David’s 1978 Ducati 900SS

This is a restoration of a long-neglected bike. The owner is David Railton, who older viewers may remember as a top Ducati production racer in the 1970s and 80s.

With that wealth of experience behind him, David knows everything about buying, selling and reviving these bikes. He’d decided that going for full originality was too difficult and too silly. Instead, he went for original engine and running gear, plus uprated electrics.

For anyone who actually wants to ride one of these things on a regular basis, it’s the only sensible option. Aftermarket ignitions make starting much easier. An ElectrexWorld reg rec improves charging. Aprilia handlebar switches mean the lights will actually work instead of blinking. And new wires make sure the whole caboodle will keep doing the right thing.

Once the bike was finished, David rode it over to the shop to show us. He reported a bit of a snag setting up the ignition: what looked like an intermittent spark. After much faff he realized the instructions had the wires for each cylinder the wrong way round. Once they were switched it started perfectly (which is saying something for these bikes).

David plans to ride it for a bit, then sell it for a shade less than the 100% original ones. Someone is going to get a bargain.