Panigale Size ‘SS'

A first ride in the hills near Seville in southern Spain did much to underscore the Ducati SuperSport’s penchant for commuting and sports-touring as well as going fast. Here is how the bike revealed its attributes.

- Roland Brown

ON MANY SUPER-SPORTS bikes this ride would be getting uncomfortable and annoying by now. I’m on a twisty back-road in the hills near Seville in the south of Spain, and for the last few miles the surface, which was superb for most of the ride, has been more like something suited to an adventure bike launch: bumpy, potholed and made slippery by occasional patches of gravel as well as dampness from recent rain.

This is hardly traditional Ducati country, but the Super Sport is handling the tricky conditions well. Or, at least, its relatively high handlebars and compliant suspension are making this part of the ride much more enjoyable than it would be on plenty of sports machines, while the 937-cc V-twin engine’s flexible response and gentle power delivery, backed up by traction control and ABS, are making the bike improbably easy to ride.

Improbably easy, that is, only if you take one look at the Super Sport’s name and sleek, fully-faired shape, and expect this latest V-twin to be a hardcore, track-focused weapon like its similarly styled Panigale stable-mates. Because this Ducati is subtly different: designed for commuting and sportstouring as well as going fast; and intended as a more versatile and rider friendly entry into the world of Bolognese sports models.

In this respect its Super Sport name, initially slightly confusing, is following a Ducati tradition. Sure, the famous bevel drive 750 and 900 Super Sport of the 1970s were uncompromising street racers. But when the name was revived in the late ’80s it was for the 900 Super Sport: a relatively simple, inexpensive air-cooled V-twin alternative to the eight valve 851. The new Super Sport is much more sophisticated but has a similar role, as a more road-biased and affordable alternative to the 959 and 1299 Panigale.