2017 Ducati Supersport: 7 Things You Didn’t Know

2017 Ducati Supersport: 7 Things You Didn’t Know Motorcycle.com is on the ground at the 2017 Ducati Supersport and Supersport S intro in Seville, Spain, where Troy “Trizzle” Siahaan will get to ride Ducati’s latest creation both on the street and on the Circuito Monteblanco. Expect Troy’s review in a few day’s time, but while you’re waiting, here are seven things you didn’t know about Ducati’s Not-Quite-A-Panigale sporty-bike. 1. Putting the Sport In Sport-Tourer According to Paolo Quattrino, Product Manager for the Supersport, Ducati doesn’t see the Supersport as an entry-level Panigale. Instead, Ducati sees the newest Supersport as one that leans heavily on the sportier end of the sport-touring spectrum. Ducati reasons those who prefer more touring than sport can opt for the Multistrada, but until now the company had no answer for those wanting the inverse. Oddly, Quattrino also notes Ducati does not see the Supersport as a revival of the eponymous model from a decade ago. 2. Focus Groups Like all the major OEMs, Ducati spoke to focus groups both in Italy and in the U.S. (the latter Ducati expects to be the Supersport’s largest market) including one conducted in Anaheim, CA, near the SoCal base of the MO staff. One conclusion derived from the focus groups was discovering the primary buyers for the Supersport are current mid-displacement naked bike owners. In the final design briefing, Quattrino tells us the Supersport speaks to a customer who has never owned a sportbike before. It needed to offer unmistakable sportbike looks, without being too intimidating. 3. Happy Wife, Happy Life Ducati placed a lot of attention on making sure passengers are comfortable. The standard pillion seat is fairly broad (at least as far as sportybikes go) with a decent amount of padding compared to naked bikes or sportbikes. If that’s not enough, Ducati offers an accessory pillion seat with an extra 10mm of cushioning, to go along with the accessory passenger grab handles. 4. Service Intervals It wasn’t long ago Ducati was scorned for its offensively short service intervals, as the desmodromic valves constantly needed adjusting. Those days are a thing of the past. All Ducati models have progressively been getting more and more reliable, with more miles in between trips to the service bay. In the case of the Supersport, Ducati says desmo service intervals are now only needed every 18,000 miles. Oil service intervals? Try 9,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first. 5. How Low Can You Go? I’ve never been at a new model introduction where the manufacturer gave a max lean angle claim. Until now. The Supersport comes standard with Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tires, measuring 120/70-17 front, 180/55-17 rear. With it, Ducati says max lean angle is 48º. 6. A Class Of One… Kinda Because the Supersport is heavy on the sport side of sport-touring, Ducati insists the Supersport is unique in the segment, with no direct competitor. In fact, Quattrino noted Ducati didn’t use any competitor models as benchmarks. However, when pressed to name one motorcycle closest to being a benchmark, the Suzuki GSX-S1000F was mentioned. “But that’s not really a true competitor, since it doesn’t have standard panniers and the passenger area is small,” he said. 7. Superbike Supersport How’s this for cool: Ducati’s accessories catalog for the Supersport includes a full Akropovic exhaust system, made completely from titanium, with its twin silencers placed under the seat, just like Chaz Davies’ WSBK Panigale! ECU mapping to ensure proper air/fuel mixture with the new pipe is included. 2017 Ducati Supersport: 7 Things You Didn’t Know appeared first on Motorcycle.com.
 
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