1977 Ducati Darmah, 864cc. Registration number TYU 609S. Fra...

Estimate

£8,000 - £10,000

1977 Ducati Darmah, 864cc. Registration number TYU 609S. Frame number DM 860 SS * 900404, DGM 13715 UM. Engine number 900584 DM860.
In 1976 Tartarini did a makeover on the 860GT creating the Ducati Darmah SD900 design. The original Ducati 860 GT model was available simultaneously until 1979. The new Ducati 900 Sport Desmo ‘Darmah’ or 900SD was introduced in 1977 and continued production until 1982. The Darmah is regarded as the better sporty touring bike of the two and for all of those that have wondered what the "Darmah" was named after it is a fictional Italian cartoon tiger.

When you look back at the Darmah production period, there was not a huge variation in models and by the end of 1982 motorcycle sales had started to drop forcing aggressive clearance pricing in 1983. It has been reported that during the closing year with Ducati focusing on bringing the Pantah to market that some of the last 1982 models produced showed signs of being parts bins specials. There was a SSD model introduced in 1977, basically the same bike as the SD, adding a half faring and off set clip-ons, it wasn't well received and ended production in 1980.
TYU's known history goes back some way to 1993 with Adrian Dawson of Pocklington, he rebuilt the bike with powder coating the frame, a repaint in green, new electrics and an engine rebuild by John Baines of Baines Racing from Silverstone. At this time it had a sidecar on it. He sold it to long term owner, Antony Franklin of Scunthorpe in 1994. After him Richard Gibala owned it from 2017 and our vendor bought it in May 2021.
The MOT history can be traced back to 1994 at 21,452 miles, continuously until at 24,132 miles in 2007 when it was taken off the road. Twenty years later it was recommissioned and MOT'd at 24,149 miles. Today the mileage is 25,392 miles, only some 4,000 since the rebuild.
Sold with the V5C, a V5, the aforementioned MOT history and various paperwork. The bike was ridden to the saleroom and is ready to be ridden home and used; it presents very well.