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Modified 1993 Ducati 888 SPO heads to auction with race-spec upgrades
A 1993 Ducati 888 SPO, raced before being bought by the current seller in 2005, is offered with an Öhlins FGRT fork, rebuilt Desmoquattro engine and a range of race-spec parts.
By George Kensington · 4 min read
A 1993 Ducati 888 SPO has been offered for sale with a long list of race-oriented modifications, having been raced before the current seller bought it in 2005. The motorcycle is presented as a complete package, with rebuild records, spare parts and a workshop manual included alongside a clean Oregon title in the seller's name.
The 888 SPO was a US-market version of Ducati's 888 built to meet AMA Superbike homologation requirements. This example carries fully faired bodywork designed by Pierre Terblanche, finished in red with white monoposto racing decals and silver graphics over a silver-painted steel trellis frame. The headlight section of the fairing and the clear double-bubble windscreen are replacements. Other equipment includes a Corbin solo seat, fairing-mounted mirrors, integrated front turn signals, carbon-fibre huggers, billet rear-set foot controls and aluminium heel guards. A photograph in the gallery shows four holes drilled into the monoposto tail section by a previous owner.
The chassis has been substantially revised. Adjustable Öhlins suspension includes a TiN-treated Road & Track inverted fork and a remote-reservoir monoshock linked by progressive linkage to a box-section aluminium swingarm, with spring rates set for a 220-pound rider. The front end also uses a custom billet triple tree with adjustable rake. Braking comes from gold-finished four-piston Brembo calipers over 320mm front discs and a two-piston caliper on a 245mm rear rotor. The wheels are black-finished 17-inch alloys shod with 120/70 front and 180/55 rear Michelin Power RS tyres.
The 888cc liquid-cooled Desmoquattro L-twin has been extensively reworked. An overhaul in 2006 was carried out by former Fast by Ferracci technician Bardsley Donovan, with assistance from the late Mike Velasco, who rebuilt the bottom end. The engine now features high-compression pistons, Carrillo connecting rods and oversized valves in the rebuilt cylinder heads. The seller reports dynamometer results of 113 horsepower and 74 lb-ft of torque. Fuel is delivered by Weber-Marelli electronic injection through a pair of 50mm throttle bodies, and the ECU is said to have been reflashed by Eraldo Ferracci, founder of Fast by Ferracci and an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee. The exhaust is a stainless-steel Fast by Ferracci full system with unequal-length headpipes and carbon-fibre slip-on silencers. Power passes through a hydraulically actuated dry clutch and a six-speed gearbox. The timing belts were last replaced in 2010.
The bike has been off the road for much of the past decade. The seller says it has not been ridden since the FGRT fork was fitted and that the sprag clutch sticks intermittently. The five-digit odometer shows roughly 13,000 miles, of which about 1,200 were covered by the current owner. The speedometer is listed as inoperative because a change in front wheel bearing size was made when the front end was replaced; a replacement speedometer gear and cable are included with the sale. The instrument cluster holds a Veglia Borletti speedometer reading to 160 mph, a tachometer with a 10,000-rpm redline and a coolant temperature gauge.
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