1980 Ducati 900 SD Darmah
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- May 23, 2020: Bikes featured are: 2014 Triumph Thruxton (at the beginning and end), 1980 Ducati 900 SD Darmah and 2005 Ducati ST3
Finally got out for a longer ride and thought I would pop by to see how Geoff is doing. He mentioned that he would like to try and get some of his bikes running again, just to keep them exercised. How could I refuse an offer for a ride on his Darmah!
I thought you might like to see a few clips of an incredible 1980 Ducati 900 SD Darmah! • 1980 Ducati 900 SD Darmah
• oNe (Oregon Norton Ent...
And here's a video of the 900SS mentioned:
• 1995 Ducati 900SS
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man oh man I just love the sound of "contis" in the morning. That's a sound I haven't heard for 30yrs.
Thank you Richard! Glad you enjoyed the video. Cheers, Mike
Always considered the Darmah a really pretty machine - definitely the Ducati that I would like to own..
Thanks Rod. It sure was a great bike to ride! Cheers, Mike
I love my 1978 Darmah. Bought her the same week Mike "The Bike" Hailwood won the Isle of Man TT race on his works Duc in 1978. Many years ago I had the local Ducati race shop install larger pistons, Imola cams, ported the heads, and larger 40mm Delorto's. I already had the Conti pipes. I plan on polishing her up proper and getting her back on the road! All she needs is a new battery!
Brilliant! Thank you Mario and good luck with your beautiful bike. Best wishes, Mike
You lucky, lucky bastard😜
@@montyzumazoom1337 😜😜😜 hahaha!
My dad had this same bike back when I was young. This video brings back fond memories of riding on the back of my dad’s bike. He ended up trading it for a KTM 420 after they started removing the lead from gasoline.
I’d forgotten how wonderful those desmo bevel drive engines sound, addictive, absolutely brilliant.
Oh boy! My favourite bike of all time.
I owned and rode a lot of bikes in the past, and also belonged to a motorbike club of over 100 members.
On club nights and runs we swapped bikes a lot, so I have ridden quite a few machines in my time.
My friend had a beautiful red and white 900SD Darmah with Conti’s and it sounded beautiful.
However after a time he thought he might either lose his licence or kill himself on it as he was all ways riding it faster and faster.
So he decided to sell it to someone about 50 miles away, and wondered how to deliver the bike to its new owner.
I “volunteered” to ride it whilst he rode another machine in order to make the return journey.
At the time I owned a Mk2 Honda Gold Wing (bare bike, none of that fancy screen and luggage), but as mentioned I had ridden a number of large bikes so felt confident I could deliver the Ducati to its new owner in one piece.
Well, as I rode the machine with my friend following on behind on his bike, I found I really liked it.
Every corner or roundabout was taken faster and faster, and I really liked the Ducati. Dropping down a gear or two to overtake traffic was a delight -and the SOUND wow!
All to soon the ride was over as we pulled into the driveway of the new owners house.
As my pal did the money changing bit, I just stood in awe of the machine wondering why I didn’t buy it and why he sold it.....
I’m an engineer and the sound of the engine on tick over on these bikes makes my knees tremble. I can “see” in my mind the mechanical components working internally as the engine idles with a mechanical beauty which other people simply don’t get or understand.
I so wish I had owned one.
And a degree of hatred also to another “friend” a little earlier in time that had a 900ss from new and blew the engine at 130miles an hour on a run because he didn’t check the engine oil level...Arrgh!😡
Thanks for sharing a great video of an amazing machine.
Thanks so much for a fun story, Monty! That was great! Best wishes, Mike
I've got a '73 750GT Ducati. those 90 degree twins are really nice, smooth motors. Dr. Taglioni was a genius.
Wow Corey, you have a great bike! I absolutely loved riding the Darmah. Best wishes, Mike
I had one of those. I bought it new and rode it for 20 years. An incredible bike. When cornering, it felt like the bike remained straight and the world tilted. I called it the locomotive from outer space.
Was a Darmah in my town in 1979...used to wait to see and hear it in the summer evenings.... Fantastic !
I really enjoyed a 250 Ducati in my teens, and always wanted one of the big ones. That sounds and runs very nice, very strong as well. Thanks for the ride.
