In the 1970s, sport riders were modifying their street bikes with some of what they saw being used on the race track, like clip-on handlebars, rear set foot pegs, and “fast” colors. This was done just as much for the “look”, as for increased performance. In the end, motorcycle haunts of the time were filled with individualism and non-conformity expressed in trend-setting styles and experimentation with performance enhancement. The Café Racer style was born.

The Ducati Sport 1000 captures the bold style of the early bikes. Starting with the traditional monochromatic color themes of yellow, red and black, each bike also has a contrasting racing stripe across the fuel tank and tailpiece. All three colors are complemented with a classic black frame. With a solo seat and clip-ons, the Sport looks low, lean and ready for a ride in the twisties. The clip-ons on the Sport have, however, been raised about 20 millimeters compared to the Paul Smart for a slightly more relaxed position.

The Sport 1000’s suspension features a 43 millimeter upside-down fork by Marzocchi. Suspension by Marzocchi was also the choice on the original 750 Sport Ducati of 1971, and the brushed aluminum forks of the new Sport look as great now as they did back then. Rear suspension is handled by a Sachs single shock, which can be adjusted for pre-load, compression and rebound damping, in conjunction with an elliptical 60 millimeter asymmetrical swingarm.