Ducati 944SS
Ducati 944SS | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Weight | |
Manuals | Service Manual |
PhotosEdit
OverviewEdit
Ducati 944SS
HAS
THE ARRIVAL OF THE 916 SIGNALED THE obsolescence of
all pre-existing Ducatis? Well, for 900SS owners, at least, perhaps it's not
time just yet to make room in the garage for the latest liquid-cooled Italian
art piece.
When Eraldo Ferracci and the boys at FBF assembled this 944cc rendition of a
late-model Super Sport, their goal was to create a machine that would offer
substantial performance gains, without degrading the bike's civil street
manners. Standard hot-rodding boosted power output of the SS's air-cooled V-Twin
a good deal; that, combined with a host of chassis enhancements, means that the
FBF 944 gobbles up corners and straights with the bravado akin to its
eight-valve brethren. But such gains don't come cheaply. Outfitting a 900SS with
all the bells and whistles found on this particular FBF 944 would cost in excess
of $13,000-bike not included.
At the heart of the pumped-up V-motor is FBF's 944cc piston and cylinder kit,
offering 40cc more displacement, higher compression and Nikasil-lined cylinders.
FBF used Carrillo steel rods-a standard insurance policy-and their own exclusive
Stage 3 cams, which through increased duration, extend the powerband up top
while still being streetable-this bike idles. Headwork includes lmm-oversize
intake valves, recessed valves and porting. Stop here and you've only spent
$3700. Add a $1150 FBF billet clutch assembly with lightweight aluminum hub and
basket, and you'll notice quicker revs with reduced engine braking and clutch
chatter. An ultra-trick magnesium clutch housing was also installed, mostly for
visual impact, along with a vented clutch cover. The bike's beautifully crafted
Termignoni exhaust ($1650!), much lighter than stock, uses stainless-steel,
large-diameter tubing and high-swept carbon-fiber canisters. The system
employs the crossover design developed on the dominant FBF World Superbikes in
'92.
Keihin FCR 41mm carburetors replace the stock mixers; the kit includes
throttle cables, velocity stacks, manifold and airbox adaptors. The stock airbox
lid was removed for increased flow through the K&N filter. Cold starts require a
few twists of the throttle to squirt raw fuel down the ports prior to cranking
the motor and a hand attending the throttle while the engine warms up.
On the CW dyno, the 944 produced 87.5 peak rear-wheel horsepower at
8500 rpm with a broa'd torque curve. We ran a stock Ducati 900SL on the same
dyno, getting 75.5 horsepower at 6750 rpm. The 944 showed a 10-horsepower-plus
gain throughout the rev range, and it buries the stacker in top speed, posting a
143-mph run compared to 130 for the 900.
While the 900SS chassis is a solid enough platform, it leaves room for
improvement. FBF fitted a fully adjustable Öhlins shock with hydraulic
spring-preload adjustment, and bolted on a Bitubo gas-pressurized steering
damper to the unaltered fork to quell potential headshake. Seventeen-inch
Marchesini cast-magnesium wheels replace stock hoops of the same size, shedding
a combined 10 pounds of unsprung weight while costing a cool $ 1600 for the
pair. The front-brake system was also upgraded with Brembo full-floating
cast-iron rotors and Frentubo Kevlar brake lines, combining to deliver a
substantial improvement in feel and stopping power over stock.
Final detail touches were made to spruce up the SS's good looks. A
factory-painted European 900SL solo seat kit gives the look and style of an 888
Superbike, as do the FBF carbon-fiber front fender, rear inner fender and dash
assembly. An FBF high-rpm tachometer takes the place of the stock component, and
Progrip Superbike grips are fitted to the stock bars. Completing the package: a
Frentubo Kevlar clutch line with anodized aluminum fittings to match the brake
lines, and a gold-plate DID racing chain driving a hardened-aluminum Sprocket
Specialists rear sprocket.
The FBF 944 is not a quiet machine. But if you must make noise, there is
simply no finer mechanical clatter than the sound of a hot-rod Ducati. A myriad
of tones emanate from the engine bay, the full-fairing forming a kind of
acoustic amphitheater where a miniature six-piece percussion section beats out
its rhythmic tune backed by the deep bass of the dual exhaust. Pull the clutch
lever and the open-air dry clutch joins in stage right, its plates jingling like
a slender Signorina wielding a tambourine at the hip. Magical stuff. But one
man's music is another's noise, and the neighbors may not be so fond of your
early Sunday-morning warm-up.
Short-shifting the 944 about town-trying not to draw unwanted attention-you
soon find that the engine likes to cruise above 3000 rpm. Although there is
plenty of torque in the basement, there's also a bit too much drive-train snatch
as the motor chugs through each power stroke. On the racetrack or during
backroad blitzes, the 944 is best kept between 6000 and 9000 rpm, where it pulls
like a workhorse. An FBF Quickshifter electric shifter, allowing clutchless
full-throttle upshifts, makes the task of keeping the engine in the peak
powerband very simple. At the dragstrip, the 944 turned in an 11.00-second pass
at 124.48 mph-the 900SL took 11.74 seconds with a 113.78 terminal speed to cover
the same distance. Pretty impressive gains, though partial credit goes to the
384-pound dry weight of the FBF 944, 25 pounds under the stock 900 Superlight.
Sinking this kind of money into a 900SS is a tough move to justify-only a few
thousand more buys a new 916. But think of the Fast By Ferracci 944 as a rolling
showcase of available products, a kind of ultimate SS wish list on wheels. It's
up to you to decide which parts you can afford to wish for. -Don Canet
Source Cycle1994