I had a very late Darmah (82) and it was factory fitted with 40 mm carbs Nippondenso electrics and Conti exhausts.
Raced the Norton back in 1973 with the likes of Hugh Anderson, Dave Hiscock, Graeme Crosby, Bill Biber, Lloyd May, Dale Wiley...so many world renowned riders
Awesome! Thanks a lot for sharing. Best wishes, Mike
Thanks for letting us hear it! You have to love those friends who are generous enough to let you ride their stable of bikes.
Thank you Jeremy, I completely agree. It’s such a thrill to ride these great classics.
OW MY GOD THE SOUND!
My all time favorite bike.
Gave me a push to get mine running!
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Shon! I was thinking about you and yours. How is it going?? Hope you are doing okay. Best wishes, Mike
I used to pass a Ducati Dealer outside Chicago and would see that bike sitting outside with the Tiger on the Side Great Classic bike thanks for Sharing! :)
Thank you! Best wishes, Mike
I had one of these in red. What a sound.
The sound and the glory of 'thunder bikes'! Love those Contis. I toured Tasmania many years ago with a mate who rode the Darmah and me on an 860GTS Ducati. Ahh the twisties and the symphony of those Ducatis. Thank you.
Very cool! Thanks a lot for sharing. Wow, I bet that was an amazing ride. Best wishes
Hi there I have a 900 gts and a darmah I brought as a wreck great bikes I'm keeping mine every time I ride it it turns heads there be a lot of poeple out there with sore necks lol
Simply just gorgeous
Mike when you change down through the box blip the throttle first , you need to be kind to those early Ducati gearbox's , they are expensive to repair , as a Ducati mechanic I have repaired quite a few , any way nice film , my first big bike was a Darmah it was a great machine ; )
Thank you William, you are right. I should have blipped it a little more. Hopefully, I will get the chance to blip it again one of these days :-) Thanks a lot for your comment. Cheers, Mike
It had the most beautiful sound of its time, mine was the 750 GT 1974, now im old and wise hahaha
😃hehe, thanks a lot for your note. Best wishes
I had one many years ago when I was in the Army in Townsville Australia...put a set of Contis on ...and I was set...miss it so much...
Thanks Johnathon, that was a wonderful ride and it’s such a great bike.
Love the Darmah! I friend of mine in the UK had a new one back in the late 70s...awesome machines. I believe they were the first Dukes to use Nippon electrons if memory serves me well.
I used to commute in and out of London City. Got behind one of these Darmah’s, the exhaust noise, but more the percussion, coming out of the exhausts was hitting me square in the chest. It felt like I was getting physical hit! OMG!
That Darmah is running beautifully! Nice video thanks...I could imagine I was riding one...
Thank you very much for your comment. I really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed the video and enjoyed the ride along :-) best wishes, Mike
Wow, that Darmah is beautiful, up there with the 916 and 888 families as Ducati's most elegant deigns. I love the long tank and the way it flows into the seat, side panels and tail unit. The ST may be more capable (I speculate, having ridden neither) but it can't compete on looks or sound.
Thanks a lot Jim, I really enjoyed riding the Darmah.
Great video. The camera feels the engine.
Thanks a lot Firefly (Vincent Firefly by any chance??). So true, it reverberated as the bike first took off and then smoothed out. Best wishes, Mike
I always felt that the Ducati was like riding a super quick single banger because of the sound and feel of the thumper engine
g20dragonslayer as a youth I rode a Moto Morini 350 sport then an Yamaha SR500 single. They both had one fuel tap. I then bought a mini and didn’t have a motorcycle for a year until I bought a black and gold Ducati Darmah 900 from North Leicester Motors.
Bear in mind I had gotten used to the power, or lack thereof, of a Mini.
So, I picked the bike up, turned the ignition on and the fuel tap and off I went.
The power delivery seemed very familiar and I was impressed.
It didn’t want to idle when I got home so I tweaked both carbs until it did.
Two weeks later I returned to the shop to have the low tick over sorted out.
They took it into the workshop and started it up at which point it revved up like crazy.
The mechanic asked me if I had turned on both fuel taps, as in one for the left and one for rather right cylinder?
In case you hadn’t guessed, I had indeed been driving around for a fortnight on a Ducati 500 single.
