Ducati SuperSport in the driving report

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Ducati SuperSport in the driving report

Entry-level super sports car

The entry into the sporty Ducati world is now again taken over by the Ducati SuperSport. For the first test drive, it was enough rain and thunder for Peter. But in the end the sunshine prevailed.

Ducati SuperSport. What a name! The mental cinema immediately begins to work. Brings up fleeting images of glorious bevel racers. Plus the beautiful two-valve Ducs with a white frame, which made for economic success in the early 1990s. Before the optically controversial SS i.e. in Terblanche design followed, which was last in the model range in 2007. Now, ten years later, closes D.ucati this gap again. Before performance fetishists turn up their noses in view of the key data of 110 hp and 937 cm³ and ask "Can that be something?", It is advisable to look back. In 1994. At that time, the epoch-making 916 came on the scene with that same displacement and 108 hp. As a flawless superbike.

Ducati SuperSport in the driving report

Entry-level super sports car

Rain? No cause for tribulation

The Ducati SuperSport, on the other hand, competes as a moderate country road athlete. And their potential should be more than enough for that. Especially under adverse conditions like now. Just in time for the start of the first test round into the hinterland of Seville, the sky opens its locks. No need for tribulation, because even under such conditions there is a lot to find out about a motorcycle. In this case, first of all, that the SuperSport offers its driver a pleasantly relaxed place. The knees are still moderately folded, the upper body casually upright. The handlebars are pulled up over the fork tubes and towards the driver. The bottom line is that the posture is relaxed. The 937 cm3 twin known from the Multistrada 950 and Hypermotard thirsty for action, nothing like going on.

Video: First impression of the new Ducati SuperSport

Loose handling and relaxed seating position

For its use in the Ducati SuperSport, the V2 got a more stable motor housing and heads. Because here it acts as a supporting element. The frame rudiment is derived from the Monster 1200. With a steering head angle of 66 degrees and only 91 millimeters of caster, its key data are clearly on the sporty side. But it has not become a nervous racing file. And that’s good. The rain dance over the Spanish country lanes does not degenerate into an egg dance. On the one hand, this is thanks to the Pirelli Diablo Rosso 3, which defuses the situation with astonishing wet grip. On the other hand, the SuperSport can be piloted completely stress-free. Predictable, easy handling, relaxed, but not passive seating position. Even though the high handlebars, which are stretched towards the driver, do not allow the intimate proximity to the front wheel to emerge as if on pure heating iron. But you are not so relaxed on them either.

Only 210 kilograms when fully fueled?

On the Ducati SuperSport, which should only weigh 210 kilograms with a full tank, turning corners is also really easy thanks to this seating arrangement. So even wet bends lose their horror. After a few kilometers we are really fast on the road, pulling the cable more and more cheekily at the exit of the curve. Nevertheless, the eight-stage traction control rarely has to intervene. To the grip of the Pirellis. Because the airbox and exhaust system are new, the engine got an adapted engine management. It can be accelerated smoothly from 2,500 rpm. In the top two gears it should be at least 3,000 rpm. The throttle response is smooth. Supported by a powerful center, the Twin pulls out of the corners from 4,000 rpm and then pushes forward evenly with a wide torque plateau. Hectic turning out of the long translated Vauzwo is not necessary for brisk progress. The gears engage cleanly over long shift paths, although not excessively easily. An automatic switch with blipper function is available as an option (214 euros).

The twin from Airbox sounds cheerful

The engine characteristics are good for relaxed, brisk locomotion on country roads. The twin with its airbox and double-barreled exhaust sounds cheerful. Adds a cheeky sizzling to the Concerto in push mode. The brake, which is equipped with high-quality radial brake pumps and calipers from Brembo, grips firmly and easily, the seat cushion has a nice grip and the disc, which can be adjusted 50 mm higher without tools, even offers significant wind protection in the higher position. The range of accessories also has a higher and lower bench seat and a touring screen. The spring elements – a fully adjustable Showa fork and a Sachs shock absorber with adjustable preload and rebound damping – filter long waves out of the road and with sufficient sensitivity over short bumps. Only a scarred little forest road shows the limits of the response of the shock absorber. The Ducati SuperSport satisfies country road sport demands and is almost a sports tourer in the best sense of the word.

Can the Ducati SuperSport also race track?

Afternoon, Circuito Monteblanco. Around ten SuperSport S are standing in the pit lane with wet tires, because: It’s pouring rain again. So the coordination of the fully adjustable Ohlins spring elements remains on the soft side. Nevertheless, the trip to the racetrack will be more enjoyable. Because the Pirelli rain tires dig incredibly tenaciously into the rough asphalt. The braking points are set later and later, the use of gas earlier and earlier. Now the traction control gets more to do, but performs its interventions very gently and always on the safe side. The Ducati SuperSport is allowed to fly around the course more and more freely. Because, thanks to the relaxed sitting position, you can easily grasp it, the seat offers enough space for weight transfer, the performance is not overwhelmed and can easily be brought to the ground, even on wet roads.

