Spondon Ducati Restoration

Hi all, have just started work on a Spondon Ducati, that has been left idle for the best part of a decade. Anyways got the old girl fired up today, she sounds sweet, no issues at all. Dumped the old oil, nothing stuck to oil plug and oil screen clean as a whistle. The engine is very clean, impression I get is that it was little used before lay up. The chap I bought it from said it was a 996, which indeed it is, but on closer inspection I wonder if it could be a 996sps engine.

The reason I ask, is that it has two pick ups on alt cover and is running a p8 ecu and dual injectors, which made me think it might be an sps. Hopefully some of you experts here can clarify what engine I have. I did a compression test using a rubber cone, no adapter, and was getting 150psi, slightly less on front cylinder. Any help much appreciated, tried Ducati, but they cant help without a vin.

 

Thanks all for your help, l have some history of the bike, which l am still trying to fill in the blanks. It was originally built by some Austrian chap, using one of the last frames by Steve Wynne. Originally it just had an aircooled motor, infact its had two aircooled motors in its life, before the 996 engine was fitted, and a very neat job they did. Was last on a track in Mugello in 2006. The German firm kamna have apparently worked on it and l was told it was good for 140bhp with the bike weighing in at 160kg, so sounds fun.
My plan is to restore her for road use, so will tear down the bike, check all bearings etc, drop the engine, check shims, rockers, change belts etc. Have only had the bike a few weeks, bought it blind from Germany, which is always a worry, but the quality of the parts and the sps motor show that someone has threw money at it in the pass, just glad its not me.

 

Thanks Steve, your info is much appreciated, as l am not too clued up on the 996 motor.
Ricky, thanks for the pic, always nice to see others and how they have been done.
l found this website which gives some good history of the bikes.

Spondon Ducati Corse Sports Motorcycles Race Bike

 

Have been making steady progess and a few more bits removed.


The slipper clutch is as new, hardly used, though strangely the clutch pushrod had sheared.
The three phase alternator had been connected to a single phase rectifier/regulator, will have a bit of work on the electrics to get her on the road.

Does anyone recognise the make of the radiators; the oil cooler looks like the type they put on monsters etc
but I don't recognise the water radiator. Anyone know of a good oil cooler guard that will fit it?




The bike never came with a sidestand, I threw on an old 900ss stand I had, but its way too short, anyone got suggestions what other stands might be a better fit. I recall that the engine in the spondon is about an inch higher in the frame compared to the ducati frame.

 

Thanks all for your replies, have checked some images on the internet and it looks like the oil cooler is the same as fitted to some 916/996 era bikes, main rad still a mystery but like you say, might have been modified. Dont think 1098 side stand will be long enough, the mh900e stand looks like it might work, still need to do a bit of research, the only other option is to chop a stand in half and lengthen it.

 

Hi Birdie, thanks for that, shows that it can be done. The bracket and stand on the bike is from an old 1993, 900ss that l had in my box of bits, probably wont be using that bracket.