The Ducati SuperSport S is probably sporty enough for you
If you wanted a Monster with a fairing, here’s your bike
I’m sitting at the computer on a Monday morning wearing pyjamas and a freebie Ducati t-shirt. It is red (natch) and has an illustration of a motorcycle racer with his knee down, mid-corner. I have only recently had a too-short 102km run on the latest SuperSport S and I find myself confused. What is my opinion on a less-hardcore sportbike made for the road rather than the track? Do I want much more, or impossibly more capability than I can handle? Will I ever buy another t-shirt or USB drive in my lifetime?
For a very long time, road-racing motorcycles have represented the pinnacle of two-wheeler technology, and acted as “halo” products for manufacturers. The hope — valid for a time — was that the racing credentials of their teams and replica paint schemes on almost-there road bikes would rub off on their lesser offerings, which would bring in volume sales. For those of you who remember Aerosmith before Armageddon, you will remember the glory days of 600cc sport bikes that were updated every two years and perennially locked in a battle for supremacy across glossy mags that you imported or paid rent money for. That seems very long ago indeed, today.
All but a few bike makers have exited that hot market. We are told that it doesn’t even exist anymore. The 1000cc missiles continue to develop and are taking massive leaps forward in electronics, but it’s not the sort of madness that we saw in decades past. Post-MTV kids are driving and riding less and taking more Ubers and Instagrams. Riding “big” motorcycles is almost entirely a leisure pursuit and photo opportunity. The Ducati SuperSport is a motorcycle who’s time, then, has come. But I’m not sure what I feel about it.
Who’s it for?
If the preceding 300-word rant didn’t spell it out for you, shut that Facebook tab and pay attention. Sportbikes have become very hardcore and very technologically advanced. They need to be, to keep any semblance of control beyond 250kmph. But physics doesn’t march on with technology. Physics has decided to stick to it’s guns. So the bikes have to change. They have to get lighter, slimmer and more powerful to go faster. And with every gram lost and horsepower gained, comes some form of compromise.
Take for instance Ducati’s own Panigale 959. It’s impossibly small and lightweight and looks spectacular, until you swing a leg over, put your paws around the grips and realisation dawns: Danny Glover was right. You’re too old for this shit. As incredible as I am told this motorcycle is around Chang International Circuit, the very same witnesses have nearly fallen faint simply transporting it in the sun. The tremendous strain of a crouched riding position, hot engine and blazing sun can take a toll on anyone.
Do you need to put your chest on the tank to have fun on a motorcycle? Ducati would like to think not, and the SuperSport series is their answer as proof. It shares much of it’s looks with the Panigale, but none of its ergonomics. It has the power and practicality of the Monster series with the flash of a plastic fairing. It’s the sort of bike more enthusiastic ladies and gents would call a “Panigale for uncles”, right before smearing themselves across an armco. I’ve prepared a handy flowchart for readers conflicted between these two bikes.
In reality, the SuperSport is a bike for people who actually like riding on the street, get from place to place and have a nice time doing it.
Parts bin hero
I will earn no brownie points from Ducati (or future free t-shirts) for saying this, but the SuperSport is an amalgamation of three different motorcycles extant in Ducati’s lineup. It’s not something they deny, and it does not define the bike. But the fact is that this is a Monster-derived trellis frame housing a Hypermotard 939 (937cc) motor wearing a very Panigale-esque fairing up front.
Specifications are middle of the road. The motor generates 110hp and 93Nm, is mated to a single-sided swing arm and adjustable suspension. The electronics package appears borrowed over from the Hyper/Monster line with 3 ABS levels, 8 traction control levels and a basic LCD console. No colour TFT, IMU or cornering ABS here. Tyres are the newish Pirelli Diablo Rosso III and the handlebars sit on risers rather than being clipped onto the fork legs. Everything about this bike screams “road sport”, to quote a Ducati official.
The result is a sorted motorcycle that goes better than it looks. That’s not to say that it isn’t pretty. It’s just that I think the visual harmony of a pure sport bike is lost when you stuff a naked into a plastic shell. There are some very nice touches, such as the rivet-free fairing (all bolts are mounted on brackets inside the shell). The one-piece seat comes with an optional (standard on the S) seat cowl that makes it look like you didn’t have to ask anyone before you spent compact SUV money on a motorcycle.
