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TEST<br />
Ducati<br />
SuperSport S<br />
ITHOUGHT THE LIMITED<br />
POWER WOULD KILL IT AT<br />
OULTON PARK, BUT IWAS<br />
VERY WRONG...<br />
Even with Mossy aboard, the<br />
SuperSport can get a shift on!<br />
M<br />
yfirst question about<br />
the Duke when I<br />
went to pick it up,<br />
and more to the point my<br />
reaction to the answer, said<br />
plenty. How much power has it<br />
got, Ienquired? Hearing it only<br />
had ameasly 113bhp put me on<br />
aright downer. Heading off to a<br />
faraway Oulton Park, doing laps<br />
of the Cheshire-based circuit and<br />
making it back again suddenly<br />
didn’t sound so rosy. Jinx,<br />
Ducati’s tech chief, spotted my<br />
curling top lip and tried to put<br />
me atease. “Don’t be put off, it’s<br />
areally good bike,” said the man<br />
who has ridden every single new<br />
Ducati for the last 20 years. What<br />
the ’ell does he know, thought I<br />
disrespectfully asIrode off.<br />
Yetjust aminute orsointo the<br />
ride and Ireckoned he might<br />
have apoint. The SuperSport S<br />
model we’d booked feels light<br />
and easy right from the off, but<br />
better still has aproperly punchy<br />
motor. Whenever you wind back<br />
the throttle there’s agood and<br />
healthy response. Whipping<br />
along the unknown back roads<br />
was apiece of cake thanks to<br />
this, and being in the right gear<br />
really didn’t much matter. Ifyou<br />
want more speed, you just give<br />
it more juice. Add some lovely<br />
steering that felt itcould track<br />
the tightest of lines, and an ace<br />
brake/fork combination, and all<br />
felt fine and dandy on the Duke.<br />
There was alot more tolike<br />
about the SuperSport Sin due<br />
course, but even from the early<br />
miles Jinx’s vote on the bike<br />
seemed to have some cred. Gary<br />
and Neil got good comments<br />
from me when they asked what<br />
Ireckoned to it at the first fuel<br />
stop, but there was no way they<br />
were getting the keys!<br />
The funny thing about the<br />
motor though, is that it doesn’t<br />
feel anywhere near as fast as<br />
it obviously is. Sure itpulls<br />
strongly, but so well spread is the<br />
delivery, Iactually thought the<br />
speedo was over-reading for a<br />
while. Bythe time we got tothe<br />
hotel Iwas well impressed by the<br />
bike. It’s not something to rave<br />
about, but more ofadark horse<br />
capable ofsurprising people<br />
–just as it had done me. Even<br />
though it had ticked aload of<br />
boxes during the run up to<br />
Northwich, Istill thought it’d<br />
show its limitations quite early<br />
on track the next day. That<br />
limited power was bound to kill<br />
its pace at Oulton. Again, Iwas<br />
proved wrong. Very wrong.<br />
Even though it doesn’t feel too<br />
potent, and even though Gary on<br />
the KTM pulled afair bit out of<br />
me exiting the chicane, the Duke<br />
is still competitive. Ireckon it’s<br />
the competence of the overall<br />
package it has that makes it so<br />
effective. The Öhlins suspenders<br />
Not colour, but still excellent...<br />
of this Smodel really are just the<br />
job. Ask the kit to do what you<br />
want, and it just gets on with<br />
doing it. The support, feel and<br />
feedback is all ace, letting you<br />
get the very best from the tyres,<br />
motor and brakes. And though I<br />
used to think quickshifters and<br />
blippers were just agimmick not<br />
that long ago, on this bike the set<br />
up isareal asset to progress.<br />
Gary complained it killed the<br />
motor too often if accidentally<br />
brushed, but when he tucked his<br />
massive plates out ofthe way,<br />
40 JULY <strong>2017</strong> WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
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