Ducati 900 Superlight servicing
1992 to 1996 · 904cc air and oil-cooled two-valve Desmo V-twin · Greenwich, London
Ray Petty Meccanica services, repairs and restores the Ducati 900 Superlight, all five numbered series from the 1992 Mk I to the 1996 Mk V, at its independent Ducati workshop in Greenwich, London. Mechanically it is a carburettor 900SS, so RPM's work centres on the cam belts, Desmo shims, Mikuni carburettors and dry clutch, while keeping the numbered, carbon-trimmed bike as original as possible.
About the 900 Superlight
The Superlight arrived for 1992, a year after the reworked 900SS, as a single-seat, limited-run version using the same engine, frame and suspension. The Mk I had 17-inch Marvic composite wheels, fully floating cast-iron front discs, carbon fibre mudguards, a vented clutch cover, upswept silencers and a numbered plaque on the top yoke. Ducati planned 500 and built about 900. A new series followed each year, numbered separately: the 1993 Mk II switched to Brembo wheels and stainless steel front discs, the 1995 Mk IV gained an oil temperature gauge and a new screen, and the 1996 Mk V, the last, ran to around 300 bikes. The silver 900SS Final Edition of 1998 was built to much the same specification.
Servicing your 900 Superlight
Under the carbon fibre is the 900SS's 904cc two-valve Desmo twin, with belt-driven cams, twin 38mm Mikuni carburettors, Kokusan electronic ignition and a hydraulically operated dry clutch. Motorrad's used guide to the carburettor 900SS says the belts should not run more than 20,000km and should be renewed on any bike that has been laid up, whatever the mileage, with the tensioner bearings replaced by 40,000km. It also notes that the original exhaust valve guides wore quickly until Ducati improved them in 1993, which is worth checking on a 1992 Mk I. A service includes the opening and closing shims and balancing the two Mikunis. On a numbered bike, RPM keeps the original parts wherever it can and tracks down the hard-to-find ones.
Book your 900 Superlight in
Tell us what it needs, or how long it's been off the road, and we'll take it from there.
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