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900SS / 900SL / 900SP

12K views 95 replies 18 participants last post by  Helgeduc 
#1 ·
OK guys I am sure this is covered somewhere but may be of interest to crazy people like me who like details---Other then the plaque on the upper triple clamp what are the differences between the bikes, just as an example the SL started in 92-from what I have seen in books the difference between a standard 900SS & an SL is-the SL came with--high pipes, carbon ft mudguard & solo seat -the info says nothing of a carbon rear mudguard or a carbon clutch cover. it does say that a 900SP came with a carbon rear mudguard & clutch cover. It would be great to know the exact differences between the 3 models--So this is basically geared to those of you who have an original unmolested Bike --900SS, 900SL, & 900SP. Or those of you who know for sure the exact differences. Thanks :nerd:
 
#2 ·
Don't forget the FE (last run). It's basically an SL in silver... high pipes, solo seat, light goodies to include carbon fiber clock surround as well as front and rear mud guard, carbon fiber front sprocket cover, lighter wheels... also had the new engine (don't know when it changed, but probably 97') that does not have the external engine oil lines. It also has a redesigned fairing that has air scoops with some additional plastic-ware that directs outside air onto the vertical cylinder (may have also started in 97'). Super cool write up on the FE here: https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/ducati/ducati_900ss 97.htm

Scott
900 SS/FE #126
 

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#3 ·
Well maybe not forget it but ---I was not including the FE nor the CR in my query lol--basically just 1991-1996 versions which are all basically a little different version of the same theme --The FE & CR are for another thread. but thank you. --I had a chance years ago to purchase an FE and turned it down, it was cheap enough back then --again many years ago but it just did not twist my cork enough to spend the money -and I think I could have gotten it for around $1500.00 but that again was somewhere around 2003 or 2004. Thinking back I should have bought it just because lol
 
#4 ·
To really understand the difference you also need to include, in the USA at least, the 750SS. Think of all of the above as trim levels in the automotive industry, where 95% of the bike is identical, but the 5% trim differentiates the models.

In any given manufacturing year:

The 750 SS is the "lowest" trim. Smaller motor, wet clutch, coffin style master cylinders, stainless semi floating rotors on steel carriers, 4.5" rear wheel

The 900 SS/CR is the the basic "low end" running gear from the 750, but it upgrades to the 900 motor.

The 900 SS/SP improves the running gear with Brembo Goldline remote reservoir masters, full fairings, full floating stainless rotors on aluminum carriers up front, 5.5" rear wheel, adjustable forks

The 900 SS/SL Superlite is the top rung. All the stuff from the SP, plus: solo-seat, high mount exhaust, full floating cast iron rotors on aluminum carriers up front, anti-chatter rear brake. The earliest versions got special magnesium/aluminum wheels.

The Final Edition is just a Superlite painted silver. I think these may have also had 3 phase power?

That's just the carb'd bikes; the fuel injected bikes had similar levels of escalating trim, but with different naming conventions and trim differentiation.

You also need to consider that Ducati made manufacturing changes year over year, so across all the bikes in a given year: early years of the forks had the 40mm caliper bolt spacing, later had 65mm spacing. The front axle was 17mm, then 20mm, then 25mm (the rear axle was unchanged, 17mm start to finish). There were three different sets of wheels over time, etc.
 
#5 ·
we could talk about all kinds of models BUT In this thread I am asking about nothing but 1991-1997 900SS, 900SL & 900SP models. By keeping this to a few models only it can be easier to narrow down so please in this thread -forget about 750 , 900cr, & FE models please--We can talk about them later
 
#7 ·
The Superlight in the US has a white frame. Ducati discontinued the white frame in 1992. US Superlights are 1992 models everywhere else in the world. Here they're 1992 or 1993 depending on when they were sold.

Basically everything that's already been stated. Carbon front and rear fenders (mud guards) vented clutch cover, cast iron full floating rotors on alloy carriers, floating rear brake assembly, solo seat and high pipes. The wheels on the 1992 were Marvic-Akront composites with a magnesium center and alloy hoop joined by steel bolts. There was a Superlight in Europe and the rest of the world right to 1997. They got "dumbed down" in the wheel department. The 1993s didn't get the cast iron rotors, just the bog standard stainless ones. I think that changed in 1994 though. Check here for the differences between all the years (Mks) Ducati900sl.com (The Ducati Superlight register)

SS/SP only came around in 1994. Before that there was just a "standard" Supersport. The SP is kind of a combination of the Supersport and the Superlight. It got the floating rear brake in some years, as well as the carbon fenders. Or not. Depends on whether or not suppliers got paid. Some came with variations in installed equipment. Basically a two seater version of the SL.

