1978 Ducati Darmah
I have been riding, fixing, and building Vintage Motorcycles since before they were ‘Vintage’. I love the soul sounds old bikes make… I love the shakes that come up through the seat, foot pegs and handlebars that let you know the motorcycle is alive. And so are you. An old motorcycle may/will, require more attention on your part, but if your willing to put in that time, the payback is well worth it.
Recently I sold off my last ‘really classic’ motorcycle, a 1976 BMW R90S. I still have a small fleet of ‘classic’ Honda 350’s, a Honda Hawk and parts that fit something or another, but unique classics…well, the barn is looking a bit empty.
One of the bikes I sold a while back was my Ducati SD900 Darmah. This was a bike I had lusted after for more than 30 years. A Readers Digest version of the story is I saw one , a new one, in 1981 on a dealership floor in New Mexico. It was the most beautiful motorcycle I had ever seen.
Fast forward to 1995…while picking up a suspension part at a racing friends shop I spotted a Darmah, a black and gold Darmah, (the one I have dreamed about for all those years) sitting off in a corner covered in dust and shop grime. Two days later I was riding it home. The sound and the feel of that Italian twin was better than any drug you can imagine. I rode that beautiful Darmah almost every day. It was featured in a Ducati Museum show at Laguna Seca during the MotoGP race. The Darmah is a really great sport touring type motorcycle of the era.
I sold the Darmah because garage space was getting smaller (too many bikes…wait, you can’t have too many bikes…can you??) and I found another classic I really wanted. Anyway, I really do miss my Ducati.
I found a beauty on ebay today. This 1978 Duck has only 15,000 miles and has been well taken care of. The seller put on a 2 into 1 Conti exhaust and pod filters…the bike has to be breathing a lot better now. This is a sweet bike. The beauty of the SD900 is that it is comfortable, reliable, stable at speed and handles like it is on rails. The Darmah is a wonderful, confidence inspiring motorcycle. For someone looking for a bike that you won’t see coming around every corner, this Darmah would be a great choice. Click on the pics below for more pictures and more info.
Oh and one more thing, if you buy this bike or any other classic Ducati Bevel Head, you’re going to need, want parts…contact my friend Steve Allen @ www.bevelheaven.com Steve is the best guy you will find for classic Ducati parts..and his knowledge in invaluable.
1978 Ducati Darmah