Well if someone just replaced the hose they would also have to replace the hose fitting on the head. The standard fitting requires the hose to connect vertically coming up from the bottom. This crazy hose connects to the head horizontally. Seems like a lot of trouble for a hose especially when it's still readily available from Ducati. That said, who knows for sure. Maybe the only way to know for sure is to remove the head and look at it though I am not sure how the II variant head is different.
All I know for sure is that the II variant has a different part # for the head. The cylinder head part # for the 1999 SPS and SPS II is 30120791A and 30120871A respectively. I have been unable to determine what the differences between the two heads are and if there are any other external differences aside from the hose, pipe, and fitment angle.
Could that simply be they had something superseded due to potential fault or other reason? And why would that not carry on through to next variant? Or was the part a race part that was ordered separately as part of a race package? US models always seem to have some quirks in names and parts as emissions etc very different to that in Europe
That hose was for use on the race bikes for 916sps and 996sps running the kylami frame and large airbox. Later 916/996 sps and foggy reps use this frame but not the larger airbox so it was a bit of a farce really to have the deep frame and same old airbox as a standard. Therefore the standard hose behind the trellis fits. The bracket for the coils was also different on the kylami frame, more of a triangle shape to rotate the coil position as it’s fixed on the vee brace. Like always there’s a multi use for everything at Ducati. So the 748R with the kylami frame runs a larger 2 piece airbox due to the overhead shower injectors. Hence the 748r has this hose outside the frame and the different coil bracket. But the 748r has to run this hose because the larger airbox won’t allow the hose to fit inside the frame, the coil brackets are different as mounted on the vee . As usual at Ducati at that era, if it fits the bike use it regardless of model designation.
