<-=- Club Bevel Heaven -=->

Hi, my name is Mark and after riding bikes since I was 15 (51 now) I have bought my first Ducati. I have always wanted an earlier model bevel drive and now I have a 1978 900SSD. All I need now is help to restore it. I will probably ask some dumb questions so please humour me.

Way to go Mark , I'm well into restoring one at the moment and have another that I will be turning back into an SSD next year as it is not std by any means , where in OZ are you ?

Cheers Marty

Congrats Mark.

If you can send me the engine and frame numbers I'd be grateful as I keep a little register of SSDs. Ask me for a copy if you'd like one - send me a pm with your e-mail address.

Ciao

Craig

news flash - if it is a 1978 bike then it is not an SSD

BevHevSteve wrote:news flash - if it is a 1978 bike then it is not an SSD

Quote

......and the 900SSD was released at the Bologna Show in October 1978...........200 examples rolling out of the Factory late in 1978 as 1979 examples .......

Here in Australia as soon as they come into the country they get a compliance plate that is different to that what you get in the US.

Its quite possible that the plate may well say 1978 But technically speaking its a 1979 series 1 - SSD

The date on compliance plate is 12/78. so you could assume that it is 1979 model. The VIN# is DM860SS903196. engine # 903591DM860. Can someone confirm that it is a SSD.

The date on headstock compliance plate is 12/78, VIN# DM860SS903196, engine #903591DM860. Confirmation of genuine SSD would be appreciated.

The Numbers check out OK , got any pictures for us to look at ??

Still getting used to how forum works, will post some photos when I work out how to. The bike is damaged due to previous owner putting bike into ditch after being forced off road. The fairing and screen, seat base and instruments need replacement. RH side exhaust needs replacement. The good news is that there is no engine damage, the frame is not bent and all damage is cosmetic.

mdal wrote:The date on headstock compliance plate is 12/78, VIN# DM860SS903196, engine #903591DM860. Confirmation of genuine SSD would be appreciated.

Excellent Mark. Those numbers put your bike in the first run of SSDs, so a rare example of something that is already quite rare ...

I know of a bike in the States that came off the line a little later than yours, i.e. with frame number 903231 & engine number 903629. And the earliest one I know of is frame 903138 and engine number 903539 (it was in the UK, is now in France).

If you can get some photos loaded, that would be good ...



Ciao

Craig

One photo attached

[img][img]http://ultraxs.com/image-1CB8_4B14632C.jpg[/img][/img]

Hi Mark,

Yup, that's a SSD, ok! The rounded SSD front mudguard is immediately visible for one thing ...

Someone's cut back the rear edge of the fairing, almost definitely to give himself some knee room (the later SSDs, as well as having the pegs re-located lower down, also have a slightly modified fairing to give more space). I also see that the Speedlines wheels have, fortunately, been changed for FPSs. (You should check/change the wheel bearings, of course).

And someone's changed the fuel taps. Also good, as the plastic bowls of the original ones go brittle and split - at the worst moment, naturally.

Are the brake discs drilled? They were originally. Shame about the crack in the seat pan. Darmahs suffer from this (or, strictly speaking, they suffer from owners who don't mount the pan properly which causes the pan to crack ...)

I trust you'll be replacing those brake hoses? . The top hose is 30mm shorter than standard SD, btw.

IMO, it's also worth fitting a fairing stay, à la MHR. They weren't fitted originally, but they do stiffen the edges of the fairing up at speed. The screen is the same as the SS, btw, so readily available. If you haven't fitted one before, just be careful when drilling the mounting holes - a sharp drill will catch as it goes thru and crack the plastic. Use a blunt drill bit or one ground to a wider angle or, even better, get a special bit from the screen supplier - Gustaffson's do one, for example.

The headlamp shell is the same as fitted to early model Monsters. Can't say exactly which, but Steve A. or Phil H. at Road and Race will know. The headlamp is Bosch number 0 303 850 103.

Unfortunately, the rubber seal between the headlamp and the fairing is not easy to find. I have a note that it may be available as a re-manufactured part from Mike Haven at MPH cycles in Houston www.mphcycles.com (281) 579-8885. But don't trust this.

Instrument panel (and instruments) are the same as MHR. However, I have a horrid feeling that the bracket that holds them is a SSD special ... Hmmm ... go bother Phil Hitchcock

Oh - and don't forget to overhaul the starter motor. You do NOT want to be bump-starting a SSD (DAMHIK .)

Nice bike! But I would say that ...

Ciao

Craig

Go on show Craig the other side , there is a bit more to the bike Craig

Craig in France wrote: <snip> The headlamp shell is the same as fitted to early model Monsters.

Err ... park that one for the moment. I think I may be wrong here ... maybe it's just the headlamp and the rim that are the same. Any one know? - I can't find an early Monster parts book in Tinternet to check ..

Ciao

Craig

Shell is different, rest is the same.

Dave.