They tuned it back up and the ride back home through Leicester was a revelation.
I then joined the RAF and became an aircraft avionics engineer. True story.
That Darmah is a beaut. I had a 1980 900ss, fantastic engines and handled like on rails but not flickable. Would love a Darmah now. Cheers.
Thank you Splodge. It was a really great experience. Cheers, Mike
Lovely looking and sounding bike, I had the same in the UK and wish I still had it!
Thanks a lot! It was so great to ride it. Cheers, Mike
My father's bike! I love Ducati 900! Very good video! Ciao Ludo from Italy.
Thank you very much Ludovico! Best wishes, Mike
Spectacular, and wow, what scenery.
Thank you Wooley! That was a really enjoyable ride! Best wishes, Mike
Reminds me of my previous bike, 2004 Monster 1000s. Oh what a bike could do anything tour, commute, race track, so good. The sound from the Termis is muffled thunder. 14 years of ownership and not one problem.
That is a dream come true, wow.
Thanks a lot, yes it really was. I couldn't believe it when he offered… How could I say no :-) cheers, Mike
Mike you must have enjoyed that lucky bugger lol 🤣🤣
I couldn't believe my luck Stephen! It was such a thrill! Cheers, Mike
I haven't ridden a bike for a few years thanks to my poor health. Thank you for taking me along with you.
Thank you Peter! I'm really glad that you enjoyed the video and thanks for riding with us. Best wishes, Mike
I agree... the handling was different than my Norton...you almost had to pull the Ducati over into the corner but once there...rock steady...then give it a handful to stand it up again...ahh memories
Thanks for that ride!
Like the sound of those older Ducati’s
Thank you Roger, best wishes, Mike
Nice to see someone feeding the carbs with a progressive wrist...do that and these are as smooth as you would ever want...nice clip, they do like to be blipped on the down change..
Thanks Trevor. Yes, I promise to blip it next time I ride it 😜👍. It sure was a lot of fun! Best wishes, Mike
Lovely .... had am 860 back in the day. Was so glad when i got shot of it....regrets
Great vid...my Darmah is a 1982 model imported into Australia from US in 2011. Don't ride as much as I should but it is something I'll never be able to buy again if I sell
Nice to hear that ducati great thanks for the video, from Northern Ireland greatly appreciated,, 😁😁☘️☘️☘️
Thank you Cecil for watching and for your comment. Best wishes, Mike
I know that guy and his bikes! Yeah, the 80mph speedos. My GS750 had one. Thank Elizabeth Dole Sec of transportation for that stupidity. We were told there was no reason to have it read any higher because you should have no reason to go faster. I’ve never ridden the Darmah (which sounds awesome!), but I’ve been lucky to try the ST3 and it is a fantastic sport tourer.
Thank you Bob for the info! I think they used to say that about horses ;) Best wishes, Mike
Thanks for sharing Mike, thanks to Geoff for taking us out for the ride.
Alway enjoyable to try something different, well done guys.
atvb t ..
Glad you enjoyed it Terry. It was a fantastic experience. Hope all is well. Best wishes, Mike
Man, you get to ride some beautiful bikes and that is a quite engine for a bevel drive desmo motor.
When the Desmo V twins arrived in the early 70's I was about 12 years old, I saw one in a local dealer Noel Orr's Belfast around that time and spent my time licking the glass window.
Who would want to look at those new-fangled colour TV things when there was a Ducati 750SS and a Moto Guzzi V7Sport 750s side by side both with clip on's, rear sets, long tanks, seat humps and disc brakes red with rust in a shop window to drool over, though an infinite number of paper rounds required to buy one. It took 60 paper rounds to buy my badly abused 3-year-old SS50 with loads of work needed but it had the SS moniker.
Many aspire to be president or prime minister, my only aspiration was to own one of these two. I did get to own variations of both.
I couldn't afford MCN or MCW to see what they had to say about them though got a crafty peak in the newsagents before getting thrown out to deliver papers, this happened on a weekly basis, Wednesday I think.
I wanted to know what Desmo was and nobody could tell me so I wrote to Fabio Taglioni at Ducati. I did get a reply but it was in broken English and Italian with some drawings or should I say sketches. Did he send the reply? I don't know but his name was printed at the bottom of the letter with a squiggle under it.
