Ducati
DUCATI
NEW FOR '91
A NEW PASO, A BETTER 851 AND THE RETURN OF A GRAND OLD NAME
DUCATIS AS RAW-EDGED street racers that are high on charisma but low on everyday practicality?
Naw. Well, yeah, maybe. In fact, the all-enclosed Paso 750 was launched in 1986 with the express mission of countering that notion. Conceived as a softer, quieter, more user-friendly motorcycle which might lure customers away from Japanese brands, the Paso’s styling understated the unique appeal of the Italian V-Twin engine it clothed. Hailed for its stylish, non-threatening image, the Paso did the job it was supposed to do. It made desmodromic converts out of customers who might otherwise have confined their shopping list to four-cylinder Japanese bikes. Fora while, the Paso was chic.
But not for long. Because in an effort to lighten throttle-cable pull and make the bike less of a chore to ride, Massimo Bordi, the chief Ducati engineer, fitted the Paso with a cartype, two-barrel Weber carburetor, and this, with its horrific flat spot, turned out to be the Paso’s Achilles heel. Ducati struggled to solve the problem, but never really succeeded. And idiosyncratic handling resulting from the use of 16-inch wheels—this at a time when other manufacturers were rejecting them—was another factor in the Paso’s less-than-anticipated sales numbers.
Replacement two years ago of the 750 engine with a liquid-cooled, twovalve. 904cc desmo motor using the same bottom end as the 851 Superbike resulted in the 906 Paso. But this met with limited success, since it was still endowed with many of the faults of its smaller-engined predecessor, especially the Weber carburetor.
But that was then. For 1991, the Paso has been updated again, and this time the Italians have got it right. Think of the new 907 ie as a Paso that's been sent to finishing school.
The two letters following the 907 designation provide a clue to what may the most significant change incorporated in this new Paso. They stand for “iniezione elettronica.” That’s right, Bordi has hung Weber/ Marelli electronic fuel injection (EFI) onto the 906 Paso’s engine. Why not fit twin Mikuni carbs as on the new 900SS? Because the 907 ie is aimed straight at the American market, and EFI is needed to meet emissions regulations here. Indeed, the first batch of 200 bikes built were destined not for Japan, usually the recipient of the first supplies of each new Ducati model, but the U.S., where the 907 Paso will be homologated and put on sale as soon as possible.
Apart from the installation of EFI, the 907 engine is essentially as fitted to its 906 predecessor. But the rest of the bike has been completely revamped, with the same 17-inch Brembo wheels fitted front and rear as on the 851 sportbike. these shod with Michelin radiais. Though the unlovely looking square-tube chassis remains basically unchanged, the steering geometry has been altered to accommodate the 17-inch hoops, and to offer more stable handling. The old-style Brembo brake system previously fitted has been junked, replaced with more modern components in the form of twin Brembo 12.6-inch floating discs and the latest-spec four-piston calipers. At the rear, the alloy swingarm is now the same as fitted to the 85 1, with racingtype adjusters rather than cam-type ones, while all the odds and ends íike footrest hangers, controls and instruments have largely been retained from the previous model.
The rather bulbous Paso bodywork all tours, rate look, has over. been narrower, which and the That subtly more color gives red restyled streamlined scheme is the bike a darker to a is hue incorpolighter now than conred featured on the 906 Paso. This happens to be the same exact shade of red as employed by Ducati on its 85 l s in road and race form, and by a certain car manufacturer at nearby Maranello for its products.
Perhaps the most obvious change to the Paso 907’s styling is the replacement of the controversial but distinctive “blind" windscreen by a stylized version of a NACA duct. It was Virginio Ferrari, former GP racer and TT FI world champion, and
most recently manager of the nowdefunct Cagiva 500cc GP team, who first modified the screen of his personal Paso roadbike a couple of years ago in this way. The idea was to deflect the airflow over his head at speed, rather than at his helmet visor. Cagiva/Ducati’s head of design, Massimo Tamburini, saw the modification and adopted it on the 907 after tests proved that it worked.
Offered the chance to spend an afternoon in the company of one of the first batch of 907s destined for the U.S., I found, first of all, that the two-valve engine has been transformed by the EFl. and has not a trace of the Weber-derived flat spot. It’ll run as low as 2500 rpm in top without snatching as you pull away, which is just as well, because the light-action dry clutch is rather hard to slip. Without a hiccup in the power delivery up to a near-five-digit redline, and with extra torque provided by softer valve timing and longer stroke compared to the more powerful EFI-equipped 85 I, there has to be a real question mark as to the need for the 907's six-speed gearbox. Such a flexible and torquey engine as this could perfectly well be fitted with a five-speed cluster.
The riding position is more comfortable than before, because you don't end up sliding down the seat to crush precious bodily parts against the tank as was the case with previous Pasos. The bars are quite short, so the rider's hands end up close together in what seems like a Latin version of a BMW Boxer riding stance. The screen duct really works, with the little lip deflecting the airflow upwards so that there’s not so much turbulence around your head as before. But it’s in the hills that the modifications to the Paso chassis come into their own. Getting rid of the I 6-inch wheels is the biggest improvement, and as a result of that change, the Paso 907 ie is much more stable and predictable, especially when braking deep into a turn. The revised bike has become the easy-handling, riderfriendly bike the Paso was always supposed to be.
That’s not to say that the sporting flair endemic in a Ducati has been ironed out: far from it, since the wide wheels, Michelin radiais and potent brakes coupled with really well-balanced steering encourage loads of confidence. Whereas before it was possible to scrape the sides of the bulkier, old-style Paso fairing because of the low ride height of the 16inch wheels, the slimmer bodywork and larger-diameter wheels of the ie give more than adequate ground clearance even in a dedicated onslaught on a mountain pass. The latest-type Marzocchi MIR fork is fitted, which worked well enough over the smooth surfaces I encountered on my ride, though with the stopping
power of the brakes now fitted, it would have been nice to see the uprated level of equipment on the bike maintained by fitting Marzocchi’s new upside-down fork.
My short ride on the 907 left me wishing I'd had more time, which is not a reaction I’ve had to any Paso, a bike which always struck me as being a shameful waste of a perfectly good Ducati engine. The fuel injection and the chassis modifications have resulted in a bike which is a serious contender for the sort of marketplace slot currently occupied by Honda’s superb VFR750F.
Bordi and his development team have transformed a stylish but flawed machine into a terrific motorcycle. It's taken longer than it should have, but the Ducati Paso now is thoroughly sorted out. —Alan Cat heart
