| Zimbo
900ss V Strada - I too owned a couple of early model 900ss before buying my Strada. Comparing one with the other, the most immediate and noticeable difference has to be the weight. Whereas the SS feels very light, and easy to push around, the Strada needs a fair bit of muscle to move it. Once aboard, the Strada feels somewhat lower and more planted than the SS, and generally more solid in all respects. You sit in the Strada but atop the SS. The SS feels much slimmer too. Riding position doesn't differ too much with regard to reaching the bars or footpegs. Start up and move off, and you find they've both got the same horrible graunchy clutch engagement, but Strada has by far the more snickety gearbox and it doesn't clunk when engaging first. Neutral is found every time on the Strada. (I can only talk from my own experience of course, and I know no two Ducatis are the same!)
Performance? From zero revs the SS has the more immediate response to the gas, and its relative lack of weight can easily be felt. Give either of them too much too soon though, and the SS rattles and snatches its drive chain more than the 888. As the revs rise the 888 begins to feel more responsive, and by about 4000rpm its feeling smoother than, whilst probably pulling as hard as, the SS. Beyond this the 888 pulls progressively harder, and by 5,000rpm its response to a handful of gas is as immediate as the SS. 5,000-9,500rpm the Strada is making more power than the SS, and would be pulling away. (It doesn't tie-up horribly and rattle your feet off the pegs @ 9,000rpm either - although it will if you hang on tooo long!)
Handling? By reason of its extra weight/seemingly better damping, the handling of the Strada is generally more composed than the SS. Hitting a bump mid corner won't throw it around so much, but otherwise there's little difference to the feel/stability. Both bikes follow a line well and are not easily deflected. My own Strada feels almost as slow to steer as my SS was, and has the same limited steering lock. It's very sensitive in this respect to tyre pressures. It is far less sensitive to the wind on motorways than my SS ever was though, and is less upset when carrying a pillion. (Strangely, one of my SS's was absolutely horrible in a side wind, and the other not too bad!!)
Brakes? Those on my own SS were fairly poor to be honest. The front brake lever would pull almost to the bar on hard application. That on my Strada is excellent/responsive/powerful, and can squeal the tyre with two fingers - what else can I say? I know these brakes are supposed to be weak, and some of the other guys here have uprated theirs, but I've ridden/owned a lot of different bikes and none of them were as good! I've an SP fitted with AP Racing equipment & fully floating discs, and it too feels inferior to the Strada's bog-standard item during spirited road use! Could be a diferent story on the track I suppose! Rear brake is rubbish - but was equally as bad on the SS.
Engine lacquer was flaking on both my SS's, but Strada (94 model) seems a lot better finished. This could be a reflection of its pampered life of course, but @ ten years old it looks almost as-new.
I'll post a Strada v SP comparison soon but I'll let someone else answer your '851/888Strada/SP history' query, 'cause I'm getting writer's block! Come on lads, get typing..!
[Edited on 24-9-2004 by weeveetwin]  |