Was I any the wiser? NO! Not until a few years later.
Great vids Mike, Oh and I think you went well to the 7000rpm, but revs are what that engine was all about.
Thanks a lot for your great note! I really enjoyed reading it! What a fantastic story about your letter to Ducati! That is amazing. Best wishes, Mike
Good choice of music. 👌 That bike has a nice strong sound to it.
Thanks Scott ✌️ It was a joy to ride!
It was sometime in the late seventies that all bikes and cars had to have speedometers that read no more than 80mph.
I don’t thimble it lasted long, maybe two years. I have an American Guzzi California T3 that has an 80mph speedo.
That Ducati is wonderful by the way!
Thank you John! And you have a very cool bike! Cheers, Mike
I NEARLY BOUGHT A DUCATI 900 DARMAH MOTORCYCLE IN 1979. THEY COST AUSTRALIAN $4,500.00. BACK THEN. I DECIDED TO BUY A SUZUKI GS1000S.N. MOTORCYCLE (1979 MODEL) BRAND NEW FOR AUSTRALIAN $3,000.00. INSTEAD. I LOVED THE DUCATI 900 DARMAH, AND THE MOTO GUZZI 850 LE MANS MOTORCYCLE AS WELL. ARGUABLY THE 2 BEST LOOKING SPORTS BIKES OF THE 1970'S. EVEN THOUGH I AM ITALIAN I KNOW I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION 40 YEARS AGO, AS THE SUZUKI GS1000S.N MOTORCYCLE WAS ONE OF THE BEST ALL ROUND MOTORCYCLES EVER MADE, AND IT WAS IN MY OPINION, JUST AS GOOD LOOKING.
Beautiful Bike, the Darmah! I'm the proud (first!) owner of a Mike-Hailwood-Replica from1983, the last kickstart-model. All the best for all Ducatisti from Allgäu/Germany.
Oh my gosh, really! That must be incredible to have the Mike Hailwood replica. I saw one once in a collection! Best wishes to you Hans-Ulrich! Cheers, Mike
@@TheMightyGarage Thank You so much!
I had the same bike, same colour-scheme (the best one ) . I had SS heads and the bigger carbs, it was a lot of bike . The 750 GT I sold to get it, was the one I should have kept though , it just fit me better and was more relaxed to ride . Both beautiful machines though, ....and that 900 will do more than 110 !
Thanks a lot for your note, Dave. You had some really cool bikes. It was a pleasure riding Geoff's Darmah! Best wishes, Mike
What could be better than riding those bikes in paradise? It sure is beautiful looking country.
ducati bring them back !
I never really appreciated how great they were until I rode this Darmah! Cheers, Mike
mine used to like to cruise at I40 Kph-sold it in the late 805 . On a quiet night you can still hear me kicking myself.,.
J'
😊😊
Eccezionale, wow Darmah ST3 and Thruxton 900 first time viewing of channel looks great Grazie
Thank you for stopping by Dave and thanks for your comment. Best wishes, Mike
I had one of these in the 80s. When waiting at traffic light etc, the bike would bob up and down with the movement of the pistons, telump, telump, telump, telump. Then, when green, open the throttle, and that lovely Ducati sound. The bike, however, was not very reliable.
LUCKY YOU
I had to watch twice!!
Hehe, glad you liked it Larry ;) best wishes, Mike
It was hard to tell which was the tachometer or speedometer!
Conti pipes, twin discs and great handling - a little temperamental just so you didn't take it for granted.
Thank you Andrew! I loved it! Cheers, Mike
There’s a man with smile on his face, eh Mike 😀
All the best, have a good week 👍
Hehe, thanks a lot David. It was so much fun to ride, I didn't want to get off (as you could probably tell) 😀
It would be great to meet you guys one day...I'm a kiwi living in Seattle riding an 1100 Moto Guzzi Griso but wish I still had my Commando as well
You would be most welcome to visit if ever you are down this way! Cheers, Mike
wow the sound ! love the bike
Thank you Marc. Glad you liked the vid. Cheers, Mike
Lucky you! Nice ride out, you have to "manhandle" these a bit on the bends but very steady bikes, thanks for your videos.
