FIRST RIDE: DUCATI 950 SUPERSPORT
For once Bologna put overkill to one side. And it is good…
Ducati have never been backward about treading their own path. Think WSB twins with giant pistons that helped Foggy beat the fours, and 2010’s Multistrada, the Genesis of the sports adventure bike.
They were also first on the modern retro scene with the brilliant Sport Classic range but, as it turned out, they were too early to the party and dropped them.
Ducati were again in danger of being early to the party when, in 2017, the Supersport arrived. Aimed at riders who love their sportsbikes but who were tiring of brutal riding positions and soaring power. Fed by the same liquid-cooled 937cc V-twin you’ll find in the Hypermotard 950 and Multistrada 950, the Supersport is very fast without being a handful and makes all the right Bologna bangs and booms. Its Monster-derived chassis and single-sided swingarm have been developed for stability, neutral steering and road grip, but best of all you can ride it all day and still feel your arms and legs at the end of it. It’s spacious, not too wristy and the screen even has two height settings.
All this has now started making sense to Ducati’s rivals: Aprilia have just rolled out their £10,150, 99bhp RS660 and there are rumours of an Mt-07based R7 to come from Yamaha. Soon. Presumably as a response to this, and four years after it first appeared, the Supersport gets its first update. This here is the top-spec £13,895 S, so you get Öhlins at both ends. The base model, with fully adjustable 43mm Marzocchi forks and Sachs shock, costs £12,295.
Closer inspection reveals ‘950’ on the fairing, which now comes with a new Panigale-inspired face and LEDS, extra vents and a more enclosed bellypan. Euro 5 exhaust and ECU mods assist the planet but claimed power at the crank is 5bhp down to 108bhp (so you’re looking at around 100bhp at the rear wheel) and torque falls from 71.3 lb.ft to 69 lb.ft.
However, don’t get hung up on the numbers. This isn’t a bike that’s trying to write horsepower headlines, but it is a bike that is quick enough to keep up with anything on the road while being easy to control without requiring endless assistance from its new six axis Imu-controlled traction control. Especially as there’s so much grip from its Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres.
The Supersport’s superpower is its ability to cover ground quickly using momentum, rather than brute straight-line force. So, while some might yearn for more power and drama, the way the Ducati carries speed through corners without ever having to slow down much, floating on a bed of Öhlins opulence, is what makes it such a blast.
A more padded seat makes long journeys more relaxing, but you sense its extra squidge beneath your cheeks through corners, which disconcertingly feels like the back tyre moving around at first. Mirrors are still a blur-fest.
Chassis, geometry and M4-32 Brembos are all unchanged (although it now has self-bleeding clutch and brake master cylinders), but then it’s hard to think how they could be improved. The stout 210kg kerb weight figure remains, which makes it a massive 27kg heavier than Aprilia’s new RS660. As a result the Ducati isn’t as playful as the RS, but it is better built and has a more grown up feeling about it. If grown-up is what you want.
You still get three riding modes and now antiwheelie, a quickshifter and autoblipper are standard. All work well. A new colour TFT dash replaces the old LCD and is as multi-functional as a Panigale’s, but it’s only a 4.3 incher which feels stingy when you’re spending at least £12+k. You can see where the rest of your money goes though with luxurious fixtures, fittings and paintwork. Desmo valve checks only arrive every 18,000 miles and over the past four years the Supersport has proved to be mechanically and electronically bombproof.
‘Not as playful as Aprilia’s RS660, but it is better built and has a more grown-up feeling. If grown-up is what you want’