Intensive test Ducati SuperSport S

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Intensive test Ducati SuperSport S
Rossen Gargolov

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Intensive test Ducati SuperSport S

Ducati SuperSport S in the intensive test
Compact, light and a wonderful sports tourer

Appearance, sound, Italian flair for drama: the Ducati SuperSport S delivers what a Duc has to deliver. Because it is compact and light, it is also a wonderful sports tourer. But above all, this Ducati is doing a lot to dispel old prejudices.


Johannes Muller

01/02/2021

The complete intensive test of the Ducati SuperSport S is available for download in a detailed description as a PDF.

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Prejudices – they make the world so beautifully simple. There is supposed to be a glimmer of truth in everyone. In our intact little world of pleasure-oriented motorcycle locomotion, the mother of all prejudices says: Italian motorcycles require a willingness to suffer. They are inconvenient, impractical, unreliable, priceless. At worst, everything. Part of folklore: the italophile overlooks these shortcomings because he is in love and consequently blind. Italian motorcycles are not for sober, reasoned people who are looking for a functional, uncomplicated vehicle for all situations. No, they are for the heart, for the stomach – and for the wedding vegetables.

SuperSport S with Quickshifter and Ohlins

With which we would have made a precision landing with Ducati’s SuperSport series. Because, contrary to what the name and the dashing shell might suggest, the Ducati SuperSport, which incidentally rolls here as an S version with Quickshifter and Ohlins, is a real sports tourer. We remind you: Sports tourers were definitely rational motorcycles that tried to bring sports and touring under one roof as comprehensively as possible. And that continued to enjoy popularity until the SUV-ization of the motorcycle world took its course and today only travel enduros of the five-hundredweight-plus brand are for sale for around 20 million. We digress.

Exactly. Sports tourer, with reason and utility, also everyday. This Ducati certainly doesn’t whistle “emozione”, but also wants to be a functional, uncomplicated vehicle for all situations. And so the old prejudice – inconvenient, impractical and so on – refute. Will it succeed??


Intensive test Ducati SuperSport S


Rossen Gargolov

I am 1.73 meters and the Ducati SuperSport fits me like a tailor-made glove. From around one eighty things get cozy, then tight.

The Ducati fits like a glove at 1.73 m

There are a few arguments for this. First of all: handlebar stubs – rather, handlebar halves, on pretty arms – at a tolerable, even comfortable height, nicely cranked. Knee closure narrow and intimate, resting in a sporty but not torturous position, the finely padded seat hollow at a moderate height: I measure 1.73 meters, and the Ducati SuperSport fits me like a tailor-made glove. Of course, the larger the ergonomic triangle tends to become more constricting; From around one eighty it gets cozy, then tight, the pillion seat is good for little more than”just take someone with you”. This is a solo motorcycle for Italian-proportioned people – sorry, prejudice – and that’s okay. Anyone whose need for comfort excludes everything below a Gold Wing will not be happy here. Everyone else finds an elegantly balanced compromise: sit up in the morning, sportily gathered all day, but safely stroll across the country, rob, wipe, whet, or whatever your own taste demands, dismount in the evening. All bones are in place, nothing is deaf. Tippitoppi!

Wiping and sharpening, jottwehdeh, a dream with the SuperSport S anyway. Before we get to everyday life, how you could go to work with this Duc without much fanfare, or to the outdoor pool or wherever you go, the driving experience itself stands. Because that is the absolute strength of this motorcycle, its pound. This pound is defined centrally by light sense.

Turn in very loosely from the hip

A SuperSport S with a standard trim ex works weighs 217 kilograms with a full 16-liter tank. The Shido lithium battery that we tried out as part of this intensive test and found it to be good saves around three kilos with a feather-light 980 grams. The gorgeous Ilmberger carbon, also tried out (front fenders, muffler covers and short license plate holder), only saves marginal weight, but weighs heavily in the respect department at the Treff, like the finest Rizoma LED bling-bling, by the way.

