i got somewhere for that rear shock
1993 Ducati 900SS/SL
5
It's finally official, so I can make a real post about it.
TL;DR version - In 1993 I saw a Ducati Superlight. Loved it. Decided I wasn't in a position to buy it. As of today I own one.
Long version...
In February I decided I wanted a Ducati V2 Streetfighter. That meant I had to sell my Moto Guzzi V85tt. Right after putting down a deposit on the Streetfighter, I put the V85 up for sale. The ad clearly stated "No trades".
So of course I got the guy who wanted to trade me two POS Japanese bikes that didn't run and one old POS snowmobile that didn't run and some other crap that didn't work for my as new Moto Guzzi because sure, I want to take your junk in trade. Seriously? Do I look like a trash collector? What are these peolpe thinking?
Then I got another guy who wanted to trade, but his one was different. It's a long story but the gist of it was this guy had a Ducati Superlight that had been sitting at a friends house for 20 years, unridden.
Well at least this was something decent, but no, I needed money for the Streetfighter. I started turning it down, but as I was writing I ended up talking myself into getting more info. My reply was like "Yeah, no, but do you have any pics? Because, I dunno, maybe?"
I was very skeptical. Sitting for 20 years? The carbon fiber was probably cloudy. The tank rusty. Etc... the thing probably needed more work than I cared to do, but, come on. It's a Superlight. I have lusted after a Superlight since spending about half an hour staring at the first one I saw on the showroom floor back in the day. I bought a yellow 996 because of the Superlight. I love 900ss's, the Superlight is the top dog 900ss. Ya gotta check on it anyway.
A few pictures were sent. Hmmm..... not bad. It's a couple hours from here, I'll go look at it.
I got there, and about 45 seconds in I saw this and decided the bike needed to come home with me.
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It already had FCRs. Braided lines. Open exhaust. The wheels have a little corrosion on them but nothing major... and it only had about 7300 miles on it. Did I mention the carbon fiber was clear, no cloudiness?
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Once I got it home my IQ recovered a bit and I checked a few other things. The inside of the gas tank looked as new. The airbox was spotless too.
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The only bummer was the swingarm is cracked. Not shocking, they do that.
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It just so happens I have a 900ss trackbike that will need more work than I had planned, and it has the updated aluminum swingarm that doesn't crack as easily... which will need to be removed when I pull the engine. And I have a steel swingarm banging around that will fit in it's place. Problem solved.
So, the Guzzi was sacrificed to get the SL. The guy showed up this morning and we made everything official after about two months of planning.
Coincidently... I got a phone call last night. The Streetfighter is ready to go. I would have included more pictures of the SL in this post but they'll have to wait. Now I have to get ready to go pick up the Streetfighter!
The bad news is, once everything gets settled in I need to get serious about selling the 851. Sacrifices need to be made I suppose.
More info later, this probably won't be much of a project thread. Or at least I hope it isn't.
TL;DR version - In 1993 I saw a Ducati Superlight. Loved it. Decided I wasn't in a position to buy it. As of today I own one.
Long version...
In February I decided I wanted a Ducati V2 Streetfighter. That meant I had to sell my Moto Guzzi V85tt. Right after putting down a deposit on the Streetfighter, I put the V85 up for sale. The ad clearly stated "No trades".
So of course I got the guy who wanted to trade me two POS Japanese bikes that didn't run and one old POS snowmobile that didn't run and some other crap that didn't work for my as new Moto Guzzi because sure, I want to take your junk in trade. Seriously? Do I look like a trash collector? What are these peolpe thinking?
Then I got another guy who wanted to trade, but his one was different. It's a long story but the gist of it was this guy had a Ducati Superlight that had been sitting at a friends house for 20 years, unridden.
Well at least this was something decent, but no, I needed money for the Streetfighter. I started turning it down, but as I was writing I ended up talking myself into getting more info. My reply was like "Yeah, no, but do you have any pics? Because, I dunno, maybe?"
I was very skeptical. Sitting for 20 years? The carbon fiber was probably cloudy. The tank rusty. Etc... the thing probably needed more work than I cared to do, but, come on. It's a Superlight. I have lusted after a Superlight since spending about half an hour staring at the first one I saw on the showroom floor back in the day. I bought a yellow 996 because of the Superlight. I love 900ss's, the Superlight is the top dog 900ss. Ya gotta check on it anyway.
A few pictures were sent. Hmmm..... not bad. It's a couple hours from here, I'll go look at it.
I got there, and about 45 seconds in I saw this and decided the bike needed to come home with me.
It already had FCRs. Braided lines. Open exhaust. The wheels have a little corrosion on them but nothing major... and it only had about 7300 miles on it. Did I mention the carbon fiber was clear, no cloudiness?
Once I got it home my IQ recovered a bit and I checked a few other things. The inside of the gas tank looked as new. The airbox was spotless too.
The only bummer was the swingarm is cracked. Not shocking, they do that.
It just so happens I have a 900ss trackbike that will need more work than I had planned, and it has the updated aluminum swingarm that doesn't crack as easily... which will need to be removed when I pull the engine. And I have a steel swingarm banging around that will fit in it's place. Problem solved.
So, the Guzzi was sacrificed to get the SL. The guy showed up this morning and we made everything official after about two months of planning.
Coincidently... I got a phone call last night. The Streetfighter is ready to go. I would have included more pictures of the SL in this post but they'll have to wait. Now I have to get ready to go pick up the Streetfighter!
The bad news is, once everything gets settled in I need to get serious about selling the 851. Sacrifices need to be made I suppose.
More info later, this probably won't be much of a project thread. Or at least I hope it isn't.