V2 more like a puller than a lathe operator

In response without harshness, the V2 pushes strongly out of the corners. Thanks to the straight torque curve, curves can be taken one gear higher and then marched through the rev range from medium revs. Certainly not the slowest method under these conditions. On the circuit, too, it becomes apparent that the V2 is more of a puller than a turner. Although it can be driven up to the limiter at 10,000 rpm without any problems, it does this job rather dispassionately from 9,000 rpm. Nevertheless, at the end of the 960 meter long home straight, the clock shows over 230 km / h. The Brembos are pretty unimpressed by this. Thanks to the standard Quickshifter, downshifting works like upshifting without a clutch, albeit without the ultimate suppleness. Incidentally, the Ducati SuperSport does not offer an adjustable clutch lever. A quiet rear when braking thanks to the anti-hopping clutch.

Welcome back, SuperSport

On the racetrack, sports fans might want slightly lower stubs and thus more proximity to the front wheel and sharpness when turning. But even so, the SuperSport shows that it masters the balancing act between country road sport and a brisk detour on the circuit. Even without extremes. And maybe that’s why it comes across so personable. For those who prefer to enjoy their Ducati SuperSport in an urban environment or on tour, Ducati has an urban package (349 euros, tank bag, alarm system, rubberized pegs) and a touring package (22-liter softbags, touring windshield, heated grips , Price nn) ready. For sporty spicing up, there is a sports package (599 euros, carbon tank cover and front fenders, milled lids of the brake fluid reservoir and folding hand levers). In addition to so many positive things, there is also a downer: 12,990 euros (SuperSport) or 14,590 (red) and 14,790 (white / red) for SuperSport S are not a stick. But apart from that, she cuts a fine figure as an everyday athlete on an enjoyable country road ride as on a detour to the racetrack. Welcome back, SuperSport.

The heirs of the Ducati SuperSport

They were Ducati’s sporty figureheads in the seventies: the SuperSport models with 750 and 900 cubic meters. Back then with a vertical shaft. 1981 their era came to an end. At the end of the eighties, the sonorous name came back to life.

At the end of the eighties, the water-cooled Superbike 851 took over the racing scepter at Ducati. The Ducati SuperSport stepped back into the second tier in the role of the hero for the people. The 750 Sport from 1988 was followed by the 900 SuperSport in 1989. With a Marzocchi fork, sensitive Weber twin carburetors and an even more sensitive Marelli ignition, it quickly had the reputation of a diva. Improvement followed in 1991 thanks to Japanese supplier parts. Showa spring elements, Kokusan ignition and Mikuni carburetors brought the desired reliability. The SuperSport, which was available as a Nuda with half fairing or as a Carenata with full fairing, also looked ravishing. It developed into a best seller. Even if the handling, coordination of the suspension elements and the engine still left room for improvement. With the replacement in 1998 in the form of the 900 SS i.e. consequences. In addition to the injection, the optics designed by Pierre Terblanche were also new. A little supermono, something 916 and the rubber knob on the tank resulted in an idiosyncratic mixture that is slowly gaining more and more friends today.

Technical data Ducati SuperSport

Ducati SuperSport

engine

Water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 90-degree V-engine, two overhead, toothed belt-driven camshafts, four valves per cylinder, desmodromic actuation, wet sump lubrication, injection, 2 x Ø 53 mm, regulated catalytic converter, 490 W alternator, 12 V / 10 battery Ah, mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch (anti-hopping), six-speed gearbox, O-ring chain, secondary ratio 43:15.
Bore x stroke: 94.0 x 67.5 mm
Displacement: 937 cc
Compression ratio: 12.6: 1
Rated capacity: 81.0 kW (110 hp) at 9,000 rpm
Max. Torque: 97 Nm at 6,500 rpm

landing gear

Steel tubular frame, load-bearing motor, upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, single-sided swing arm made of aluminum, spring strut, directly hinged, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping , double disc brake at the front, Ø 320 mm, four-piston -Fixed calipers, rear disc brake, Ø 245 mm, two-piston fixed caliper, traction control, ABS.
Cast aluminum wheels: 3.50 x 17; 5.50 x 17
Tires: 120/70 ZR 17; 180/55 ZR 17

Dimensions + weights

Wheelbase 1478 mm, steering head angle 66.0 degrees, caster 91 mm, spring travel f / r 130/144 mm, seat height 810 mm, dry weight 183 kg, permissible total weight 410 kg, tank capacity / reserve 16.0 / 4.0 liters.
Guarantee: two years
Colors: Red [red, white / red]
Price: 12,990 [red: 14,590; White / red: 14,790] euros
Additional costs: 305 euros

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