1997 Ducati 900 SP Supersport.
This is the old page from my 900 Supersport. I sold it in the Spring of 2002. I'm leaving the mods page here for folks looking for info on these fabulous bikes. Almost the entire Ducati community agrees that the carburrated Supersports of the 1990's were the coolest of the street bikes produced by Ducati. The late 90's models switched to a "more modern" style and added fuel injection. The bikes didn't gain a lot of power, but they lost a lot of personality and the price went up. For this reason the carburrated SS bikes are destined to be collector's items.
These are the stock specs, but this bike was modified. Read on.
Engine Type 4 stroke 90 degree V-Twin
Valve Control 2 valves per cylinder, Desmodromic system
Cooling System Air/Oil cooled
Displacement 904cc
Crank Horsepower 80 HP @ 7,000 RPM
Keihin carb kit Read all about it here.
Compression Ratio 9.2:1
Max. Engine Speed 9,000 RPM
Clutch Multiplate dry clutch
Transmission 6-speed w/straight cut primary gears
Dry Weight 186 kg / 409 lbs.
Stuff I've added...
- Keihin 41mm flatsides. If you own a 2 valve Ducati this is the most talked-about mod you can make. The bike is MUCH more responsive at all RPMs and gears (even 6th!). Even milage has improved. I now get to about 160 miles before the idiot light comes on, where before it came on at 125-130. Top speed has not moved at all, but the bike pulls up past 9000 rpm, instead of tapering off at around 8000 with the stock carbs. This bike wheelies in 3rd gear thanks to these carbs.
- Corbin seat Deeper well, plus wider passenger seat
- Arrow "low" carbon fiber mufflers Much lighter and LOUDER than the stock ones.
- Factory jet kit/K&N Airbox - The jet kit was replaced by the Keihins, the airbox remains. An open exhaust is a must on your Ducati.
- 39-tooth sprocket The extra two teeth make starting out much smoother. You can go up to 41 teeth for a super wheelie-machine, but at the cost of higher RPMs in high gear.
- Ventura pack system This is included with the bike. This system has two rails that mount behind the seat and at the passenger pegs. You then mount a luggage rack that floats above the seat, on which you put your pack. It's a HUGE pack that doubles as a backpack. If you travel on your bike there's nothing better that I've seen, AND you won't scratch your paint.
This adds up to about $2300 in extras, retail cost. I also have the original seat, pipes and carburators that go with the bike.
The Venura Pack
This part is supposed to show you the various positions of the Ventura pack system. Unfortunately my scans turned out really dark. I'll do them again if I get a chance - but I do apologize about the quality of these images. Even though they're dark you should be able to get an idea whether you want this thing on your bike or not. I personally love it, because it holds everything Laurel wants to carry on a day trip. If you know Laurel that's pretty impressive (sorry hon!). She will no doubt beat me when she reads this, but it's true.
On my last two day trip I fit everything into this bag - clothes, shoes, towel, swim trunks, toiletries, even a bottle of Jim Beam and a water bottle. The external rail easily held my sleeping bag, tent and sleeping pad.
Here's the bike with just the rails on. These basically stay on the bike at all times. If you look under the seat, they're the black bars running parrallel. They stick up a few inches above the rear of the seat. They seem ugly at first but really I don't notice them. I guess it depends on how much of a purist you are. The only difficult part to install is the tabs that hold the read of the rails under the tail light. You have to remove a couple of things to get there. Once the tabs are there you can remove the rails with an Allen wrench in about 2 minutes, leaving the tabs in place.
It's hard to see, sorry about that. You really don't want to ride around with the empty rack on there. You may as well drive a Goldwing if that's what you're after. But, here's the image to see what it looks like.
Here's the bike fully loaded. Even though it's dark you can see the full pack on there. I have a sleeping bag and small tent bungied to the back of the rail. There's plenty of room to sit. The inside part of the pack might hit your back just a little if you stretch back.