The S model we rode was blessed with gold Ohlins forks and shock, both adjustable. The rear shock does have knobs to adjust what I assume are compression and rebound damping, but they’re a little hard to reach. Best to set up properly before a long ride with a pillion, instead of on the road. It’s worth noting that the passenger grab rails are, in fact, an optional accessory, so you’ll have to spend a bit more to make this a proper sport tourer.
Rounding off the trick bits is a quick shifter that works for up- and downshifts. Beyond 80kmph, it works as advertised.
Go
We had an unfortunately short ride on a minty-fresh SuperSport S along the KMP expressway in Delhi — a road that has you entirely perpendicular to the road surface the entire way. It was a rainy morning and the bike was quite cold when we got it, and it is evident that it needs to warm up properly to give it’s best. The new 937cc motor seems to have a bit more vibration than the previous 821 motor, which was quite smooth for an L-twin. It sounds okay on the stand, but is a let-down for the rider on the go. I suspect you’ll want the available Akrapovic exhaust for this bike.
Unlike the ‘motard, however, the SuperSport S has a deliberately smoother power delivery. Like most Ducatis without variable valve timing, it still doesn’t like to be lugged at low speeds, but smooths out at higher revs. The throttle is very well tamed. We tried both touring and sport modes, and the throttle was nothing like the ‘motard even in sport mode. This is very clearly a motorcycle designed for less drama. I sort of like a bit of drama, but your mileage may vary.
While 110hp/93Nm doesn’t sound like a great deal, the strong midrange and decent top-end makes this bike quite fast indeed. It will get up to 200kmph rather quickly, and only start slowing north of there. As long as the motor stays above 3000rpm, you’re free of shudder and there’s plenty of torque to get you in and out of trouble.
The combination of the smooth throttle and top-shelf suspension is a bike that takes anything in its stride. Just out of the Gurgaon dealership, the road surface is entirely cratered. The SuperSport S did not complain in the slightest, and lends full confidence to the rider, even when you have to pick lines through watery potholes of indeterminate depth. The Diablo Rosso III tyres also did not squirm once through our ride, on any surface.
The SuperSport shines on the highway. A stand-out feature is the wind protection. The two-position adjustable windscreen definitely does the job, as does the fairing. Despite considerable rain, we ended up less wet than we anticipated. The Ohlins suspension feels understandably firm, but the sophistication is evident. The bike is rock-solid at elevated speeds. Braking is nice and friendly, and does’t take any adjusting-to. It’s certainly many steps up from their cheaper stuff, but is again middle of the road compared to the top-shelf M50s Ducati’s sportier bikes have. I can live with this.
Ergonomics are spot-on for someone my size (I’m 5’9”, 63kg). There’s little weight on the wrists, a slightly sporty stance, and the legs are comfortably placed on the pegs — neither too high nor too far back. I’d imagine no problems doing 500km days for the occasional tourer as long as the road surface is okay.
But…
I enjoyed the SuperSport S, but it does not grab me by the collar and demand to be taken home. And I see this as a trend among bikes going forward. Technology and consumer trends are encouraging bike makers to be more broad-based, and this bike is certainly designed to appeal to as many people as possible. But in that endeavour, I think it will fall short. A bit like LCD screens literally pale in comparison to LEDs in the store, but that doesn’t mean they’re worse.
The SuperSport — to my mind — is a push product, and will not sell itself beyond the usual novelty rush. It is a motorcycle for the more mature rider, and one that needs to be experienced for some period to appreciate. A typical short blast around the block is not going to cut it for this motorcycle. Thankfully, Ducati dealers tend to be an enthusiastic lot, so you’re likely to be able to get a long-ish go on one of their Sunday rides. And I encourage anyone intrigued by the bike to give it a chance. My last two motorcycles were underwhelming out of the dealership, but grew on me quite quickly. The SuperSport will do the same.
The elephant in the room is the price. The SuperSport costs ₹12,08,000 while the S costs ₹13,39,000. Being fully-imported motorcycles, they’ll attract 20% RTO taxes in many states. In Maharastra, that puts them above 15 and 17 lac rupees, respectively. At these prices, there are many other motorcycles available that have just as much brand cachet, if not legend. You could get a Suzuki Hayabusa for that price, or a Kawasaki Ninja 1000 with much more tech for far less.
I usually expect the more expensive variants of motorcycles to sell better, and this has been the case with Ducati. But in this case, I believe the cheaper SuperSport is relatively better value. The Marzocchi/Sachs suspension on the cheaper model is also adjustable, and you can always buy the other goodies later. Unless the standard model is way worse to ride (which is unlikely), the Rs 15-odd lac SuperSport is the pick.