Whether it is 214, 213 or even 211 kilos without a passenger peg at the end, plays a subordinate role, because a Ducati SuperSport S always results in recklessness. For comparison: the VFR 800 weighs 245 kilograms, 254 kilograms for an R 1250 RS, which is of course in the league above. This glaring difference is always there. The well-trained wiriness results in an extremely pleasant, graceful, sinewy basic handling. Turning in: very relaxed from the hip, assiduously, but without hectic, obedient, linear and free of surprises. Curve course: stable leaning feeling, plenty of room for corrections, no standing over waves. At the exit: keeping the radius tight under tension, finally with a good amount of lard on the sandwich at the start. Schniekes, experienced driving behavior, high entertainment value.

Measured 109 PS and 91 Nm

To stick with the start: Ducati’s famously good 937-cubic L-Zwei adds a good deal of driving pleasure, which with measured 109 hp, 91 Newton meters of torque – and a lot of it in the lower middle – comes very close to the ideal of the country road unit . Should you be spoiled for performance and turn up your nose – there is no reason to do so, the SuperSport is running splendidly. Word of honor. Take a look at the test bench diagram (see PDF for download): a mountain ridge as if painted, free of even the slightest sag or break-in – was not always the case with Testastretta engines – with the maximum torque in the upper center. Meat where it belongs for a motorcycle of this type, revving pleasure, plus a firm baritone. The sound is voluminous, full, almost subtle. This is what a Ducati sports tourer should sound like.

One of the best V2 currently on the market

This motor vigor was not inhibited with a miserably long gear ratio, put into the light chassis, garnished with clean, precise throttle response through all driving modes – it was by no means always like that – and, zack, a bundle of joy from a country road engine is ready. You don’t have to be a blind Italo fan with love to recognize the 950 Desmo Twin as one of the best V2 currently on the market, possibly even as the best V2 in realistic performance regions at all. As a driving machine, the Ducati SuperSport S is pure enjoyment.


Intensive test Ducati SuperSport S


Rossen Gargolov

Case: Sufficient space, quick expansion with a zipper, snaps firmly into place on the holder, lockability, flawless processing. And they are light.

“Now say how about the tour?”, one asks freely about Goethe: We already had the ergonomics. If the Ducati SuperSport suits you, you can also go on holiday with it – alone. Then luggage has to go: Ducati kindly delivered an S with a touring package, which, in addition to (good!) Heated handles and a tinted windshield (which we swapped directly for a black, higher MRA screen), contains a side case and the required carrier frame. The cost of the package: a hefty 1,328 euros (only case: 1,119 euros). Not a bargain, and the case carrier itself puts a strain on our aesthetic sensibility. But when the suitcases – rather sturdy softbags – are on, you don’t see him. Above all, as can be seen below, these fit very elegantly into the overall picture. Their function is actually really good: sufficient space, quick expansion with a zipper, secure locking on the holder, lockability, flawless processing. And they are light. So the expensive Ducati luggage system is not a bad choice. Best of all, because it is attached with just six screws, it can be removed quickly.

More flexible, even lighter, but above all considerably cheaper – 130 euros! – And thanks to a variable concept for most needs, a medium-sized rear bag like the ION M from SW-Motech would be sufficient, which can also be securely and easily attached to the pillion seat thanks to useful factory lashing loops. How much luggage does it have to be? That remains a question of personal preference; a lot is possible with the Ducati SuperSport S..

Acceptable range

What would otherwise be important on tour: The windshield is already in order with the standard, easily height-adjustable windshield. The black MRA accessory pane with a high deflector improves this even further, and also blends in well with the look – its all-round edge protection, however, should be a little tighter. Here we would tend to the original part. Range? When picking all the flowers up to 300 kilometers, when driving faster, especially on the motorway (where the Ducati SuperSport S arrows bolt-stable at high speeds and with a lot of luggage), the twin allows itself more, goes between 220 and 240 kilometers on reserve. Still acceptable, but we would also take two liters more in the tank. Important: As far as the comfort on the chassis side is concerned, it is definitely worthwhile to adapt the successful, but generally moderately tight, factory set-up to your own preferences. We found noticeably more suspension comfort without spoiling the handling. The adjustment range of the Ohlins goods is wide, the response is creamy anyway. So the bottom line is a passable performance for touring as well. So far, so reason.

