Evening gang, Well, after my thread-of-indecision a few months ago, debating which model I wanted to add to the garage and seeking thoughts from the guys here, I actually decided to go all-in, chopped in some shares that weren't doing that much, and went for 2 bikes, neither of which were the ones I was debating in that other thread. Ain't life funny. The first one was a 999 Bip that was being sold by our very own @Sev . I happened to stray into the For Sale section one evening, messaged Sev and after a good long chat arranged to come across and have a look. Anyway, that's a story for another forum. Well....kind of.... Because that bike was bought in November. I'd deliberately not written that one up just yet, as I only rode it for the first time a couple of weeks ago; the day my neighbour and I came over to collect it was pretty much the start of the utterly crap weather we had before Christmas. So, frustrating that it was to have a new toy sat there waiting to be used, what had also happened was that I'd watched Lusso Veloce's YT video of his original 900 Superlight. And. Absolutely. Fallen. In. Love. It was stunning....deffo top money but it looked pretty much original and so I made the phonecall. Could I afford it? No, not comfortably but with a push and a shove (and as Sev often says) I was willing to "close my eyes" and pick up the phone. Well...I missed out by a day or so. Somebody had struck a part-ex deal with him. By now though, the seed was sowed and the Superlight hunt was on. Firstly a conversation with a vendor seemed to go well, but then no return of phonecalls and the owners undecided if selling or not. Then an FE came onto my radar; looked great in the photos but a whole day travelling to see it revealed that to get it right a few (maybe) hard-to-get parts were needed, and certainly the frame and engine needed repainting. Being a Japanese import also meant unknown history or ownership, and at the price it was up for it was very much a bit of a tatty project bike for non-project money, IMO. Thirdly, another SL being sold way-ooop-north looked a very nice example. To see it would've meant an overnight two day jaunt, but thankfully a non-biking mate of mine lives 10mins away. So, I had the initial photos in the online ad...vendor then sent me another load of photos after speaking to him....all looking good so far, so I asked said pal to go and video call me one lunchtime. And it's a bloody good job I didn't just jump in the car and drive up there!! Each photo taken with the damage just out of shot; cracked fairing, chips out of the tail unit, all sorts of stuff that could be fixed, but would've needed over £1000 of paint work, plus sourcing replica decals....and on top of that, vendor made no effort to "fit a new battery" and start her up despite having 2 days advanced warning (I know from speaking to the prev owner, it wasn't a battery issue. Some professional stalking and seeing the phone number of the prev owner in a photo of the docs proved to be very valuable). Oh dear, another fail. So, Sev had very kindly been the receiver of my ranting along the way, and a massive thanks to him for the counsel he's given, what to look out for, what can be fixed, what's harder to fix, etc. And it was after the third kick-the-cat call that he suggested I could do worse than speak to the current owner of his old Supersport. And this is where it gets tasty! He sold the bike about 8yrs ago, and it was residing in N Wales with one of the guys who runs Moto-R, but although not on the open market, was (casually) for sale. But, where I had been seeking a factory stock Superlight, this was not that. Not by a long stretch. To be fair, my 748R is very close to factory, the 999 Bip is also stock, so why did I want another bike that I daren't tinker with? Why not go the other way and have something hot-rod like? One of my customers is based in the Midlands, which conveniently for me is about half-way to N Wales.....so a combined custy visit and the next day a jaunt over to have a look at the bike, and yep, this was the bike I wanted. Exactly as Sev had described it when he sold it, along with a couple of boxes of some of the original parts. A deal was done over the phone (the owner was out of the country on hols at the time), and a date set to come and collect it, which was a couple of weeks ago. Van hired locally to me, drive up the same day to the Midlands for another meeting, another overnight stay and a very early morning McDonalds breakfast (it's the law) the next day. By 9.05 I was making use of Moto-R's conveniences and sipping a coffee. I think it was coffee, lol. By 9.30 the bike was in the van; I spent longer sitting outside on the phone getting it added to my multi-bike insurance policy, then I was on my way for the 7hr drive darn sarf.....