The Supersport if you wanna call it the standard version, came along first and remained basically the same all the way to 1997. No carbon goodies, no floating rear brake, non-adjustable forks. Or not. My statement below describes why.

As the story goes, during the hard times at the factory, the assembly line would frequently run out of parts. When they did they'd just grab what as available and install that instead. Better to get a bike out and get paid than to let it sit in need of a fender or something similar. I don't know how much truth there is to that, but I've read it a number of times from different historians.....sean
 
#8 ·
As the story goes, during the hard times at the factory, the assembly line would frequently run out of parts. When they did they'd just grab what as available and install that instead. Better to get a bike out and get paid than to let it sit in need of a fender or something similar. I don't know how much truth there is to that, but I've read it a number of times from different historians.....sean
i started pulling these things out of crates mid 94, and ime that's just fanciful bullshit.
 
#9 ·
900ss 900sL 900SP

swingarms- aluminum swingarms on all, 2 variations based on early or late model.

Frame= pre-900sp/CR/FE Same as 900ss 94-97 in USA- most prone to crack, early frames are not common to crack in my experience.
Engine= 91-92 short crank/1993 long short crank long crank
rectifier= crap crap still crap
forks= fully adjustable showa 41 same same
brakes= black line brembos coffin master/goldline calipers remote masters blackline/goldline calipers
fairings= full and short full only Full only
cyl. studs chrome chrome chrome except 1997 IIRC
tail= 2-up seat solo only 2-up seat
Rotors= steel center stainless iron full floaters iron full floaters
rear caliper mount= top mount top mount floating underslung rear caliper
pipes= low high low
crank plug might be out don't look you know the answer.


probably missed some things and keep in mind this information is on US models only as that all I see.
 
#11 ·
Perfect Eric thank you very much thats a good list--now one thing you left off, Mudguards-I have a copy of Mick Walkers Ducati book-he says that both the SL & SP had carbon ft mudguards--The SP he says also had carbon rear mudguard & carbon clutch cover--But He does not mention a carbon rear mudguard or carbon clutch cover on the 900SL ( he does say that the SL had a vented clutch cover but nothing about it being carbon)--so did the SL have those carbon:nerd: items from the factory or not. I know these are crazy little details but that is the kind of info I love to have--the devil is in the details
 
#10 ·
So - my '95 SP had full floating cast iron rotors for sure.
I was living in CH in 1995 and travelled on business - one trip had me passing through Italy. I tried to get a tour of the factory but it was shut down tightly. Production had stopped and suppliers were on "COD" of which ether wasn't any "C". Very close call I was told! So - they were surely shy of parts and likely used what they had around until they couldn't build a complete bike. Times surely improved in the years since that!!
 
#12 ·
That's about the time Cagiva was running on fumes, and was about to sell Ducati to TPG.

Or it was August, and EVERYTHING was shut down in the area...:laugh:
.
 
#14 ·
Yes IIRC carbon front ,rear hugger and a slotted carbon clutch cover on the SL. And to be correct withing a few days of ownership the correct carbon should turn a nice cloudy faded green as they had not yet figured the sunlight effected the carbon resins. carbon from Ducati in this era did not stay clear if the bike was ridden much and saw sunlight. A perfect carbon part has likely not been used much, has been re-finished or is a reproduction/aftermarket piece.

standard ole 900ss had no carbon.

900sp had carbon front and hugger but a solid carbon cover iirc
 
#37 ·
Just FYI - my SL ('95 SL IV) has a solid carbon clutch cover...
 
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#16 ·
One thing that nobody has mentioned...the '93 Superlight we got in the States was yellow.

Word I got from our sales rep back then was that the guys out in California at Cagiva N.A. didn't want the SL with the light wheels if it was red. They supposedly said it looked too much like a standard full fairing SS. They told the factory to paint it yellow or something to make it stand out....wonderful.

I blame this decision for the proliferation of yellow bikes we saw from other manufacturers in the '90s.

If it had been the same color as the old '73-'74 750 Sport, I might have over looked it, but it was a pale, sickly yellow...:(
.
 
