Ducati SuperSport S Review
Bike Tested: Ducati SuperSport S; Road Test No. 911; Test Location: Pune, Mumbai
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 16,89,910/-
The SuperSport S is an easy-going and fun to ride sports-tourer with a sporty package
Life is always full of choices. You could take time off work and go places or you could travel while you’re working. You could eat cereal for breakfast or have that complete European style meal to begin your day. You could go to that one bar and get sloshed with all that the place has to offer or hop clubs and mingle. You could commute everyday in a cage or just fly to work on your motorcycle. You take your motorcycle to the track or just rip it out in the twisties. But what if money could buy you something that you won’t have to compromise with? What if you could literally enjoy the best of both worlds? It’s simple, you go get yourself a Ducati SuperSport.
Motor Quest: The Ducati SuperSport was launched in India in September 2017 while it was actually unveiled at EICMA 2017. The SuperSport S in India comes equipped with better suspension from Öhlins, Ducati Quick Shift and some carbon fiber components. It is Rs. 1.6 lakhs more expensive than the regular SuperSport.
The DRLs are very bright and are eye-catching
Styling – To begin with, the bright red colour of the SuperSport S is enough to create that strong first impression. The front fairing design kind of reminds you of the new Ducati V4, but then that’s how they’re styling all their bikes. The twin 55W headlamps get eyebrow style DRLs on the top, while the RVMs sport the turn indicators. The fairing looks very well assembled in its design and somewhat covers only the front part of the machine. The partly exposed Trellis frame and the engine gives a nice touch to this Ducati.
The SuperSport S is surpirsingly sleek for a liter-class bike
The SuperSport S is subtly styled and carries all the essential Ducati DNA
The Ducati SuperSport S comes with a removable cowl over the pillion seat which takes only about a minute to get it off. The seat resembles a split seat but in reality is a single piece and a good looking one nevertheless. The tail section is also familiar to Ducati’s modern styling and is kept short with a rather long holder for the license plate. The twin exhausts are not the best looking but stay within the subtle overall looks of the motorcycle.
The LCD console looks neat and is well organized
Instrument Cluster and Switchgear – The Ducati SuperSport S has a rather basic looking console. It is completely digital with a monotone LCD display. There are however a lot of features packed into this compact unit. The digital tachometer is seen at the top running from left to right, while speed is displayed right at the centre. Despite a lot of information on offer at any time, the unit looks highly organized and actually pleased my OCD. Jokes aside, the font is neat and not very small to strain your eyes on the go.
The switchgear is basic and easy to get used to
The instrument cluster is not the most advanced but shows lots of information
To get all geeky, let browse a little deeper into the cluster. With the help of navigation arrows on the left switchgear, one can play with the riding modes, toggle information like time, trip meters, current tank range, trip time, average speed, average and current fuel consumption, engine temperature and a fuel gauge below the speedometer. Coming to the most interesting part, not only can you switch the riding modes on this Ducati but you can also customize each mode. Customizations include setting the level of traction control, ABS and the power delivery. You can save each customization with the help of the memory function. Each mode can also be reset to the default settings too. The riding modes can also be switched on the go with just the release of the throttle. The Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) can also be changed in the settings.
Not too aggressive stance makes way for desirable ergos
Ergonomics – The SuperSport S is marketed as an everyday sportbike that can keep its spirit even on the streets. While much of it is true, the SuperSport S feels very ergonomically satisfying. The seating position is neither too aggressive nor too relaxed. You sort of lean forward a bit while the feet don’t feel very strained even after casual city rides. Even out on the highways, a 150 km ride is no big deal on the shoulders and the back. The best thing about the bike is its bulk. The SuperSport actually feels like a quarter-litre bike. It doesn’t feel huge as some litre-class motorcycles do but isn’t too tiny for its displacement too. City crawling isn’t that physically tiring and the bike is relatively easy to fit into gaps.
Not the most powerful this Ducati, but it can surely pull from the start line!
Performance – A 937cc, Testastretta, 11°, L-Twin engine may sound big, but the SuperSport S only makes 110 BHP at 9000 RPM. The motor seems to be tuned only for mid-range performance while the redline kicks in somewhere at around 9500 or 10,000 RPM. Because of this, the gearbox might feel like a short-shifting one, but it is not. The engine is quick to jump to the redline and the DQS helps in clutchless up-shifts. However, I did experience a few false-shifts which turned out to be lack of effort in shifting properly on my behalf. That being said, a little extra effort needs to be put into quick shifting of gears. The DQS also comes enabled with clutchless downshifts which of course only worked in a certain rev-range; not a flaw, but just because of how a gearbox works.
