Project "Ugly Duckling" (motorcycle) begins

[wayner]

Operation Ugly Duc-ling

• Mission begins
• Target acquired
• input solicited
• ...

[Yorkie]

Walt Siegl will sell you a kit to create one of these.

[Gogar]

750 or 900? or 1000?

Have fun!

[Charles Freeborn]

Or you could go the rat bike road warrior route...

[HHI944]

Originally Posted by wayner

Ugly Duc-ling

• Mission begins
• Target acquired
• input solicited
• ...

I've owned 2 of that generation 750s and, more than likely, that gen 900ss will be my next bike.

Reasonably easy to maintain (valve adjustment sucks, but it's not as brutal as some make it out to be and belt replacement is sub 30 minutes once you know what you're doing) fun and light.

[greglepore]

People *****ed about the 749/999 styling, but what Ducati did to the 900SS was unforgivable.

[Don Ro]

^^^
Agree!

[wayner]

900

...but, like the 911 world, I'm sure that someone will cry blasphemy as soon as I modify from stock
(But it really is too ugly to leave this way)

[wayner]

Biggest challenge will be finding an interesting tank without having to go for a full frame kit

I want something I can stretch out on at least a little bit and stock frame has some appeal rather than a full race chassis

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by greglepore

People *****ed about the 749/999 styling, but what Ducati did to the 900SS was unforgivable.

I know I'm in the minority, but I didn't mind the styling of that generation SS.

[wayner]

Some angle are interesting but then there are those other one

[Bill Douglas]

I like it how it is. However....

[wayner]

So close, but yet so far...

[unclebilly]

Run it hard as is until you come up with a solid game plan for it.

Buy parts.

Execute plan.

Enjoy.

[wayner]

Well, I guess it was supposed to be his version of super mono for the street, but it didn't come off that well

The oddest look about it comes from the tank. Funny, with the old imola race tank it had outrigger sort of bulges for extra capacity down low, where as this one essential carries those same bulges up high on the tank giving it an odd top, and making it look like a letter T

I do plan to put miles on it and do things as rolling changes as time allows until winter
My first mission is to solve my tank look issue

But work wise it could end up getting a tail section first

It'll just be me and the backroads and some distance, so I'm not really worried about riding a frankenstein in the meantime as long as it's heading in a cohesive direction

After woman problems it was either pay for a shrink or pay for a Ducati
Time spent with either are good for the head, but you'll never see a bike parked in front of a shrinks office

My two directions are either towards a TT, or more retro dunstall fairing era

I'd like either, or both

[Don Ro]

Always liked this old boy's rig - color combo...that's him and his 900. He used to build/sell those stands. Forgot his name.
.


~~~~~~~~~~
YES!!!!!!!!
But less bloated front tire, please.
.

[wayner]

That stand pic is the first one that ever got me interested in messing up a perfectly good factory bike many years ago

Backdating one generation with a bit of customization certainly would be the easy route

[greglepore]

That tank actually works for sport riding if you get your knees tucked up there. It does look a bit modern for the bike.

My issue with the bike is the front end, which looks way to insect like. At least the XX9 looked alien, and its sort of grown on me and others.

I really like that silver/black bike. But yeah, going back to the 90's ss/cr would be easyish.

[wayner]

These are two bikes that Ive wanted to build for some time.

Way back when I was racing my RZ500, this Dr. john red and white motoguzzi was so cool and I wanted to build one of my own. (thought of using a honda cx650 since pre-internet, there were almost no Italian bikes to find as does in my area or any way to practically locate one.

When I was racing my vintage XS650 I really wanted to built a triton, so, fast forward to not long ago and every time I put together a build sheet, in whatever direction, a 900ss would pop up and beg the question, why build a bike when a really modern and relatively reliable vintage bike already exists?

It's hiding in plane sight under some interesting bodywork
(the square headlight version that imprinted on me when I was racing my square headlight Rz500, and polen and the big boys were racing 851 and 888s)
OR
the ugly duckling that came next.

Then I fell in love with the Vintage rebuild VR880 Norton.
But I am so far from ever wanting to kickstart another big twin (although I like the ideas of it)

In the end the duc is the easier one to live with and work form in many ways. Modern vintage with still some tinkering required but not nearly as much as the old iron, or start from scratch kits.

No carbs to tickle, although that is cool too :-)

And this generation 900ss versus the one just before,
better suspension and geometry, the ugly duckling won out.
I got mine in very nice mechanical shape for not a lot of money because so many people can't see past the easily changeable looks.

So many directions to head, and I am not allowing myself to be limited to just ducati history and what would be considered proper (although a proper TT would be cool too)

[wayner]

Oh, and maybe a bit of TZ influence thrown in from my past as well.
I'm liking the idea of incorporating that tail (more TT1 similarities)

I'm all over the map but I am excited to find out what this new bike wants to be and I can only imagine what will emerge from my garage







(not mine but same model) with fairing removed
(but no, I don't want to just build a monster replica)