The Perfect Full-faired Ducati For India Returns With A Steep Price Tag

Full-faired red hot Italian motorcycles are the stuff dreams are made of. While the Ducati Panigales do their bidding well on the track, they turn out to be quite a handful for many on our roads. Thankfully, Ducati also makes the SuperSport 950, which brings street-friendliness with Ducati’s signature sporty credentials. The 2021 model has just gone on sale in the country. So, here’s what you need to know about it.

What’s The Price? Who Are Its Rivals?
The SuperSport 950 sits below the Panigale V2 in Ducati’s fully faired motorcycle range. The standard version carries a price tag of Rs 13.49 lakh (Rs 1.41 lakh more than BS4), while the S model, with the blingy suspension and a whole lot of bells and whistles, costs a dear Rs 15.49 lakh (Rs 2.10 lakh more than BS4). It also comes in a stunning Arctic White Silk colour, for which you will have to pay Rs 20,000 extra.

The SuperSport 950 is a unique bike, with only the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 SX as its chief rival. You can also take a look at the recently launched Aprilia RS660, which costs an eye-watering Rs 13.39 lakh. Both of these Italian motorcycles are less aggressive sport bikes but the Aprilia is just a 660cc twin-cylinder bike. For the price of the Ducati, you also have the more powerful Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, the Suzuki Hayabusa and the Aprilia Tuono 660.

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How Many Variants Are There?
The SuperSport arrives in two trims: standard and S. The latter is available in two colour options: Ducati Red and Arctic White Silk.

What’s New?
While the original design of the SuperSport did raise an eyebrow or two, the new bike looks more pleasing and synonymous with the latest-gen Panigales. It still has a distinct ‘unibrow’ face, but the split-headlamp look is typical Panigale. The fairing design is sharper, with larger vents to improve engine cooling. The previous model diverted the heat emanating from the engine directly into the rider’s legs, which made it a problem on our busy roads. With this redesign, it should hopefully be better.

The heart remains the same 937cc Testastretta L-twin motor, which despite meeting BS6, continues to put out 110PS and 93Nm. This is the same as the outgoing model. For 2021 though, Ducati has made the bi-directional quickshifter (DQS) a standard on both trims, an aid which was only available on the S model earlier.

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Lastly, the SuperSport now comes equipped with a 4.3-inch colour-TFT screen as standard. However, the Ducati Multimedia System -- Ducati’s smartphone connectivity module -- has to be bought separately. Thanks to the inclusion of a Bosch six-axis IMU, the SuperSport now gets cornering ABS, lean-sensitive traction control, and wheelie control. All three riding modes (Urban, Touring, and Sport) have also been optimised.

There is a small update in the braking system; the SuperSport now has a Brembo front radial master cylinder, which should improve brake feel and performance.

What’s Unchanged?
Underneath the fancy garb, the mechanicals remain the same. On the standard model, you get a 43mm Marzocchi USD fork and a Sachs monoshock, while the advanced S trim gets sophisticated (and golden) Ohlins suspension. All units are fully adjustable.

Its signature 3-spoke Y-shaped alloy wheels come wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Rosso 3 tyres. The 320mm dual rotors on the front wheel are acted upon by Brembo M4.32 calipers with a 245mm disc and a Brembo twin-piston sliding caliper steadying the rear end.

ZigSays
The Ducati SuperSport 950 is a rather underappreciated motorcycle. It isn’t meant to tame the circuits like the Panigales, nor can it go anywhere like the Multistrada. What it does, though, is offer you a slice of both the Panigale and the Multistrada in a package ideal for Indian conditions. Will these updates help the 2021 iteration sell better than before? We certainly hope so. However, the steep asking price is a major deterrent.