"Soooo, why the curious thread title, Spence?".... Well, this is the spec of the bike....(I'm sure Sev will dive in and correct if I've forgotten or mis-remembered stuff) 1994 900 Supersport Ducati Superlight tail section Geoff Baines built engine (flowed heads, larger inlet valves, Cosworth high comp pistons, standard bore 904cc), lightweight clutch, ally clutch basket) Flat slide carbs ExactFit (I think) coils & Magnecor leads Open airbox 999 oil cooler Full Termi spaghetti system Ohlins shock Magnesium Marchesini wheels 888 clip-ons Brembo radial mastercylinders (clutch and brake) Cast iron floating discs Underslung rear brake Elliot tacho Added oil temp gauge from SL 888-a-like reservoir mounting on top yokes Sevs custom CF rear sets CF rear hugger CF front mudguard CF open clutch cover And I *think* a smaller rear sprocket as well So here she is!!... And I have to say, I absolute adore her. Well....for starters I've never ever referred to a car or bike as "her" or "she" before. Ever. Maybe that tells you everything? First ride out was a few days after getting back home, with my neighbour Ian who was riding his z900RS. A quick jaunt over to Minnis Bay then Herne Bay. Bit chilly but screw being cold, I wanted to feel what everyone had been speaking so enthusiastically about. Very simply, what a sensory overload. I started riding 22yrs ago, and all the bikes I've had have been F.I....never ridden a carb'd bike. Winding this on a little and I started hearing what I initially thought was a shagged bearing in the belt drivetrain. Quietly cursing (a full service had been done as part of the deal; valve gaps, belts, fluids, battery), I was almost going to spin around and head home. Then realised it was the flat slides chirrupping! After getting over feeling a prat for not realising, it was then completely addictive. And the grunt this thing's got, well, I'm still grinning from ear to ear. The bellowing from under your chin, the pops from the exhaust, ahhh just bliss. My pal on the z900 said he was having to absolutely wring it out to keep up, such is the midrange. It's right what they say, you don't need any more for the road. So, I'm currently on cloud 9. Knowing the full back-story to this bike is a major part of my smittenness, and what Sev put into it when it was his. For example, those wheels and where they were painted (just up the road from me by a classic wheel specialist), and that they're actually painted the same gold as Ferrari used back in the 60's/70's on their Campagnolo's...little anecdotes like that which bring these things to life. For sure there are a few things I want to address; for starters it needs the panels removing a full clean. Secondly the 10yr old tyres need replacing, but apart from that, I can't wait for the summer.
Oh, and just to add....on that long drive home, I popped in to Silverstone. Firstly to see my mate Matt at Fearnsport but then on the way back out to stop in and introduce myself to Mr Baines. Again, just like everyone says, what a lovely guy!! I told him I had something in the back of the van he may be interested in seeing, something he may remember....When I slid the door open, his face lit up, he instantly recognised it as Sevs old bike, then spent a few mins pawing over it and reminiscing. So, very worthwhile taking the detour and saying hello. Funny old world.
Both great bikes, always liked 999’s and strangely becoming more attractive as time passes... I might of missed it but you still have your Scrambler 1100, how you getting on with that ?
Funnily enough, exactly the same thoughts as me with the 999; I absolutely despised it when first launched....but now....almost feel stupid typing it, but with it sitting next to the 748, I kinda prefer it. No, that's like picking your favourite child...can't do it....let's just say it's grown into it's own skin, over the years. Yep still got the Scrambler, that's tucked up in the other garage over the other side of town. I also like that for very different reasons. Easy bike to just hop on and go. The low down torque is surprising, feels far nippier than the headline numbers would suggest (although not pretending its a rival for an M1200 or a 1299, etc), but it does make back-lane riding really good fun punching out of the nadgety corners. Being a new bike it's hard to say I've got an emotional connection to it; I need to do some roadtrips with it and build that memories-bank, but I'm sure that'll happen at some point.
Nice one @Sev I knew you would be smitten with the SS I remember the feeling well I was dizzy with happiness that I named her dizzy
Thanks for the additional info mate, for the life of me I couldn't remember the coils you told me the other day.
That looks pukka!. Geoff Baines sorted out my superlight last year. They are a truly involving and invigorating ride. We need to meet up, I never realised you were near Herne Bay, I'm Sittingbourne. Look forward to seeing and hearing it in the flesh.
Sevs bike! I nearly try to buy it when he had it up for sale years ago, instead I ended up building my own version. A cracking bike you've got there, with some very nice modifications. Was one of the inspirations for me to build this this
Speeny, Would you have a couple photos of the bobbins welded to the swinger as its a mod I'm looking to have done,
Hi @Desmoquattro ! Wow, she looks a stunner, yes very similar. Not seen that swinging arm before (no surprise there, I'm the relative newbie in these parts), but the eccentric adjustment is very cool; is it dimensionally the same as stock? Liking the black frame too....very very nice.
So, a little update on how things are going. Yesterday saw me taking it for a ride over to the lovely Rye harbour in East Sussex, all-in a 120 miles round trip with my neighbour in "close formation". What a bloody cracking ride, the weather was awesome, the roads pretty clean and salt-free (certainly felt a lot less slimey than a few weeks ago on Ride #1). Never once felt underpowered, and felt like I'm really bonding with the old girl. Importantly, she didn't miss a beat. In fact, was messaging Sev last night and saying that I'm absolutely amazed by the fuelling. No coughs or hiccups, started on the button after the mandatory tea/cake break, and I don't think I'll ever get bored of the noise those flat-slides make. A few people have said things along the lines of "yeah they're an acquired taste, take some getting used to", and I have to be honest, I'm scratching my head as to why. Hope I'm not jinxing anything, and maybe they're referring to the higher maintenance that they'll inevitably need? Roll on spring/summer!
The swingarm is exactly the same dimensions as the original. And a lot stronger. As for the flatslides, you have to remember they are racing carbs, so they can be temperamental and hard to set up right. If yours are running well then great, mine need a fettle as they are a pig to start at the moment, hut once warm are awesome
