Sp3s?

BARONROJO

It's said that these bikes existed although they were quite rare and unknown.

Last monday I visited in Argentina a friend of a friend of mine who won the argentinian superbike championship some year ago riding a SP3 imported from FBF in the US.

What grabbed my attention from this particular example was the tacho. It was a conventional Veglia white face tacho with the redline at 11.000. The rest of the bike looks like an original 851 SP3 except for the white wheels. Frame number and engine number seem correct to me but as it was numbered 527 (too late in the series) and it had this "one-off" tacho, I wonder if they don't have something even more special there... To my knowledge the bike has an aluminium tank and, according to the owner, it was not modified in any way apart form Termi spaguetti and track fibers.

This guy is a mechanic and is going to start the restoration of the bike which is in overall good conditions and never crashed, so if thare's something to look as camshafts, etc, any comment would be welcome.

Thank you for any info you may provide.

MarkT

BARONROJO wroteI What grabbed my attention from this particular example was the tacho. It was a conventional Veglia white face tacho with the redline at 11.000. Thank you for any info you may provide.

Sounds like a stock Corse mechanical tacho of that era.

mikesps

BARONROJO wroteFrame number and engine number seem correct to me but as it was numbered 527 (too late in the series)

There were 534 in the series. I have 533 which seems to be a normal SP3.

Mike

Lawson SP3

MarkT wroteSounds like a stock Corse mechanical tacho of that era.

that's what I was thinking. seeing that it came to the States before its current owner got it, there's no reason to believe that tach is what was installed at the factory. Another bike on Ferracci's floor might have needed one and they poached it from the SP3 so they wouldn't have to wait for the replacement. Or, it could have come that way because the factory didn't have a standard one to finish it. That would make it 'special' but, not unicorn SP3S special.

MarkT

Here you go-- picture of a mechanical Corse tacho--this was the run of the mill version used on the RRR. The factory bikes had more precise versions either in a white face or Black face which look like the more common electric tacho's in how the numbers are spaced.

Mr.R

Lawson SP3 wrotethat's what I was thinking. seeing that it came to the States before its current owner got it, there's no reason to believe that tach is what was installed at the factory. Another bike on Ferracci's floor might have needed one and they poached it from the SP3 so they wouldn't have to wait for the replacement. Or, it could have come that way because the factory didn't have a standard one to finish it. That would make it 'special' but, not unicorn SP3S special.

I like that description on the mythical machine. 😁

Steve R

Mr.R

BARONROJO wroteIt's said that these bikes existed although they were quite rare and unknown. Last monday I visited in Argentina a friend of a friend of mine who won the argentinian superbike championship some year ago riding a SP3 imported from FBF in the US. What grabbed my attention from this particular example was the tacho. It was a conventional Veglia white face tacho with the redline at 11.000. The rest of the bike looks like an original 851 SP3 except for the white wheels. Frame number and engine number seem correct to me but as it was numbered 527 (too late in the series) and it had this "one-off" tacho, I wonder if they don't have something even more special there... To my knowledge the bike has an aluminium tank and, according to the owner, it was not modified in any way apart form Termi spaguetti and track fibers. This guy is a mechanic and is going to start the restoration of the bike which is in overall good conditions and never crashed, so if thare's something to look as camshafts, etc, any comment would be welcome. Thank you for any info you may provide.

The SP3 originally had an alloy tank when they were new.
IIRC the earlier Race/Corse bikes had alloy fuel tanks before the advent of carbon tanks, that were 1st fitted to the factory bikes?

Steve R

BARONROJO

Yes, MarkT, that was the tacho!

It could have been great finding an SP3S in such an anonymous place... You should have seen their workshop!

By the way... What made SPS so special? Camshafts, biger valves?

MarkT

BARONROJO wroteYes, MarkT, that was the tacho! It could have been great finding an SP3S in such an anonymous place... You should have seen their workshop! By the way... What made SPS so special? Camshafts, biger valves?

All that and more- basically a detuned '91 Customer Racing motor- of course because of that there were some wear issues when stacking on street miles. Did have other cool things like the Corse radiator, that carbon tank we talked about on another thread, of course the compliment of Ohlins.

I will let the SPS experts give you the real lowdown

scott 888

MarkT wroteAll that and more- basically a detuned '91 Customer Racing motor- of course because of that there were some wear issues when stacking on street miles. Did have other cool things like the Corse radiator, that carbon tank we talked about on another thread, of course the compliment of Ohlins. I will let the SPS experts give you the real lowdown

Come on Mark your half way there, 😁

Scott

scott 888

SP3 s

One of the 16, for sale.

http://www.madeinitalymotorcycles.com/#!Ducati-888-SP3-SPS-Coming-soon/cyvb/56c85f8d0cf24743244aba32