#18 ·
Thanks guys, I know this info may sound petty But I have a reason--I am also a judge at AMCA events as well as a few other shows so all of this crazy detail info helps me in judging bikes correctly
 
#20 ·
I wish lol I would love too but I went on holiday about 2 weeks ago so I cant get away for Barber
 
#23 ·
I asked Cagiva for several dealers names back when I moved to Zürich and wanted to buy one and ship it over. Got a nice response from their national sales manager (bet he was worried about getting paid). Sent me the product brochure one pager. It shows the exact bike I ended up buying from MCC. You will also note that "specs are subject to change".
 

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#24 ·
all vehicle brochures say specs are subject to change. for example the senna ii show bike had a carbon airbox. when they arrived, the airbox was painted plastic, which was the spec for the model if you read the spec. but by then the people who came to pick them up expecting a carbon airbox were throwing hissy fits. for the money you'd have expected one.

the f1 spec would have been quite variant because of the changes they were making in production. they made lots of very obvious changes to them for what was a small run model.

the usa 1993 yellow 900sl is a euro 1992 model year spec bike in yellow. first yellow euro 900sl was 1995. 1993 euro spec sl had std 900ss wheels and front discs and clutch cover.
 
#25 ·
I can only go by what I've seen and read. I was in the UK in 1992. The first 900 Superlight I ever saw was there, in Oxford and it was yellow with a white frame in probably early 1993 (I deployed to the middle east in May of 93 so it had to be before then) .

The Falloon books that cover the Superlight as well as the Superlight registry also show there were yellow bikes in Europe before 1995. One of the Falloon books I have states there were no yellow Superlights for Europe or Australia in 1992. But I saw one in Oxford as mentioned above.

The same Falloon book also states the 1994 model year, most of the Superlights produced were yellow, though it was still available in red. The only year that I cannot pin down with certainty is the (actual) 1993 Superlight.

The Superlight register shows some 1993s in yellow, assuming of course that they were original and not repainted. None of the Falloon books I have pins down the available colors for 1993. All the other years they do.

Also, Bike magazine from 1993 had an article showing a yellow Superlight that asked the question of whether or not the Superlight was any lighter than the SS/SP (it was by some 4lbs) and if were worth the premium price over it.

I still have that issue somewhere (it isn't like my memory from 1993 would be that good) and actually reread the article only a year or so ago.....sean
 
#26 ·
what you've seen is what you've seen, can't argue with that. things did end up where they weren't meant to be. 50 or so 1994 888ltd (usa only model) went back to europe because they couldn't sell them in the usa. we got some 90ss/sp out here late 96, i think 20 came in and we got sent a couple for customers who were waiting for the normal euro spec 900ss - wasn't expected.

the white frame with yellow 900sl was usa specific, like the 91 or 92 white frame with black panels 900ss.

the 1993 900sl was much reduced spec wise compared to the euro 92. carbon front and rear guards, std wheels, std front discs, silver aluminium non slotted clutch cover. there's a very original one about 5 metres from me.

i thought the first yellow ones we saw were 95, but certainly could be wrong. i started at the dealership mid 94 and there hadn't been any there as yet. they were fairly hard to sell (even red ones) until they stopped making them, then people wanted them.

there was an american article reprinted out here showing a yellow 900sl and 888, talking about the worth of the sl. i was surprised to see a yellow one, we hadn't seen them then.
 
#27 ·
what you've seen is what you've seen, can't argue with that. things did end up where they weren't meant to be. 50 or so 1994 888ltd (usa only model) went back to europe because they couldn't sell them in the usa. we got some 90ss/sp out here late 96, i think 20 came in and we got sent a couple for customers who were waiting for the normal euro spec 900ss - wasn't expected.

the white frame with yellow 900sl was usa specific, like the 91 or 92 white frame with black panels 900ss.
I don't know for certain but I thought the white frame was just what ducati painted them from whenever up to 1992. Nothing after that came with a white one to my knowledge. I know the first Ducati I saw in the UK was an 851 and it had a white frame. That was in Aylesbury I think, just outside London.

The Superlight however, that one is etched in my memory as it was the first moment I ever experienced what I call "Ducati Lust".

I don't mean to derail the thread but that moment was like something out of a movie. I was in downtown Oxford at the Kawasaki dealer buying parts for my old ZX-7.

It was crappy out, overcast and drizzling and/or misting down between real rain. I was walking back up the alley towards the car park when the clouds parted a bit, and tiny ray of sunshine shone down. It illuminated this shop window a few yards ahead of me.

