Ducati 900 SD Sport Desmo Darmah

Ducati 900 SD (Sport Desmo) Darmah

With Phil Aynsley

Ducati introduced the 900 SD (Sport Desmo) Darmah in 1977 and both changed the way the company does business and were also highly regarded.

Its aim was to succeed where the unloved 860 series had failed, it was the base V-twin model in the range that would appeal to general sports racers, rather than hardcore sports racers. – people who are supposed to buy SS models.

Stylist Leopoldo Tartarini has taken the look from his tandem tandem 500 SD to great effect, and its combination with the legendary bevel drive V-twin engine has earned Darmah a lot. sales from riders who don’t normally consider a Ducati.

Considerable efforts have been made to modernize the bike compared to the 860. For the first time the company uses high-quality, non-Italian electrical equipment such as Bosch and Nippon Denso.

Many modifications have been made to the engine to increase reliability, most notably the large engine.

Cast magnesium wheels were used, first Campagnolo, then Speedline. With the introduction of the Darmah, all of the company’s new models are equipped with Desmo – a status unchanged until the fourth-generation Multistrada of 2020.

Almost 5,600 Darmahs (including various sub-models) were produced until 1982 – 1,610 of which were the original ’77 model.

The name ‘Darmah’ is actually derived from a popular Italian children’s book in which it is the name of a tiger, as a bit of context.

This is an original, unmodified bike, with some minor modifications like the oil filter cap.