The Sausage Creature, the Ducati 900SS

So I might have a bit of a spending problem… and an adrenaline problem. I might just have problems. Point and case, I just bought what Hunter S. Thompson called, "the Sausage Creature". Yes, I bought a 1993 Ducati 900 SuperSport!

When I was back home in Austin for the holidays, my neighbor had a 1993 Ducati 900SS for sale. Like Thompson, I realize nobody needs "a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer" but I too wanted one anyway. And then I saw the price, and I knew I needed it. So I bought it for a STEAL!

For those with a shopping problem, it felt like finding a pair of 2015 Christian Dior Lucite thigh highs for 50% off the sale price. Impractical, but beautiful, and you'd regret passing them up.

A brief history

“Ducati builds emotions.”

First, let me give you a little history about this bike. Ducati mass produced the first Super Sport in 1974. It is still considered one of the most significant production bikes in Ducati’s history because of its high standards of handling and performance at the time and it basically saved Ducati from extinction. They continued production through the 80's with limited success.

Then in 1985, Ducati was purchased by Cagiva, an Italian motorcycle manufacturer. Cagiva resurrected the SuperSport, improving it through the years and saw growing success with the bike along the way. During their ownership from 1985 - 1999, Cagiva stamped their elephant logo on all the bikes they produced, as seen on the tank of my bike.

After discovering the elephant on the tank, I knew I needed it. Ducati builds more than just motorcycles, Ducati builds emotions. The bike felt nostalgic and special. In honor of Cagiva’s time with Ducati, I named the bike L’Éléphanteau, which means the baby elephant in French. It’s a little bit of a contradiction since I am American and the bike is Italian, but like most things in life, we are not confined to check only one box so I am going to live dangerously and add a French twist to my Italian stallion.

All about L'Éléphanteau

“L’Éléphanteau is in mint condition. I was lucky enough to find an owner that had taken great care of him, properly maintaining and covering him through the years. The paint job is in pristine condition and it’s all OEM parts.”

He is Ducati red with the original full race fearings, 904 ccs, and has an air-cooled, 6 speed engine. Like my Ducati Scrambler, he sits lower to the ground so it’s a great bike for shorter riders or those with a lower center of gravity (yas ladies!). Like Italian clothes and shoes, it’s narrow, has timeless quality and was made with purpose. In this case, it was made for speed.

The 900SS has a dry clutch, so it’s louder than a bike with a wet clutch. I’ve noticed the noise less as I have been riding it though. Most bikes have wet clutches today, but the dry clutch has some advantages; a dry clutch is easier to replace, the oil in your bike isn’t being polluted with the dust of the clutch and it delivers more power since it doesn’t drag on the engine like a wet clutch does.

Since buying it, I have added a new battery and I religiously connect it to a battery tender. This is a good practice if you ride intermittently or you own an older bike with some battery issues. I also replaced the original turn signal with a take off piece from Ducati Austin since the turn signal switch had broken off prior to my purchase. So everything works now!

The Ride

“The bike is bellissimo and rides like an Italian dream. Hunter S. Thompson described it as “about the most fun you can have with your clothes on” and I would have to agree.”

You have all the power necessary to get up and go, and it maneuvers quite well for a 25-year-old bike. It’s responsive and will do amazing things if you let it. The turn radius is slightly limited because of the position of the clip-ons bars and the stance of the bike, but it hasn’t been a problem. He runs great and only gets better as you shift through 3rd gear. Mon Éléphanteau adore la vitesse!

I ride it just about everywhere in Austin and have not been disappointed. When you start the engine, it growls, a growl that makes a mischevious smile curl up on your lips. I’ll leave the house and warm up the engine on my neighborhood streets. It feels like I am hustling bystanders as I ride by, they have no idea the potential of the bike as I casually cruise at 30 mph. Once on the city streets, it effortlessly pulls you past cars, tempting you to shift up just one more gear. On the highway, it’s present and holds its own against fellow motorists. 60 mph is nothing for this bike, accelerate to 75 mph and you’ll make the bike’s day!

I usually ride through the twisty roads of Westlake Hills to enjoy the capabilities of the Ducati. L’Éléphanteau loves to lean into the turns and dig into the road as we upshift. The riding position is aggressive since the handlebars are low and the pegs are farther back, causing you to lay flat over the tank. It feels like your watching life through a camera lens in this position, with the backdrop in slo-mo and you’re the sole witness to the world around you. Everything seems to slow down as you speed up. The 900SS happily glides down the road at about 45 mph in 3rd gear and somehow I inevitably find myself doing 60 mph in 4th gear a few seconds later. The possibility of more never loses its shine on this bike…

Hunter S. Thompson in his Cycle World Magazine review of the Ducati 900SS

Thompson put it best when he said, “that is the Curse of Speed which has plagued me all my life. I am a slave to it. On my tombstone they will carve, "IT NEVER GOT FAST ENOUGH FOR ME."”.

This bike is all about speed, precision and delivering a visceral ride.

There are a few drawbacks though. The position of the handlebars causes my back to hurt after more than an hour of riding, the clutch lever is stiff and the battery is still unreliable at times. However, it’s a treat to look at and ride. All-in-all, if you have the need for speed, the 900SS will happily step up and deliver. It might actually give you more than you bargained for.