The Ducati SportClassics are a range of retro-styled motorcycles introduced by Ducati at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show and put on sale in 2005 for the 2006 model year. They were the product of Ducati’s design chief Pierre Terblanche, who said the series started with the Evoluzione MH900e replica of Mike Hailwood’s 1978 Isle of Man TT bike.
Ducati SportClassic at a glance
| Maker | Ducati, Borgo Panigale |
|---|---|
| Shown | Tokyo Motor Show, 2003 |
| On sale | 2005, as 2006 models |
| Designer | Pierre Terblanche |
| Engine | Desmodue 992 cc air-cooled 90° V-twin, two valves, dual spark |
| Frame | steel tubular trellis, shared by the versions |
| Paul Smart | 2006 model year only, 2,000 built worldwide |
| Sport1000 | 2006–2009 model years |
| GT1000 | 2007–2010 model years |
| Sport1000 wheelbase | 1,425 mm |
History of the Ducati SportClassic
From the MH900e
The different variations are based on similar frames and powered by the Desmodue 992 cc air-cooled 90° V-twin, also called the DS9 or 1000 Dual Spark engine. The range grew out of the MH900e tribute to Hailwood, and looked back to the round-case and square-case twins of the 1970s.
Sport1000
The Sport1000 took its inspiration from the 1973 Ducati 750 Sport and the related 750 Imola Desmo, with the look of a classic lightweight single-seat café racer. It used the two-valve 1000 DS engine in a trellis frame with a 1,425 mm wheelbase, three-way adjustable single Sachs rear shock and non-adjustable 43 mm Marzocchi front forks. The wheels were wire-spoke alloy rims with tubed Pirelli Phantom tyres; Borrani was approached but could not supply the volume, so Excel rims were used. Colours were black with a white stripe, red with a white stripe, or amber with a black stripe.
Monoposto and biposto
The 2006 model, the monoposto, had a well-gusseted 60 mm asymmetric swingarm and a single shock, stacked mufflers on the right, low clip-on handlebars and a dry clutch. For 2007 it received taller clip-ons, a wet clutch and the GT1000’s dual-shock swingarm with mufflers on both sides, which made room for passenger footpegs and a removable rear seat cowl over a pillion seat; the name changed to Sport1000 biposto. In 2007 a Sport1000SE was built in a limited run of 100 for the United States only, in the 2006 configuration with black and gold paint recalling the square-case 1980 Ducati 900SS. The biposto was never a limited edition in the usual sense: 697 were built for 2007 and 98 for 2008 because demand was low, not because Ducati capped production.
Sport1000S
The 2007 Sport1000S had the front suspension of the Sport1000 and added a retro-styled fairing like the Paul Smart’s. It could be equipped with Ducati accessory lower fairings for a late-1960s or early-1970s racing look. The 1000S followed the Sport1000’s move to a dual-shock swingarm and wet clutch, though lower handlebars were needed to fit under the fairing.
The Paul Smart Limited Edition
Paul Smart rode the 750 Imola Desmo to victory in 1972, and the 1974 750 SuperSport was based on that bike, with a silver tank and side panels, a green and silver fairing and a green frame. The Paul Smart Limited Edition of 2006 took those colours: multi-adjustable Öhlins suspension front and rear, a fairing, a steering damper, a green frame, silver and blue paint on the tank and side covers and low clip-ons. It was limited to 2,000 examples worldwide.
GT1000
The GT1000 used a similar steel trellis frame and the same 992 cc engine, designed with comfort in mind for sport-touring riders. Its frame differed from the Sport1000’s in the mounting points for twin shocks and side panels. It had touring handlebars on the same non-adjustable 43 mm Marzocchi upside-down forks, twin Sachs shocks adjustable for spring preload on a 60 mm swingarm, and 17-inch chromed steel 36-spoke Excel rims with 4.4 mm spokes and tubed tyres. The front brakes were two Brembo floating calipers with 30 and 32 mm pistons on 320 mm semi-floating discs, and the rear a floating single-piston 34 mm Brembo caliper on a 245 mm disc. In 2010 the film Tron Legacy featured a black 2008 SportClassic 1000 biposto, and the bike became a collector’s item after production had ended.
Design and features
- Retro shapes: 1970s tank, seat and fairing lines around a modern trellis frame.
- Desmodue engine: 992 cc air-cooled two-valve V-twin, the DS9, shared across the range.
- Paul Smart LE: Öhlins suspension, steering damper and the green frame of the Imola racer, 2,000 built.
- Wire wheels: Excel rims with tubed tyres, after Borrani could not supply the volume.
- Tron Legacy: a black 2008 biposto in the film made the range a collector’s item.
Ducati SportClassic versions
- Paul Smart Limited Edition (2006): 2,000 units in Imola colours.
- Sport1000 monoposto (2006): single seat, dry clutch, stacked right-hand mufflers.
- Sport1000 biposto (2007–2009): dual-shock swingarm, wet clutch and a pillion seat.
- Sport1000SE (2007): 100 units for the USA in black and gold.
- Sport1000S (2007–2009): retro fairing and optional lower fairings.
- GT1000 (2007–2010): touring bars, twin shocks and 17-inch wire wheels.
The SportClassic followed the MH900e and looked back to the Ducati 750 GT and the 860 GT. More Ducatis are in the Ducati collection.
Video: Ducati GT 1000
Video by Pedja Zdravkovic on YouTube.
Sources
- Ducati SportClassic, English Wikipedia: range, versions, Paul Smart, GT1000
