The Ducati Supersport is an interesting proposition in the bikemaker’s lineup. It is not as aggressive as the Panigales while still carrying forward Ducati’s legacy of making exciting motorcycles. Ducati has now updated the Supersport for MY2021 and has now renamed it to Supersport 950. The latest faired bikes from the house of Borgo Panigale are all inspired from the Panigale V4. Even the Panigale V2 carries the same design cues from the Panigale V4 and the Supersport 950 has trodden down the same path.
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Apart from cosmetically updating the Supersport 950, Ducati has also made some crucial changes in making the Supersport 950 a better motorcycle than before.
Panigale V4 inspired styling
Like we mentioned before, the Supersport 950’s styling now looks more in line with the Italian marquee’s other faired offerings, courtesy its Panigale V4 inspired styling. The Supersport 950 dons the familiar design elements of the Panigale with its sunken headlights and furrowed ‘brow’ of LED headlights giving it a more aggressive appearance. Another nod to the Panigale V4’s gorgeous styling is found on the side panels in the form of the fairing’s rear edge to give a gill-style appearance. The bellypan too, extends much further back than before to further enclose the power unit. Ducati says these changes don’t just enhance the looks but also control the flow of hot air from the radiator and engine, keeping it away from the rider to improve comfort. That theme of greater comfort continues with a redesigned seat with different padding, a new material for the cover and more longitudinal space for the rider.
Powertrain and updated electronics
Coming to the engine front now, the 937cc Testastretta 11° engine has already been updated to meet the Euro5 norms, because the same engine is found on other Ducatis as well, like the Hypermotard 950 and Multistrada 950. It still makes the same 110hp at 9000rpm and 69lbft at 6500rpm. Ducati has worked thoroughly in the electronics department and the Supersport now gets three riding modes – Sport, Touring and Urban – plus an electronic up and down quickshifter. New aids include a Bosch 6-axis IMU that monitors the bike’s lean angle to ensure confidence-building stability when cornering. It also gets cornering ABS and ‘Ducati Traction Control EVO’ (cornering traction control) and ‘Ducati Wheelie Control EVO’ that also uses the IMU to manage the amount of front-wheel lift under hard acceleration.
New TFT cluster
Another inclusion is the Panigale V2 derived 4.3-inch TFT screen which is a significant upgrade over the unit found on the outgoing model. It also includes Ducati’s ‘DMS’ multimedia system that ties in with smartphones via Bluetooth to give music controls and information on the dash, plus call and message notifications. The Ducati Supersport 950 is available in two variants: As before, the base model uses 43mm Marzocchi forks and a Sachs shock while the higher-spec ‘S’ version features Ohlins kit at both ends. The standard Ducati SuperSport 950 is available in red while the S variant is available in Ducati red and Arctic white silk.
Expect Ducati to bring in the Supersport 950 in India sometime next year, along with the recently unveiled updated models including the Scrambler 800 and the XDiavel range.