Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/795513
2017 DUCATI SUPERSPORT AND SUPERSPORT S FIRST TEST P90 will see you cut the igni- tion without selecting your desired gear. The quickshift is a little touchy but as long as you make your shifts with authority you'll never miss a gear. You've got eight stages of traction control with the SuperSport, and combined with the road compound Pirelli Diablo Rosso III rub- ber you'll start seeing the yellow TC light flickering on the dash pretty quickly in any- thing from level three up. The TC cut itself is smooth—it still allows you to drive forward under pow- er—but you can tell the system is holding you and the bike back. Lowering the TC level gives a bit more control back to the rider, and when I found myself in level one, the SuperSport was a sheer joy to ride with a bit more mechanical feedback coming from a rear Pirelli allowed to do its thing rather than being held on the electronic bungee-cord. As for the chassis, the Super- Sport S is an absolute peach. The 48mm Ohlins fork and shock do a superb job of keep- ing everything in line and provid- ing good braking and accelera- comfortable. The engine's 113 horsepower is ideally suited to the kind of riding most of us do—there's plenty to keep you interested, but it's not scare-you-stiff levels of go, like something you'd get from a Panigale. After three sessions in Sport mode on the track it surprised me more than anything to realize I spent the majority of the road ride in Touring mode. The slightly softer power delivery gave me a somewhat easier time, especial- ly in some of the really tight vil- lages we cruised through. That's not to say Sport isn't okay for the road, it's just that the Touring throttle map is that little bit more enjoyable. The base model's Marzoc- chi forks and Sachs shock at no point had me wanting the extra bling of gold Ohlins on the road. The action from the less expensive suspension is no less impressive on the street, sim- ply because the slightly more compliant settings made for a smoother ride that what I'd get from the stiffer Ohlins. I'm sure I'd trade the Marzocchi's for Ohlins in a second once I got to "There's no power or torque difference between the standard model and the S, but there is in terms of suspension." (L-R) Excellent seat alleviates a lot of pressure off your lower back. Like your SuperSport S like Chaz's race bike? You can have it by purchasing the Sport Pack. tion support. Midcorner through Monteblaco's flat-out right-hand turn five saw the S solid as a rock, equally as good as the dead-stop left of turn 15. The Brembo M4.32 brakes are exceptionally good, with plenty of power and feel. It's a similar story with the ABS system as it is with the TC in that dialing the system back somewhat al- lowed for more mechanical feel at the lever and thus a bit more power, which was useful at the end of the 150-mph straight! Switching to the base model for the road component however really highlighted the strong points of the SuperSport. This is where the bike is at its most