The Testastretta engine is well tuned for low and mid-range torque
The 937cc mill is capable of only 110 BHP of power and 93 Nm of torque
Want to go all out on the Ducati SuperSport S? Well, the 110 BHP motor puts out 93 Nm of torque peaking in at 6500 RPM. The numbers are anything but impressive. We recorded a top speed of 250 km/hr which is where the engine just sort of maxed out and took its own sweet time to get there. The 0-100 km/hr starts were quick though, with the front wheel lifting off a little bit in the first gear, nothing scary. The DQS allowed perfect shifts and the second ton comes up in practically no time. At the same time, this engine is capable of cruising at 50 km/hr even in third gear without any knocking. The gearbox and the engine are indeed very well tuned for urban riding. The three riding modes, that can be fully customizable do not really seem to have much that differentiates them. The touring and the sport mode kind of feel the same to ride with, whereas the urban mode has the same initial grunt but a restricted horsepower setting.
The engine has ample grunt for high speed highway riding
Out on the highways, it’s fun to cruise at 120 km/hr even in fourth gear where the revs are just below 5000 RPM. At these speeds, fuel efficiency is what surprised me. Constant speeds of 100-120 km/hr yield an impressive 23 km/l roughly speaking, which is how much the Yamaha R3 gave us in our tests. In the city, the bike returned figures close to 18 km/l depending on the riding style and the kind of traffic you’re stuck in. To sum it up, the engine isn’t the most exhilarating one you’d experience. However, Ducati seems to have worked on the refinement of their L-Twin engines since this one was much better sounding and the NVH levels were more or less of what could be classified as acceptable.
The SuperSport is extremely easy to ride
Dynamics – Like mentioned earlier, the Ducati SuperSport S has pretty much sports-tourer like ergos. At a kerb weight of 210 kgs, the bike sounds like it is heavy, but once you get riding it, all sort of cancels out. The motorcycle feels really compact for its class and handles like a quarter-litre while riding around town. The not-so-aggressive stance makes it easy to zip around urban highways and it feels quite flickable too. The fully adjustable Öhlins suspension was well set up for a balanced performance.
The dynamics are balanced for regular and sport-touring use
The SuperSport is fun to ride not because of it’s engine but because how it handles
Riding ths SuperSport S on the highway is an absolutely wonderful experience. The windblast is not too much thanks to the easy to use adjustable windshield. Overtakes are easy with the DQS and a strong mid-range. Brakes have a good initial bite but because of lack of petal discs, high-speed braking feels like it could’ve been better. The Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres did well over highway and city roads. One thing distinctive about the bike is the way you feel once you mount on to it. During all the time of testing, not once did I feel that the motorcycle is capable of losing control when it came to handling around corners. Of course, the SuperSport is no superbike, it, however, does possess a lot of character to have fun at a race track. With the SuperSport S package, the motorcycle feels quite track ready for an average rider.
The SuperSport S showcases modern Ducati styling
Verdict – The Ducati SuperSport S is a special kind of machine. It is a not liter-class bike to blow your mind away. It comes packed with a few goodies that makes it a lot more expensive than the regular SuperSport. However, the SuperSport in itself is unlike anything other. With the styling of an all-out sportbike and a character to conquer highways as well as cities, and something that wouldn’t mind doing occasional track days, you’d think that the pricing wouldn’t be something to consider buying it right now. However, at almost Rs. 17 lakhs, it might be worth considering even other options that offer a lot more power for a similar purpose.
The bike looks sleek enough to be mistaken for a quarter-litre machine
What’s Cool
* Relatively refined engine by Ducati
* Easy-going engine is convenient for urban use
* Loaded instrument cluster that looks neat and organized
* Longer service interval of 15,000 kms
* Comfortable ergonomics for sports-touring as well as urban riding
* Impressive fuel efficiency
What’s Not So Cool
* Power at 110 BHP feels a little low for a litre bike
* Limited Ducati service network
* Too expensive for what it offers
The exhaust is quite subtle looking and also blends in well with the bike
Ducati SuperSport S Specifications
* Engine: 937cc 11° Testastretta L-Twin, 4-valves per cylinder, Liquid-Cooled
* Power: 110 BHP @ 9000 RPM
* Torque: 93 Nm @ 6500 RPM
* Transmission: 6-speed with DQS (u/d)
* Top Speed: 250 km/hr (Tested)
* Fuel Consumption: 18 km/l
* Fuel Type: Petrol
* Frame: Tubular Steel Trellis
* Suspension: 48 mm USD Öhlins Fork, fully adjustable, 130 mm travel (Front), Öhlins Monoshock, fully adjustable, 144 mm travel (Rear)
* Tyres: 120/17/ZR17 (Front), 180/55/ZR17 (Rear)
* Brakes: 320 mm Dual Discs, 4-piston semi-floating calliper (Front), 245 mm Disc, twin-piston calliper (Rear)
Ducati SuperSport S Dimensions
* Length x Width x Height (mm): 2070 x 750 x 1150
* Wheelbase: 1478 mm
* Seat Height: 810 mm
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 16-litres
* Kerb weight: 210 kgs
Both the machines here, subtle from the outside, yet only one of them is crude from the inside
Testers’ Note: