'17 VFR v. '17 Ducati SuperSport S (MCN Comparo)

Popped into the local dealership the other day, did not even bother sitting on it or enquiring about it, looked utter crap for two up.

 

I like the SS but dependant on fuel economy that right there might be a problem for a motorcycle in the Sportstourer class, 180 Miles should be thought of as an absolute minimum touring range and those panniers appear a little on the diminutive side.

 

LOL - the good news is that the SuperSport DOES come with a Ducati baseball cap and stereotypical gold chain for around your neck as standard equipment :beguiled: The reason the SuoerSport has such a paltry fuel tank is because Ducati is targeting their new bike at "senior" riders who would like a Panigale but can't lean over and can't hold their bladder for longer than a one hour ride anyway :glee:

 

I have not seen one thing from Ducati, or out of their mouths at Ducati Island in Austin, that indicates their intended use of the bike was sport touring....that is the domain of the Multistrada. This is a supersport bike with more friendly ergo's, premium suspension components, and electronics. Like I said, it is more like the earlier VFR's, which is what the more sport oriented folks of this website have been looking for.

 

If you took the engine and suspention of the KTM 990 Super Duke, and gave it the wind protection and seating position of the '01 VFR, you'd have the Ducati 939 Super Sport.

The name is: Super SPORT.

 

I think KTM makes that, Superduke 1290GT.

 

LOL - too easy NCB :glee: You may want to lay off the Ducati Kool-Aid as it has apparently caused you to go blind - it took me less than 15 sec to spot Ducati's claim of "good touring capability" on their website :beguiled:

 

Fair enough and putting aside that some Magazines are already placing the SS in the Sporty Sportstourer class from my viewpoint the Multistrada is more an " All Rounder " than " Sportstourer ", sure there is some overlap but I prefer the VFRs perfect for me moderate lean forward riding position which the Duc SS seems to mimic....

As for range I regularly ride with guys on GSXR1000s & S1000rrs that have no problem getting 180miles with some reserve left between stops, this minimum distance is required for safe touring some of our backroads though admit I haven't seen the SS Fuel economy so unsure what the Ducatis fast tour range is. Luggage wise if I owned it would opt to reuse my Ventura baggage once they roll out a rack for it so the tiny panniers wouldn't be an issue.

 

I would like to see someone on the SuperSport try to pass smoke4ndmears on his 8th gen - he just posted this vid on the other forum:

 

That makes for a cool video, but this was clearly not the A group. I loved my 8th gen, but it had its limitations. On the street and even on some Canyon roads, it would hold its own, but given equal riders, the weight would tip the scale in favor of the Duc. That said, I still argue the VFR is not nearly as bad as some seem to say, and they hide their weight pretty good. But, again, having recently gone from the 8th gen to a significantly lighter machine with similar HP as the 8th gen, I know I couldn't keep pace with my new bike on the VFR; and that's after only two rides in the canyons vs two years and 14,000 miles on the VFR.

 

I'm guessing though that you also wouldn't be able to keep pace with your new 675R on the SuperSport? Do you agree? I thought smoke4ndmears was riding that 8th gen like a scalded dog in that vid! He only got passed a few times but he always overtook them fairly quickly in the turns.

 

Well considering the Superstore has a 45° lean angle, with a competent rider, trust me, it can do that. I can do that video on my 5th gen.

 

This reviewer likes it enough he seems to want to marry it. The review itself while maybe a little amateurish is good with its pointing out of the Duc's functional details and basic highlights as well as maybe giving a taste of what it's like to ride on the street.

[video=youtube;636XDL2N5Io]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=636XDL2N5Io[/video]

 

First, I'm not trying to take anything away from the rider in the video. His/her skills clearly surpass those of the riders on the more capable machines.

Second, I'm not sure I personally could ride my 675R any faster than I could a SuperSport and here is why: I could ride my VFR near the limit of the machine. On the 675R, I was instantly faster in the canyons, but it was very clear to me that my personal limits were the limiting factor because the bike was capable of far more than I am. Now if the SuperSport is capable of exceeding my personal limits even if not to the same degree as the 675R, I personally probably end up riding each bike at nearly the same pace, because I am the limiting factor.

 

Not to worry... Gator Greg (aka minigator or microgator)very likely has no seat time on a DUC including sitting on one at a dealership. His expertise is limited to tossing up reviews that if anyone took the time to read all of them would have to be on welfare or be a kept boy.. Dude has seat time on his VFR and is World Champ fast guy in a new class of racing called " Subdivision GP", first coined by an old Chinese guy.

 

Thanks ragtop - it would be interesting to see a rider with unlimited skills run all 3 bikes at a track and see what times they get - I'm guessing your 675R would win easily over both the SuperSport and VFR. I've asked smoke for more info about his vid on the other forum - it looked to me like he passed at least one Ducati on his 8th gen :beguiled:

 

Haha - thanks John. I watched the beginning of it and one thing that jumped out at me is how Ducati cheaped out and only gave the bike halogen head lights - hard to believe for a new design coming out of Europe in the year 2017. Even the CBR500R has LED headlights now! Clearly the 8th gen was ahead of the times when it came out in 2014.

The other thing that jumped out at me was how incredibly cheap the Gameboyesque screen looks - looks not much better than what Honda also puts on the 500R. I could see possibly giving up a tach with a real needle in exchange for a big color TFT screen like on the new CBR1000RR (although I would always prefer a traditional tach like on the VFR), but not for that ugly little thing on the SuperSport!

 

Per Sport riding, the Ducati weighs 73 pounds less than a gen 8 VFR. Even if the hp figure quoted for the Ducati is at the crank, which l assume it is, the Ducati still makes more hp. I got the number 73 from subtracting the mfgs wet weight. The Ducati that l rode felt like it was 73 pounds lighter than my gen 5, that l put on a 17 pound diet.

71 lb ft of torque at 6500 rpm for the 939, (again, likely at the crank) So, lets estimate the Ducati to make sixty five lb ft at the rear wheel. 52.3 for the 800, after the vtec kicks in.

Thats a whole lot more Honda to have to move with a lot less torque.

 

We'll, there's no rider with unlimited skills, but if someone like Glen Richards or pick your favorite MotoGP, TT, WSBK, etc rider can't put down better lap times with a 675R than with the Ducati Supersport, I bought the wrong bike. Because that would mean the new Duc is lapping with one of the best 600 class motorcycles to date all while having more relaxed ergonomics. That would be quite a special motorcycle indeed.

 

Agreed. FYI, in italics below is Smoke's response on the other forum to my questions about his vid (I could be wrong but I don't think he's a member here). I loved watching his 8th gen (with a center stand no less!) pass a couple of Panigales on a track and I think it would take a very skilled rider to pass him with a Ducati SuperSport. The performance potential of the 8th gen clearly exceeds anything I could ever do!

I've been riding for about... 28 years? Something like that. Don't be fooled, this was just the Intermediate group. I have a CCS racing license but I'm way back of the pack in a race. There were a few Panigale's in the group (one of them was clearly a fast rider, the other is the one I mix it up with some). Camera was a friends go-pro hero session, and the mount is kind of halfway below the windscreen on the nose. Real nice camera, which I had inadvertently switched to a 4:5 aspect ratio. Centerstand was still on -as long as it doesn't flop around they are ok with it. I do have the QS, and I have it converted to reverse-shift pattern. Slip-on and pair block-off plates are the only other mods.
Riding with properly fast people (AMA racers) has taught me that you can pass anywhere on this track!