Thank you Simon, I know what you mean. It took a little bit more work to ride it, but it was worth it! Thanks very much for your comments. Best wishes, Mike
Love those bikes. 👍🇦🇺
Thank you Craig. It was a fantastic ride! Cheers, Mike
Lucky man
I owned a red one. Magnificent bike, until the front wheel collapsed. Campagnolo had an issue with hairline fractures with some rims. I got my money back, but not the bike.
I owned a 900 SS in 1979/80. Just loved the exhaust sound from that bloody great V twin engine. Also, it was very quick for its time. I agree with one of your contributors about it not being very 'flickable' probable the geometry and longish wheelbase had something to do with it. However, on anything but the tightest of bends it handle like the thoroughbred it was ....... long sweeping bends it was on rails. One thing though, because of the torque curve it was very easy to get lazy and sloppy with changing down allowing the engine to chugger lug ....big mistake... better to always let the engine rev freely. Chuggy Lugging ruined these engines...
Mike I am a little bit jelous, great bike the Ducati.
Beautiful,prefer the ss' though bro's.
I'm available any time to ride people's Ducatis needing exercise, and I promise to always remain "comfortable."
Hehe, that is very kind of you to offer Jim! He could anyone refuse!!😀
Where did you guys do this ride? I thought it was in the UK until I noticed you're on the other side of the road
Hi Matt, we live close to Portland, Oregon in the Pacific Northwest. I agree, it does seem similar to England in some ways. Best wishes, Mike
@@TheMightyGarage Okay, thanks mate. Have thoughts time to time to sell the Duke but she's so sexy to look at and handles so well. Will appreciate in price I hope. Cheers mate, bring out some more Darmah vids pleaee
Nice one true mates stay safe
Thanks, you too Ian! Best wishes, Mike
Great video Mike. Big question is which did you like the most?
Without a doubt it was the Darmah, Paul. It was fantastic! The ST3 was incredible but I just loved the Darmah.
Nice I have one the same year does it have a front fairing mount on frame and rear set mounted too
Wow, Hope to own 1 before I can't ride anymore. Bitchin👍
Thanks James, that was an awesome ride.. as you probably could tell, I didn't want to get off 😎 best wishes, Mike
I have an ST4 from 2000: it pulls like a tractor, it always starts. Excellent quality of materials and finish - considering the owner before kept it in the street winter and summer....
The fairing seems to be designed to send all possible air on your shoulders and helmet, instead of deviating it above. I am 1.80 m and this is definitely too tall for the bike, My back is forced in an unnatural configuration.
Everyone looks at the bike, including the owners of the latest Scramblers.
I have other 4 bikes but I will not sell this one
Thank you Fabio! Yes, that ST3 was really fast. I thought I would do a quick overtake when Geoff was on the Darmah and glanced down at the clock and it just hit 91 mph! Best wishes, Mike
I nearly bought one of these in 1979. There was a big hoo hah about the first Ducati having Japanese switchgear and clocks. At that time they had as bad a rep as Brit bikes for unreliable electrics, and inconsistent build quality.
My choice was this Ducati, new,
Triumph T140E, new
S/H ironhead 1000 Sportster,
Or a new Kawasaki Z1000 with a Dutch plate on it, so much cheaper than anywhere else for some reason.
In the end i chose the Triumph.
Still got it today....
Brilliant, thanks a lot for sharing Michael. Cheers, Mike
Normally Jimi Hendrix & Stevie Ray Vaughns' version of ''Third Stone From The Sun'' ranks full bore on these headphones. Darmah's the close 2nd. -DU69160
Hehe, I know what you mean! Best wishes, Mike
very nice Mike 😜👍
Glad you like it, Mick! Cheers, Mike
Mate, haven't started my 1983 Darmah in two and a half years...do you think she'll be alright to start? What should I do before starting? thanks bro
Hi Matt, I'm not too familiar with the Ducati's, but my initial thoughts would be to first check the engine oil level and to check that your battery is good. With our Norton Commandos, they wet sump if left for a while (actually in days/weeks!). I'm not sure if this also occurs for the DUCATI's, but it would be worth checking. You might also squirt a little oil into the barrels through the spark plug holes and physically kick the bike over gently several times (without the ignition on) to make sure that it turns over ok and gets the oil circulating a little bit before the restart. Good luck Matt, they are fantastic bikes! Cheers, Mike
What's with the speedo - is that a safety feature?
