Ducat Darmah SSD Resurection

[Ventodue]

Hi Mike,

Yeh, that's one way to put it . I reckon it's best seen by comparing the two. So, on the basis that a Picture (even a poor one!) is Worth a Thousand Words, hopefully this will help:



Hopefully you can see that the line of SS fairing as it comes down away from the indicator cut-out is much more horizontal than the SSD one.* Then, as you say, the SSD one ends with a horizontal/upward 'correction'.

('cos I can't get to my originals), I quickly compiled the picture using scans of original brochures found on Tinterweb. So if you've got your own brochures, it should be easy to make the comparison. Also, if you've got a copy of Falloon's Original Ducati Sport and Super Sport, the photos in that make the difference quite apparent.

P.s There were at least 2 incarnations of the SSD fairing, btw; but you really don't want to know about that ...

P.p.s Original Roberto Ballanti screens for either model are as rare as hen's teeth. And that includes the plastic chrome and black trim that goes round the top lip.

Ciao

Craig

*P.p.p.s The SSD fairing is obliged to take a different line because the Darmah tank is taller. So, on a SS, the rear cylinder cam shaft cover is visible, meaning you can replace it with a 'gear gazer', if you want. But that doesn't really work on a Darmah 'cos most of the cover is covered by the tank. Shame, really ..

[DesmoDucks]

Awesome bike Ged......Sounds like fun too!!!

[Ged]

Originally Posted by DesmoDucks

Awesome bike Ged......Sounds like fun too!!!

Cheers DesmoDucks. My very first Ducati (in about 1980 I think) was a GTL Paralell Twin. Great little bike. I love em despite their reputation.

Thanks heaps Craig. Youre a legend. Thats exactly what I was looking for. I will have to fish around to see what i can find for the rear, but being shared with the SD Darmah, that shoudnt be too hard to track down.

Here is what I have in the front and it looks like the bracketing might all be still there, despite being reconfigured for the square headlight. So are the front indicator stems the same as SS items Craig?



Today is first day back since the christmas/new year holidays, so hopefully the Australian Ducati Mafia will be back at work! First port of call will be my local guru, Arthur Davis of Desmo HQ in Byron Bay for filters, brake bits and consumables. Then i will try Gowie for the "where am I gonna find that!" bits including the indicators and tail light. I bought a CEV indicator unit for the Pantah (the first few years of Pantah's used these as well) off Ian at the DOCNSW Concourse in September, so he had plenty of them then.

The process with my Pantah (which came in boxes - minus some unobtainable bits) was Arthur, then Gowie and then Phil for anything else the other two didnt have! I love the work these guys do. We're a little spoiled here in Australia i think.

[MHR1000Mille]

Hey Ged

It all depends on how far your going to take it getting her back to an SSD standards or if you just going to make a rider out of her

Mine looked like this when I got it, as you can see it was quite a task



My mission was to get as many NOS parts as I could and my SSD is now 99.8% genuine a few nuts and bolts thats about it , since I'm not showing it she can stay as is , the 76SS resto on the other hand is completely different I have gone to ext lenghts to get everything original one of the hardest to find were the screen screws as no other Duc had these


The Faring brackets SS v SSD are different with the SSD looking more like a sidewards V and the SS a V with 2 small kinks in the base of the V , The blinker stems should be the same , on Craigs bike they are after market as they look like S/Steel

Gowie sold the shop in Syd a few years back , Ian operates from home these days

Marty

[Ged]

Originally Posted by MHR1000Mille

Hey Ged

Marty

Heya Marty. Whoa... that was a long way back for your SSD. Red? What on earth were they thinkin? The Ice blue always stood out in the day and they still jump out at you even now, as testified by your bike back in the blue.

My objective is to get her back on the road in the current guise and see how we go, but your dead right, if i go to the trouble and expense of finding parts for it, It's worth trying to find the correct parts. Although i dont intend putting her back to standard as yet, I am pretty sure that one day in the future a sympathetic Ducatisti will want to return her to original, so I am happy to help facilitate that by only adding the correct bits and thanks heaps to you guys for helping me work out what they are.!

I had better get on the phone.

[Ventodue]

Originally Posted by Ged

Here is what I have in the front and it looks like the bracketing might all be still there, despite being reconfigured for the square headlight. So are the front indicator stems the same as SS items Craig?

Yep. And that bracketry looks good too.

Originally Posted by Ged

We're a little spoiled here in Australia i think.

You sure is

[Ged]

Originally Posted by Ged

I will get the numbers for you for sure. Thanks for you help.

Some numbers for your register Craig. Do they tell you anything?





The second photo shows the worst of the corrosion on the frame. I've had a few mates look over it now and the concensus seems to be that it was polished then cleared. Great. Still thinking about how to treat it.

Got down to Desmo HQ in Byron today and rattled Arthurs brain for a while. Always fun. Picked up brake MC kits, a new front MC cap and bellows, 3 new sets of Brembo pads, filters, new Unifilter pods, fuel line and his last 3 new CEV indicators, which worked well because I have 1 spare at home. Weird.

Then on the way home the timing belt in my Alfa 156 snapped...... Soooo, after the car was on the tiltray back home and I found a hire car for the week and i finally made my way the 70 odd kms back to my office (where the bike was delivered on christmas eve) I popped the new fuel tap in and started her up. No leaks. You beauty. At least something went right today.

Now that the christmas break is over I reaaaly need to get her out of my office. Its not that it's a problem or anything, its just that Im a little distracted by it! I will get the brakes happening and prepare it for the 25km run back home later in the week and we'll see how that goes. Mind you, there wont be a lot of room in my workshop with a dead Alfa in there....... uuurghh.

[Ventodue]

Ta Ged. Yep, one of the last SSDs that went to Australia. 260 in 1980, 126 in 1981 according to Ian Falloon (who used the factory records.) I know of 3 others, the closest being 952002 (frame) + 905841 (engine).

Have you got any more precise info on the build and/or rego date? I noted that you said it was a 1980 ...

P.s Reckon you're gonna end up re-painting that frame .. : eek:

Ciao

Craig

[Ged]

Originally Posted by Ventodue

Have you got any more precise info on the build and/or rego date? I noted that you said it was a 1980 ...

I think that says 2/80? i will check it tomorrow.



Yep, frame will need to be done, its more a matter of when I think. From the looks of it, it is a sound enough runner and mechanically it has a little life left in it. I;m thinking if I can prevent the deterioration, I can justify running the motor a while longer. When it comes apart to treat the frame, I really think the owner is more likely to return it to original SSD spec to justify the cost of restoration and no doubt an engine rebuild would then be done to justify the cost of the cosmetic restoration. The endless spiral of diminishing returns.....

[mizike77]

Thanks for the pictures, it seems that what I have is a genuine SSD fairing for sure!