I'm presently on my third Supersport a 2001 900SS. I'm sorry to see that Ducati has decided to drop the Supersport from their lineup. I know their thinking, but the Sport Classics are not my cup of tea and I think the styling on the Hypermotard is ugly. Just wondering how many of you Supersport owners would like to see a new SS with the 1100DS motor and refreshed styling and a price of around $10000?. Maybe the market is to competitive (R1, GSX etc.) But I think that Ducati has given up on producing a fully faired air cooled large displacement twin. I know we get the 800 SS here in America and the price is right. But I'm disappointed that they dropped the 1000 from the lineup. Thoughts and comments!!!
Whilst i agree i DO NOT need 120+ Bhp on the road (my 86bhp's serve me well) its about being competetive in the market place too. they already have an 1100cc bike. If it is to tempt people away from I4 600cc it will need some punch. Besides, my 900 gets plenty of punishment on the road, but it isn't used there exclusively. it also sees the track, as would a NEW SuperSport. and more go would be a benefit there too. Basically i want to see a magazine test with the NEW ssie kicking 600 arse on the road, track and remaining attractively priced. Aside from all that it depends where you ride, how you ride and who you are.
I'd definitely want to see the Supersport remain in the lineup, even if it got updated a bit. Would be cool to see stuff like a single-sided swingarm (or put a revised 2-side swingarm w/ spool mounts on it) and the Marchesini forged alloys make their way onto the SS, along with radial master cylinders and calipers, and an exhaust system with more cornering clearance, make the tank plastic like the 1098 (lighter!!), change the bodywork so it can be entirely removed via Dzus fasteners, and incorporate some of the other positive changes/design philosophy that has brought us the 1098... and if they could get the weight down further it'd be an even sweeter bike.
Nice of them to keep the 800ss, but the specs aren't nearly as good as the 1000, from the suspension, to the engine, etc.
I'm with Redduc, Sport Classics don't do it for me, Multistrada looks like crap, not big on the whole motard thing, and I really dig the simplicity and reliability of the air-cooled 2v motor in a fully-faired sportbike format.
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Jesse
1999 900ss ff (the faster red color )
I'm a big fan of the SS line. Always have been. But, time has moved on and the current SS has become an underachiever.
With the 1098, Ducati has shown us that they are capable of building down to a price point. I'd really like to see them offer a fresh, no frills sportbike to compete with the sv650.
Build a cheap bike, but build it right. If they were to put all the jewelry on it, they'd miss the target.
They should start with the Monster frame because it's effective and paid for. After all, it was lifted directly from the 851/888. The 800 lump would be sufficient, but go ahead with water cooling. Keep it simple and cheap. Steel two-sided swing arm, three spoke Brembo wheels, Showa at both ends.
I love riding my 900 and racing my 750. I enjoy their straightforward simplicity. Hopefully, an updated SS line-up is in the works. The retro bikes just aren't gonna cut it.
One of the reasons why ducati has removed the ss according to my local dealer (who is also the company who imports them to denmark) is failing sales so completely they simply werent worth the factory space... something like less than 6 percent in 2005... they are putting all their eggs in one basket with the 1098, and from some of my fellow clubs members trip to bologna and the factory, its not even 100 procent that the motard will even enter production, it all depends on the preordering amount..
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2002 750ss, pcIII custom map, carbon termi pipes, k&n w. open filter box, lighter flywheel, clearalt rear light, with both black and yellow tanks and ff. Alu Swingarm.
Here's my take on the decision to drop the Supersport line. 1) The cost to manufacture the fully faired Supersport as compared to other models resulted in a lower profit margin for Ducati (and the MSRP was $1500 more than it should have been) Ohlins rear shock, Showa adjustable front fork, aluminium swingarm, mag wheels, faring etc.. Granted the "stripper" 750-800 version had the cheaper suspension, steel swingarm etc.. So Ducati thinks by inventing the Sport Classics ( basically your striped down standard, wire wheels, steel swingarm, no fairing, ugly unfinished muffer system, (Heck for the $11-14,000 they ask for them the least they could have done was plate the muffler system.)and marketing it as a return to the Classics , they promoted the hell out of them and dramatically increased the profit margin. They will have to cut the price by 10-15% to sell any more of them because the people who had to have them bought them and that niche of the market is gone. Of course sales of the Sport Classics have tanked and the dealers can't give them away any more. 2) Pierre "overstyled " the redo in 1999 Supersport and left a lot of prospective buyers cold by its looks. Like the 999-749 bikes, the radical change in styling grows on you after awhile. 3) For some stupid reason Ducati went and changed the ergos on the Supersport ( lower bars and higher footpegs ) to maybe compete with the Jap offerings. But they had the Superbike line up so why change and alienate a market segment that didn't want such radical a set up. As Ducati has learned from lastest market research and a change in their business plan, the price of their bikes were too high given the strength of their products performance. In the '90s Ducati cut the price of the supesport line and sales increased substantially. I think the 1098 will be a great sales sucess for Ducati. But its not the bike that I want. I want the 1100cc DS motor with monster low end torque in a refreshed fully faired model, the present Showa-Ohlins suspension is fine, adjustable pegs and bars, similar to what was on the 999 line. ( Hey I think they have done away with the adjustable pegs and seat on the new 1098 line?) for $9999. I'll place my order right now!!! The Supermotard will go the way of the Multistrada, corner of the showroom with very little interest.
You can over-think it all you want but you can only talk your way out of ugly for so long. In my opinion Pierre should be put in a cage and kicked daily until Ducati is purged of all his demonic ego-trips. If you have to justify a design it has already failed. "you see it is a supermono but not really cause of this 87 foot hole here behind the front wheel and this solid rubber tire glued to the gas tank, and all these aluminum siding folds placed everywhere" Whatever.
The reason I own an SS is because it is a very simple bike.
If I wanted a 4 valve liquid cooled bike (and all the associated maintence) I would just buy a GSXR.
I would buy a 91-98 styled, Fuel Injected, 1200cc aircooled 2v SS tomorrow. Make it available with full and half fairings.
The 1000S Classic is Ok, but for me the wire wheels would have to go. By the time you do that and buy an exhaust system you are well over the $14,000 mark new. I plan to wait a few years and see where they go on the used market, if a nice, low mileage 1000S can be had in the $7000 range, then it would be an option.
Actually i was refering to the slab sided 90's bike with the austin allegro headlamp! (just for info, allegros are the ONLY car that are MORE aerodynamic when they drive backwards! the same could even be true of the 90's SS)
I say Ducati should put a full fairing on the Sport 1000S with some alloy Brembo or Marchesini rims, an 1100 motor and maybe some Ohlins suspension...call it a Supersport and problem solved... one of our club members has a Paul Smart with full fairings from the factory and it really looks a treat over the standard bike...
__________________ Red 2007 MTS 1100s Red 2009 1198s
Return the Supersport to Production
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