Eh up! What was the bike at the end?
Haha! Thanks, that's my 2014 Triumph Thruxton. It sounds a little beefier as it has the British Customs Predator exhausts fitted. Cheers! Mike
I thought it odd that the speedo only went up to 80 MPH, perhaps it has a moped speedo on it.
Government mandated speedo during the horrible 70s. 85mph was all they could display because the speed limit was only 55mph. classic-car-history.com/85-mph-speedo.htm
@@swooshdave : A typical government knee jerk reaction, we are going through a similar thing here in Europe now.
I think it was good intentions to help reduce fuel consumption but the reality was it was the Federal Government dictating through coercion what the states could do. It’s easy to assume this country is controlled by the Feds but the reality is that it’s a balance. And sometimes a precarious one!
Thanks Chris. It did seem very odd! Cheers, Mike
What if Ducati took its 1100 Scrambler motor and made a Darmah of it?
theres enough power there you dont need to wind it up eh Nice
They wind up freely! Mine does easily.
Thanks very much J. Yes it felt like there was much more than what I gave it. I tried to be respectful given that it's an older bike, but it felt brand new! Cheers, Mike
Is Geoff a former Ozzie or a new zealander in Canada?
Hi, yes Geoff is an Ozzie 😉 and he's kind enough to hang out with a Brit 😀
@@TheMightyGarage There is nothing wrong with Brits, and there is nothing wrong with Canadians, its the Americans we all have to worry about 😁🤣😂😆😀
Another amazing video for feels and sound. Loving the horny L twin. I guess that settles it; I'm going to get the Yamaha XSR700.
Joli bruit des pots Conti
Merci Denis!
Not your normal speed Mike playing catch up ha ha 👍
Haha, yes, I wasn't flogging it but I must say I was going for it to catch up with Geoff on his rocket ship!! It was effortless on the ST3! When I was riding the ST3, I thought I would just overtake him so that I could video him riding by on the Darmah. I pulled back on the throttle, just a little I thought, and I looked down and saw that the speedo touch 91!
Along with the 55 mph National speed limit, the 85 mph speedometers were mandated by the Federal government for an excruciatingly long time. Thank God that is just a bad memory, now. I always find it amusing, though, when I here folks think that whatever the speedo shows is how fast the bike/car will go. ;-)
Thanks a lot! I hadn't heard this until now. Best wishes, Mike
@@TheMightyGarage By the way.I demoed a Darmah 900 at Harry's Motors in Denver back in about '82-83. I loved it. I also rode the SS which I didn't like as much. I talked myself out of the brand new Darmah, but I did purchase an 860 Ducati and rode it for several years. If I could just go back in time....
Certainly the right colour scheme aye?
Yes, I completely agree! It's a fantastic Bike. Thanks a lot for your comment. Best wishes, Mike
Damah means tiger in that funny language Italian, sounds better on a Trump,yeah nah yeah nah
...lol goodo
I moved on up to one of these back in the day, after having a 160 Monza & 250/350 Desmo's. Went on to own several more Ducati's but for certain the Darmah was an absolute pig of a Ducati...probably the worse bike of the many I've gone through over 50+ years.
Mine was brilliant
Is your mate Geoff or Jeff a Kiwi
Neither. But you’re close!
Hi, Geoff is Australian ;) Cheers, Mike
Wow. When will your Latin affair begin, Mike?
As soon as he got on that bike. It magically enabled him to speak Italian.
È così vero Dave! Fino ad allora, conoscevo solo poche parole, come "per favore, posso avere la lista dei vini"! Il Darmah ha suscitato una passione latina nel profondo;)
One of the worst built bikes ever but they handled great and looked pretty it took a kiwi in Australia to build real parts that lasted although I’m sure others upgraded them .ducati is a very disappointing brand when it comes to quality but the old saying is true when you take a corner on the wrong line in the wrong gear at the wrong speed you will be glad you are on a Ducati
to be honest its dreadful has no style at all my early seventies 750ss imola full alloy dressed, hub steered buit by difazio 1 only ever built was unique sold it for 1,400 quid