Ducati first applied this supersport name to its 900 SS in 1975, when the company launched the new 864 cc bevel-drive twin that would become central to its road and race identity. That original 900 SS era is closely tied to Ducati’s endurance-racing legend, especially Mike Hailwood’s Isle of Man TT victory in 1978 on a 900 SS, a result that helped turn the model into one of the brand’s most celebrated classics. Ducati’s heritage materials note that the original twin-cylinder 900 SS run continued through the mid-1980s, with the first-generation conical-twin supersport family ending in 1984.
The name then returned in a later production period as Ducati revived its sport-oriented twin-cylinder road bikes in the late 1980s and 1990s. In this second era, the Supersport line moved onto a more modern platform and became a cornerstone of Ducati’s accessible performance range. Ducati’s heritage pages also note that by 1998 the 900 Super Sport needed a significant restyle, and Pierre Terblanche’s redesign gave the model a much more modern visual direction.
Because the nameplate has been used across more than one distinct production period, it should be treated as a revived Ducati supersport lineage rather than a single uninterrupted run.