1983 Ducati Darmah 900 SD Motorcycle

Description

Ducati’s 900 SD Darmah can trace its origins back to the Fabio Taglioni-designed desmo 750 racers ridden to a one-two victory at Imola in 1972 by Bruno Spaggiari and Paul Smart.  A handful of race replicas were sold the following year and the model entered limited production in 1974; the original ‘round-case’ motor was an exotic air-cooled twin developed from the 750 GT sporting special carbs, polished valve rockers plus milled and machined con-rods.  The so-called ‘green frame’ remains a landmark model in Ducati’s history while the first ‘square-case’ 750 and 900 Super Sports were developed as sporting siblings to the 860 GT, with approximately 250 of each version produced in 1975.  Only sold in the iconic silver with blue accents paint scheme, the 1975 900’s engine was a sleeved version of the 750 and both featured special heads, 40mm Dell’Orto carburetors and crankshaft, along with a right-hand gearchange and Conti mufflers.  Good for 70 horsepower at 7500 rpm, the 900 SS was capable of reaching a top speed of 135mph and Bike magazine wrote “While other flashy Italian bikes are basically roadsters dressed up and pretending to be racers, this is the real thing”.  The 900 SS was put into regular production for 1976 and, periodically updated, the 900 SS ultimately remained in production until 1982 and just over 6,000 were made in total, with surprisingly large numbers sold in Australia.  Ducati introduced a slightly detuned naked version, named the SD Darmah, in 1978 with a reduced compression ratio (9.3:1), smaller 32mm Dell’Orto carbs and different valve timing.  The frame was also redesigned for more rider comfort, with a hydraulic steering damper and longer wheelbase.  Early versions used Ceriani forks and Campagnolo wheels but these were quickly replaced with Marzocchis and FPS rims respectively.  Remaining in production for five years, the final incarnation being the semi-fairing 900 S2 and while all ‘Super Sport’ garners most of the attention, the Darmah remains a fantastic Ducati in its own right, one we can all aspire to own without winning the lottery.