As I got there, in the window was the Superlight. I was gobsmacked. I stood there, probably with my jaw on the floor for some time. I don't know how long exactly, maybe 10 seconds, maybe 5. Then, as quick as it opened, the hole closed up and the gloom returned.

As I looked up to get on my way, I realized I wasn't alone in being mesmerized. There were probably 5 or 6 people in the same state as me. Men, women, old and young...all smitten by the site of this bike on its plinth in a shop window.

Like I wrote, the moment is etched in my brain.

the 1993 900sl was much reduced spec wise compared to the euro 92. carbon front and rear guards, std wheels, std front discs, silver aluminium non slotted clutch cover. there's a very original one about 5 metres from me.
Oh, no argument there. All the research I've done indicates the same.
i thought the first yellow ones we saw were 95, but certainly could be wrong. i started at the dealership mid 94 and there hadn't been any there as yet. they were fairly hard to sell (even red ones) until they stopped making them, then people wanted them.

there was an american article reprinted out here showing a yellow 900sl and 888, talking about the worth of the sl. i was surprised to see a yellow one, we hadn't seen them then.
I'm not saying you're wrong there. Only that I saw them in Europe. I've read That some bike configurations were meant for Europe and Australia but never made it out of Europe.

I don't recall anymore what year, but I remember reading that only red Superlights that year were delivered to Australia. Another year that only 20 yellow ones were delivered there.

What I've learned is, there isn't anything set in stone when it comes to what Ducati did or didn't do with regard to what bikes went where. Not only that but Ducati didn't exactly keep records to the level of detail and accuracy that say, BMW does. I imagine also that there is a grain of truth to all of the stories you hear of the things that went on. There just isn't any verifiable documentation to sort out the facts from fiction.....sean
 
#30 ·
all 91 and 92 models had white frames. 91 models had white wheels, 92 models black wheels except the 900sl with the 2 piece. 93 models gold frames and black wheels, except 900sl which had gold wheels, same as 888sp5. 94 on gold frames and wheels.

euro models were all red bodywork until the 900sl in yellow for 94 or 95. the 91 - 93 yellow sl and black ss bodywork was nominally only usa spec.
 
#31 ·
And never assume what you see is as delivered. At the dealership there were more than a few bikes stripped and painted to a different color before the bike was sold as well as by customer request before delivery. I remember a 1998 FE that was swapped to red by a member here as well as a st being painted yellow before it was an option. then there was the poor 620ss that changed colors about 3-4 times trying to find it a home ,including giving it away on a radio station. The winner of the bike traded it back for another model IIRC.
 
#32 ·
one of the first bmw we sold when we became a dealer was a k1100rs that was a light bright green. weird arse colour. part of the deal was it became pearl white. which improved the colour, but unfortunately the rest of it was still the same piece of bavarian crap.

poor 620ss. i can imagine the collected groans of despair when it came back for trade in. we had a demo one that took sometime to offload. not as bad as the 650 raptor demo we had - that actually truly was unsellable. business had to go broke to be relieved of it.
 
#33 ·
Part of the problem is that Ducati never was very good at listing the differences between models, and the books everyone uses to research, like Fallon’s, are not accurate. Read his section on the SS, full of errors. I’m guessing the sections on other models are no better.
 
#35 ·
Which section? I have 4 different books from him, each with its own section on the Superlight as well as year by year differences of the SS, SP and CR including displacement additions.

Falloon's books might contain errors but he goes to the factory for his research. So, the records that weren't kept dictate the information he bases his books on.....sean
 
#34 ·
I believe Bruce Meyers (BCM motorsports owner) still has the 1996? husqvarna 125 he could not sell and just sold his 900 Elefant that became his own bike mainly because no one else wanted it.

There is a dealer not far from here that is happy enough to simply keep them in the crates and if you want a crated vintage bike expect to pay for it.
 
#40 ·
lol, I had tried to mention before my experience is with US models which were different than everyone else's. No first hand contact with models outside of North America.

So for non-North American models what specs did they have and for what year range?

Did anyone else get the Magnesium/aluminum wheels (which is what sets the bike apart IMHO)

Did the early bikes have the slotted carbon cover?

What was different on the non-North American superlight from the SP?

I know everyone else got the next generation bike a year earlier than we did but was the FE sold elsewhere and how different was it from the non-North American superlight?
 
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