This Month's Featured Bike:
Flight Cycles’ SS2R


Well, as it seems to be happening lately, this was another project that started life with more meager goals. As the SS2R emerged from the shadows of its former self, it wanted more. Destiny would see to it that the once docile 620 would transform itself into a fire-breathing 900. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The beginning: I began receiving phone calls and email from my future customer in the autumn of ’05. We began discussing what would be a mild rebuild of his beloved first bike: his ’05 M620. The original plan included increasing displacement to 750cc’s, some high compression pistons, custom paint, a single radial front brake caliper, adjustable suspension, and a single sided arm. Seemed easy enough to me at the time. The bike finally arrived to my shop in February 2006 with not quite 800 miles on the clock. Yes…it still had the reflectors on the forks and had yet to have a tail chop done. It was almost a shame to cut-up such a virgin bike. (ok…not really)

The change: Work began by disassembling the bike to its component bits and removing brackets, tabs, and performing a tail-chop (of course). Not too long into the project, I came into a 2002 SS900i.e. that was to be parted out. So for about the same money (+/- a few bucks), my customer opted for a 900 engine instead. But, as the engine was in need of paint anyways… Why not some drop-in high compression pistons? Heck, since we’re “in there”, why not a Stage II full street port/polish of the heads with a 5-angle valve job? Done and done. Now….NOW we had a power-plant for the project! Not long afterwards, a package arrived at my shop with a bunch of Swedish writing on it. Ohlins R&T forks for the project. I picked up my phone and it went something like this: Customer: “Hello?” Me: “Yeah, Hey…it’s Me. It seems we have some Ohlins forks for the project now…” Customer: “Yeah, I got a good deal on them from Ebay.” Me: “Well, if we’re going with Ohlins up front…we ought to consider an Ohlins shock out back. Whaddya think?” Customer: “Oh. Yeah. Well that makes sense. Go ahead.” Now we had some real suspension for the bike. As it happened with the engine and suspension, it went on like that throughout the rest of the project with the: Marchesini 10-spoke forged aluminum wheels STM 48T 6-ball slipper clutch Alth rotors Cycle-Cat top triple and risers DP rear-sets 4-pad Brembo calipers Moto-Creations custom ‘Boom-Tube’ exhaust system S2R swingarm and lastly (also most work-intensive)….the SS shock conversion.

The crescendo: With all the gold from the Ohlins R&T’s commanding attention up front (and poking out under the frame on the rear shock), I knew that gold would have to be a color on the bike somehow…somewhere. I also knew my customer wanted the twin-line logo from the ‘70s on the tank. Soon, the color scheme took shape: black and gold playing off each other with differing reflectivity throughout. The engine paint is a Cast-Iron finish from VHT. After it dried I was amazed to see that it was in fact the perfect color for this project. The color is as if black and gold had a child and named it deep bronze. Gold powdercoat went onto the pressure plate, and Marchesini wheels while black powdercoat went onto the frame, swingarm, lower triple, headlight hardware, and shock spring. The belt covers, front fender and standard seat cowl (not pictured here) are painted carbon fiber. With all that has been changed on the bike, it’s a shorter list to mention what still remains from his stock ’05 M620: The frame (although much modified) The lower triple The handlebar switch gear The fuel tank (also much modified) The front axle The headlight and headlight bracketry The battery The license plate Assorted nuts and bolts [cheeky]

The wrap-up: Well, how’s it ride? How does it sound? How does that engine run? To sum it all up…the bike IS an animal. The Ohlins perform as you’d expect as this bike has the ride of a Cadillac’s wet-dream. With suspension, you get what you pay for. How does it sound? Well, in order to help comply with state regulations…my customer requested that I baffle down the thunderous ‘Boom Tubes’ some more before it left my shop. I did what I could with that, but it’s still very commanding. No one will ever truthfully say that they didn’t hear this one coming! How does the engine run? Most 900’s grunt-along quickly relying on the prodigious amount of torque to pull through any point on the RPM band. Not this one. Oh no…not this one at all. This engine doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘cruise’. Along certain sections of highway near my shop…well…let’s just say the 101 freeway sign could’ve been the speed-limit sign and I still would’ve gotten a ticket! She’s fast, damn fast. How about those brakes? The combination of the 999 radial master cylinder working the Brembo 4-pad calipers on the Alth rotors is simply amazing. The stopping power is tremendous, but very much controllable and linear. It took longer than we both expected, cost more than we both expected but also came out more…MUCH more than we both expected. My customer is very, very pleased! (My customer asked that his name not be revealed in the write-up, and not to reveal how much money he has invested in this bike.)

SS2R Specs: 2002 SuperSport 900 engine, and wiring harness Ducati Performance 900SS ecu Ferracci 11:1 high-compression pistons Stage II Street port & polish w/5-angle valve-job STM 48T slipper clutch Moto-Creations custom built Boom-Tube exhaust system MotoWheels billet exhaust flanges K&N pod filters Rizoma Zero front signals w/lenses smoked Clear-Alternatives LED tail-light w/integrated signals, lens smoked LED license plate light Custom built under seat plate mount S2R swingarm modified to run a SuperSport shock Marchesini 10-spoke forged aluminum wheels Michelin Pilot Power tires 120/70 & 180/55 Alth front rotors Brembo 4-pad SBK front calipers 999 Radial master cylinders Yoyodyne slave cylinder MotoWheels carbon fiber timing belt covers SpeedyMoto 10-spoke clutch cover Ducati Performance rear-sets Ohlins R&T front forks Ohlins rear shock (from a SuperSport) 13Choppers ‘café racer’ seat cowl MotoWheels billet quick-release fuel cap MotoGadget Classic gauge Rizoma mirrors Cycle-Cat billet top triple, risers and clip-ons S4R carbon fiber front fender Cycle-Cat billet kick-stand

FlightCycles’ would like to thank the following vendors for their assistance & great work: Andrew’s Powdercoating www.powdercoater.com Distinctive Metal Polishing www.dmpolish.com Plateronics Processing (anodizing) (818)341-2191 MotoCreations www.motocreations.com MotoWheels www.motowheels.com Granger’s Classic Auto Body (818) 881-4558 And last but not least, for the great photography: Dennis Crowley can be reached at: dennis.crowley@acmeonline.com

Click here for past featured bikes

This Month's Featured Bike: Flight Cycles’ SS2R

Click here for past featured bikes

This Month's Featured Bike:
Flight Cycles’ SS2R