Announced in 1988, the
Ducati Supersport used a
Pantah based 904 cc air-cooled 90° V-twin, two-valve "Desmodue" engine with
crankcases derived from the
851 motor. It was mounted in a tubular trellis frame. The resurrection was due largely to Ducati being bought out by
Cagiva and the first reborn Supersport was released as a 750 Sport. It met with failure due to its 16-inch wheels and a kludgy Weber carburetor and cracking swingarms. From 1988 to 1991, the model was called a 900 Supersport, and had a
full fairing. The 1989 Supersport received a revised air/oil cooled motor from the 906cc
Ducati Paso incorporating many changes to the Pantah motor, including a six-speed gear box. From 1989 to 1990 the motorcycle was fitted with a
Marzocchi rear
suspension, then first changed to
Showa, and then to better quality Marzocchi damping in 1990. Marzocchi M1BB front forks were used until 1990, when they were replaced by Showa upside down units. The
Marelli Digiplex ignition was used in early models, and then replaced by a Kokusan ignition.
Smaller Supersports: 350SS/400SS/600SS The
Ducati 350SS,
Ducati 400SS and
Ducati 600SS were
Ducati sport bike motorcycles made from 1989 through 1999 for the Japanese and Italian markets. The 350/400 SS models were produced to meet regulations under the prevailing driving license schemes in Japan (400 cc) and Italy (350 cc), where there were limits on maximum
displacement allowed for probationary motorcyclists. The 600SS was introduced in 1994 as a midrange competitor for a growing market, and to provide a cheap way to spread the Ducati range. Visually, they are only slightly different from the other SS models. Also known as the 400SS Junior, the models were based on the larger 750SS with which they shared a frame, engine and most other components. The most obvious differences were the 2-into-1 exhaust system on some versions (also used the 600) and the single-disc front brake. The 600SS had five gears instead of the six on the 350 and 400. The smaller engine capacity was achieved by sleeving down the larger 750SS engine. The models were available semi-faired or with a full fairing. As with the Ducati 750SS and 900SS, vents were provided in the cowl in the 1997 model to provide additional air to the rear cylinder, which was prone to overheating. In 2003 Ducati replaced the 750 and 900 with three new variations: 620 cc, 800 cc and 1000 cc. Only the 620 was offered with half fairing. Eventually, only the
1,000 cc version remained available, which was finally discontinued in 2007. The
Supersport 1000 DS had a 992 cc, air-cooled 90° V-twin engine with twin spark ignition, which Ducati described as "the most advanced air-cooled Desmo engine ever to be built by Ducati." The front suspension had fully adjustable 43 mm Showa forks, with an Ohlins single shock (also fully adjustable) at the back. The Supersport 1000 DS had a pair of Brembo Gold Series callipers with 320 mm discs at the front and a single 245 mm disc at the rear, along with lightweight 5-spoke Marchesini wheels. The Supersport 1000 DS produced of torque at 5750 rpm, and of power at 7750 rpm. The SS naming convention was eventually dropped and the line evolved into the
SportClassic line that includes the Sport 1000 and GT 1000, and another Paul Smart replica, the
PaulSmart 1000 LE.
Ducati 800SS The
Ducati 800SS, introduced in 2003, is the smaller capacity, higher revving version of that year's air-cooled Ducati Supersport (SS) model range. The 800SS is a popular base for production racing in the United States, where it competes against motorcycles such as the
Suzuki SV650. It is also eligible for racing in the UK in the Minitwins series with a variety of clubs such as
BMCRC, North Gloucester Road Racing Club (NGRRC), and the North East Motorcycle Racing Club (NEMCRC). In 2003 a new fuel-injected desmodromic 90° V-twin, , engine, and a new six-speed gearbox were offered in the Supersport 800. There were two versions available: the 800 Supersport and the 800 Sport. The Supersport featured a high specification chassis whilst the Sport was a lower cost version with a less well-specified chassis. Both used the same engine and came in with either a full fairing or half-fairing. The two-valve per cylinder engine produced 74.5 hp @ 8250 rpm, and 70 N·m (7.1 kgf·m) @ 6250 rpm. Earlier 2003-2004 Supersport models had a high-specification chassis featuring fully adjustable
Showa front forks and a fully adjustable Sachs shock absorber. From 2004 onwards Ducati reduced the level of chassis specification to that of the Sport (which was subsequently dropped from the range some time later). The alloy swinging arm was replaced with a steel item; the five-spoke Marchesini wheels were replaced by three-spoke wheels by
Brembo; the front forks were replaced by non-adjustable Marzocchi items; the Brembo Goldline clutch and brake master cylinder were replaced with lower specification items as found on many lower-capacity Ducati Monsters. From 2006 the 800SS was no longer imported into the UK although it was still available in the United States in limited numbers in 2007. == Ducati Supersport 950 (2017–)==