So in everyday life, where the conceptual design as a sporty light tourer – or as a comfortably made sports motorcycle – also works with restrictions. In short, you can do everything with the Ducati SuperSport S that you can do with a simple naked bike, just a little more stooped, with a little more front wheel cover. The moderate weight and compact dimensions bring advantages in rush hour traffic, when maneuvering, when parking. The downside: The blood of the engine is too warm for low-speed jerking in the city. Under 3,000 tours there is little to get apart from resentment. The clutch also requires careful attention, especially when the engine oil is cold, and generally a firm left. You can live with it, this Bella is not a diva. But definitely not an NC 750 either.

Ducati SuperSport S at the Hockenheimring

Then suddenly it’s Sunday at the Hockenheimring, and we squeeze the sixth through the parabolic steroids: the LC display reports 244, 245, 246 kilometers per hour, whose somewhat simple appearance doesn’t bother us at the moment. Because the braking point on turn 6, the hairpin, needs to be hit exactly. In the iron, right down to the second – excellent braking stability, the ABS cuts a fine figure on the sharpest of the three levels, even on track days. It’s scorching hot – over 40 degrees, the asphalt shimmers – the brake components get through the heat torture out of the box lap after lap without falling and with really official deceleration. Now do it with a bit of taste: there is a feeling for the front wheel, a basic transparency that is ready to provide information. The lean angle – we circle on the same road tires on which we tiled to the track in the morning – is enough. Soft, but as early as possible, accelerate: On the lower of the eight levels, traction control does not take away any fun or propulsion, but gives us the good feeling of still helping in the worst case. Your control behavior is sensitive.


Intensive test Ducati SuperSport S


Markus Jahn

SuperSport and Pirelli Rosso III can have fun on the country road, everyday life and even the occasional trackday.

Sure, when it comes to punch, the Ducati SuperSport can’t get past any standard 600 series. Not the crux of the matter: We are doing race training on the same motorcycle that we might have come back with yesterday from vacation, that had a license plate two hours ago and now there is a rearview mirror. And not picking your nose, hanging, choking, boiling brakes, but playfully. Track beginners can easily take their first steps with a standard SuperSport S. Yes, you don’t even necessarily have to put on other tires, the broadband Pirelli Rosso III, a choice that fits like a fist on the eye, can not only have fun on the country road (a lot of grip, stability), everyday life (can also be driven cold, short warm-up phase, reliable with Wetness) – but, just like the motorcycle, even the occasional trackday. Well, Spaniards with first names Marc or Maverick, not the target group, need something hotter on the ring than a good road sports tire. But we have proven what had to be proven: the chassis softened again, license plates on, air pressure up, bag on the rear and quickly on the move home.

Criticism of the gearbox and quickshifter

Certainly there is something worthy of criticism. Ducati’s transmission shifts precisely, but dry to hard. The Quickshifter only works satisfactorily – if it has not been paralyzed by installing an accessory clutch lever. Hasty shift feet find an idle where no one belongs. Chain maintenance without a main stand? Annoying, a work stand is an almost compulsory investment. The cockpit of the Ducati SuperSport S, which, as indicated, may not quite match the price tag in its simplicity, has neither a 12-volt connection (USB under the seat) nor a really good place to mount the navigation system. The absence of a lean angle sensor system can also be mentioned, whereby it should be emphasized again that the conventional driving aids work very cleanly. After all, a hand wheel for adjusting the spring base would really make sense.

These minor weaknesses add up somewhere, but that doesn’t change the findings: Conceptually, the Ducati SuperSport hits the bull’s eye. There is nothing uncomfortable or impractical about this Italian woman, nor is there any reason to assume unreliability. Only a final look at the price tag, from 15,000 euros for an S model, shows that a certain ability to endure of a financial nature remains a prerequisite. At least this prejudice remains with us.

Conclusion

You should bring two things with you: a compact size and a healthy ignorance of the fact that this motorcycle with nominal “only” 110 hp costs 15,000 euros. In return you get: a wonderful engine that can do everything except jerking. An extremely broadband, thoroughly comfortable, active motorbike that is simply fun in every situation. Fine components, sound, drama and of course one of the most radiant names in business. A great concept, the Ducati sports tourer. By the way: If you don’t care about the occasional trackday, you won’t fare much worse with the cheaper base.

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