Final: Ducati 750 SS

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Final: Ducati 750 SS

Legendary bevel V2

When the Ducati 750 SS saw the light of day, no one could have known that it would become the mother of all supersport desmos. Your vertical shaft engine is considered to be one of the most beautiful and complex engines of all time.

What a work of art by Motor! How fascinating and aesthetic can technology be! And how much effort was required in 1974 to elicit just 73 hp from a 750 two-cylinder! When Ducati launched the mother of all two-cylinder Desmos on the market, the clocks ticked differently. 73 hp were more when Honda’s CB 750 Four roared from its four-cylinder pipes. Only half as many pots, but more power? Did the Ducati men around Desmo genius Fabio Taglioni create the eighth wonder of the world? Of course not. The 750 Super Sport was a real racing replica. A direct derivative of the victorious works racers in the 200-mile race in Imola in 1972. A certain Paul Smart won at that time in front of Bruno Spaggiari, also on a Ducati. You beat all Norton, Triumph, Honda and also Ago with your MV. Exceptionally, she died at exactly the right time for Ducati. Victory is victory, and therefore 25 machines should be built for solvent customers. Ducati did not set up an extra production facility for this, the racing department had to assemble. The response was enormous. Fans all over the world wanted to buy such a 750 SS. Ten horsepower more than the Honda, and that at 50 kilograms less weight: material for unrestrained biker dreams. Ducati had to step up. A total of 411 copies were ultimately produced. In 1974 MOTORRAD got a test machine in a wooden box to assemble. What times!

Final: Ducati 750 SS

Legendary bevel V2

Mechanical masterpiece

Jahn

Stronger than the Honda Four: the legendary bevel V2 from 1972.

Press the swab on the two 40 mm Dellorto carburettors until a little premium gasoline comes out. Kick the kick starter gently until the piston in the stationary cylinder is just before top dead center ?? one strong kick and the Ducati starts. Usually works very well. What injection maps and electric starters can easily do today, even with cheap Chinese bikes, requires a high level of empathy from Desmo. Strong, but not too hectic twists on the throttle grip further lubricate the mixture. Mechanical accelerator pumps in the carburetors inject additional fuel into the thick channels. The two carburetors, breathing through open funnels, greedily sip fresh air. And the equally open Conti bags shoot the combustion gases out again just as unrestrainedly. Mechanical noises? The legendary bevel gear grinding, the ticking of the valves? Nobody hears. The exhaust noises are just too loud. Downright obscene by today’s standards. But so beautiful. On the other hand, the sitting position is not quite as nice. You were sure that you could only go really fast while lying down. That‘s why the tank was so long and the handlebars were placed so far away from the driver that he was lying down without crouching. Or the Ducati ergonomist at the time was a chimpanzee.

The chimpanzee theory is confirmed by pulling the clutch. The monkey has strength in its forearms, as it likes to hang in a tree. The Desmo driver needs clutch hand training, softened by the many sluggish hydraulic clutches these days. And have to rethink. The circuit is on the wrong side, namely on the right, and also reversed. The first is up. You can make mistakes there. Instead of braking, for example, shift up a gear. The handling, however, is foolproof: it goes straight ahead. The Ducati can also drive corners, at least fast. So from 140 km / h. There were no hairpin bends or meandering routes. The 750 SS was created at a time when racetracks were still racetracks and no TV-compatible accumulations of Formula 1 braking chicanes. Hockenheim, Silverstone, Monza, there had to be a bike. Stoic, Germany-eighth. To whom numbers mean something: 145 millimeters of caster and 61 degrees steering head angle, a real chopper, the 750 SS, just with clip-on handlebars.

The test machine from the box was assembled, driven 10,000 kilometers and measured in Hockenheim. MOTORRAD published 3.7 seconds to 100 km / h and an incredible 216.7 km / h top speed in issue 7/1975. Fabulous values ​​for a 750 twin-cylinder back then, still impressive today. Who such a connoisseur not Ducati, but ?? bevel ?? caressed machine is his own, congratulations at this point. And always warm up, the 4.5 liters of oil.

Technical data Ducati 750 SS

engine
Air-cooled two-cylinder 90-degree V-engine, one overhead camshaft driven by a vertical shaft, two desmodromic valves per cylinder, bore x stroke 80 x 74.4 millimeters, 748 cm3, 73 hp at 8000 rpm, 72 Nm 5500 rpm, kick starter.

landing gear
Backbone tubular frame made of steel, integrated motor, Marzocchi telescopic fork, Ceriani suspension struts, Borrani wheels, tires f / h 3.50 V 18. Double disc brakes at the front, disc brakes at the rear.

measurements and weight
Wheelbase 1450 millimeters, tank capacity 19 liters, weight with a full tank 200 kilograms.

Price 1974
9,990 marks (5,108 euros)

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