THE DUCATI 900SSD WAS INTENDED TO BE a machine that bridged the gap between Ducati’s classy Darmah 900SD street bike and the unhinged 900SS, while combining elements of both and creating a sports tourer par excellence. It came in dramatic silver and blue and used the 900SS engine with desmo heads, which allowed the use of 40mm Dell’Ortos but with the addition of an electric start. There was a twin seat, a faintly space-age swoopy tail piece and a fairing that was similar, though not identical, to the 900SS. It was certainly as crudely finished on the inside as the SS fairing. It used the Darmah frame, got rear sets, clip-ons, stainless mudguards and remote reservoir Marzocchi shocks – and it was touted as the ultimate sport tourer.
This concept had worked for other manufacturers, but for some reason the SSD failed to
