriculation of a motor vehicle - was an easy job, given the
“like new” condition of this bike that impressed the testing
engineer. The only trouble he had when he gave the Ducati a try
was “Gosh, that bike’s got a turning circle like a truck!”
So why am I offering this amazing
classic motorcycle for sale at all? After having done some 200
kilometers on the Italian dream I have to admit that for a guy
approaching sixty a Ducati 900 SS is somewhat too demanding. My
cervical spine won’t allow me to sit on a bike in racing
position – or to put it bluntly: My neck aches like hell, I need
to sit upright.
The Veglia odometer shows mere
7,543 kilometers = 4,715 miles now.
The bike is mostly original. There
are three minor deviations from the works specification
reflecting the former owner’s personal taste:
1. The gas tank is a
British made aluminium tank with larger capacity, somewhat
broader than the series steel gas tank. It is shiny and clean
inside. The Ducati decals on the tank are obviously not
original. The tank and fairing have been painted in a blue shade
slightly lighter than the original blue which is still present
on the front mudguard and on the rear end of the seat. The rest
of the bodywork and the frame carry their original paint which
shows normal wear from minimal use. The DESMO decal on the rear
end is cracked and should not be touched.
2. The rear swing arm is
chrome plated.
3. Rod-type front flashers
protuding through gaps in the fairing have been replaced by
small oval flashers bolted directly to the fairing. The former
flasher gaps in the fairing have been laminated, so they are
closed now.
The bike starts right up, idles
easily and revs nicely without any mechanical noise. All
electrical units like lights, horn, and generator work
perfectly. Brakes and clutch are in good order and work well.
This fine Ducati 900 SS is ready to go and is a pleasure to
ride, with lots of torque and power. Fast and smooth, feels new.
Frame, forks and wheels are
in perfect condition. Road holding, on-center feel, directional
stability are excellent. If you take your hands off the
handlebars, the bike will run straight on. The bike has the
original Borrani aluminum rims with spokes, they run perfectly
true. Marzocchi forks, Brembo brakes, Tommaselli twistgrip, CEV
switches, and Veglia gauges. Contactless ignition and generator
system are original Ducati Elettronica.
This Ducati has the original
Lafranconis and Dellortos PHF 32 with air filter boxes as
homologated for Germany. The quarter-bent (rear) respectively
U-bent (front) rubber hoses between carbs and filters are in
very good condition, without any cracks or hardening. A set of
nice looking and pretty loud conical Conti mufflers belongs to
the bike and will fit the same exhaust pipes and brackets.
Picture 006 shows the bike with these Contis. The engine has
NEVER been run without air filters; so internal wear should be
close to zero. Also the engine has NEVER been disassembled,
repaired, or tampered with. Underneath, the engine case still
carries its lead seal from the Ducati factory. All nuts and
bolts are fully original, no hexagon damaged.
A 900 SS in this super low mileage
condition is a rare find. The bike comes with its original
warranty certificate of 1979, the original owner’s manual (in
English), and two sets of keys for ignition (CEV), steering lock
(Neiman) and gas cap lock (Telford). An original Ducati 900 SS
workshop manual book (Italian, English, French, German) is also
part of the deal, as is a printout of Ducati’s spare parts
catalog.
This gorgeous Ducati 900 SS is
located between the cities of Bonn and Koblenz in the West of
Germany, about 70 kms south of Cologne. The bike is offered to
be sold ”as is and where is” with a German / European Union
Registration Certificate in my name as the 3rd owner of this
bike. Rated power output in the Registration Certificate is 50
kW (68 HP) @ 7000 rpm, top speed 210 km/h = 131 mph, weight 210
kgs.
I have described the bike to the
best of my knowledge. The work outlined above I did personally
over the past few months. I am a mechanical engineer with
practical knowledge as a mechanic, knowing how to operate lathes
and milling machines as well as how to build special tools, have
restored several rare vintage, post-vintage and post-war
motorcycles from scratch and take pride in doing every work on a
classic bike as meticulously as required. The buyer may rest
assured that no backyard botcher has ever put his hands on this
wonderful bevel Ducati. However there is no warranty expressed
or implied. It is a 37 year old motorcycle.
Terms of Sale
Asking 36,900 US$ or 33,240 EUR at
the present exchange rate of 1.11 USD per EUR.
You get the bike as you see above,
with a German / European Union Registration Certificate and all
other documents mentioned.
Payment terms: Cash in EUR upon
collection of the bike.
Alternatively:
International bank transfer into my account prior to collecting
the bike.
No
Longer For Sale
Shipping available through Bevel Heaven
anywhere in the lower 48 states for ~ $703
Click
HERE for more info & to purchase the service |
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