The Ducati 800SS, introduced in 2003, is the smaller capacity, higher revving version of that year's air-cooled Ducati SuperSport

Ducati SuperSport

The Ducati SuperSport and SS are names applied to a series of Pantah based air-cooled four stroke desmodromic 2-valve 90-degree V-Twin motorcycles manufactured from 1988 onwards. A limited edition SuperSport called the SuperLight was sold in 1992. The name harked back to the round case 1973 Ducati...

 (SS) model range.

The 800SS is a popular base for production racing in the USA where it competes against motorcycles such as the Suzuki SV650

Suzuki SV650

The SV650 and variants are street motorcycles manufactured since 1999 for the international market by the Suzuki Motor Corporation, featuring a mid-sized V-twin engine and medium performance components...

. It is also eligible for racing in the UK in the Minitwins series with a variety of clubs such as Bemsee/MRO, North Gloucester Road Racing Club (NGRRC), and the North East Motorcycle Racing Club (NEMCRC).

History

In 2003 a new fuel-injected desmodromic

Desmodromic valve

A desmodromic valve is a reciprocating engine valve that is positively closed by a cam and leverage system, rather than by a more conventional spring...

 L-twin, 88 mm x 66 mm, 803 cc engine, and a new six-speed gearbox were offered in the Supersport 800. There were two versions available: the 800 Supersport and the 800 Sport. The Supersport featured a high specification chassis whilst the Sport was a lower cost version with a less well-specified chassis. Both used the same engine and came in with either a full fairing or half-fairing.
The two-valve per cylinder engine produced 74.5 hp @ 8250 rpm, and 70 N·m (7.1 kgf·m) @ 6250 rpm.

Earlier 2003-2004 Supersport models had a high-specification chassis featuring fully adjustable Showa

Showa Corporation

is a manufacturer of high-performance automotive, motorcycle and outboard suspension systems based in Gyoda, Saitama in Japan.Founded in October 1938 in Japan's drive to develop its military capability in preparation for World War II, Showa supplied aircraft suspension and landing systems to...

 front forks and a fully adjustable Sachs shock absorber. From 2004 onwards Ducati reduced the level of chassis specification to that of the Sport (which was subsequently dropped from the range some time later). The alloy swinging arm was replaced with a steel item; the five-spoke Marchesini wheels were replaced by three-spoke wheels by Brembo

Brembo

Brembo S.p.A. is a manufacturer of automotive brake systems, especially for high-performance cars and motorcycles. It was established in Bergamo, Italy in 1961. Soon after the company was formed, it specialised in disc brakes, which were exclusively imported from the United Kingdom at the time...

; the front forks were replaced by non-adjustable Marzocchi items; the Brembo Goldline clutch and brake master cylinder were replaced with lower specification items as found on many lower capacity Ducati Monsters.

From 2006 the 800SS was no longer imported into the UK although it was still available in the USA in limited numbers in 2007.

Specifications

The 800SS shares many of the chassis components with the 620S, 750SSie, 900SSie and 1000SS — indeed, it is possible to interchange almost anything between these models, except for the exhaust header system on the 1000ss, which is unique to that model. A useful and worthwhile upgrade for the later and lower specified bikes is to fit 1000SS forks, wheels and shock absorber to bring the bike up to 1000SS specification.

• Manufacturer Ducati
• Model Year 2004
• Model Supersport 800
• Engine L twin, 2 desmodromic valve per cylinder, air-cooled
• Displacement 803 cc
• Bore x Stroke 88x66 mm
• Compression Ratio 10.3:1
• Torque 70 N·m (52 ft·lbf) @ 6250 rpm
• Fuel System Marelli electronic fuel injection, 45 mm throttle body
• Exhaust 2 aluminum mufflers
• Power 74.5 hp (55.5 kW) @ 8250 rpm
• Fuel Injection, 45 mm throttle body
• Transmission Gearbox 6 speed
• Clutch Wet multiplate with hydraulic control
• Final Drive Chain:
• Front sprocket 15
• Rear sprocket 39
• Frame Tubular steel trellis
• Wheelbase 55.3 inches (1,404.6 mm)
• Seat Height 32.1 inches (815.3 mm)
• Dry Weight 406 pounds (184.2 kg)
• Fuel Capacity 4.2 gal. (including 1 gal. reserve) (16 L, 4 L reserve)
• Suspension Front: Marzocchi 43 mm upside-down fork, 4.7 in (120 mm) travel
• Rear: Progressive cantilever linkage with fully adjustable Sachs monoshoshock. Steel swingarm. 5.4 in (137 mm) travel
• Brakes
• Front: 2 x 320 mm semi-floating discs, fixed 4-piston calipers
• Rear: 245 mm disc, 2-piston caliper
• Tires
• Front: 120/70 ZR 17
• Rear: 170/60 ZR 17