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The appearance is EXTREMELY similar to the Panigale. Same swooped nose, similar fairing and similar tail end. The framing however is more Moster-like. The dash is simple (at least compared to some of the recent Japanese info centers) and more importantly much easier to see in direct sunlight than my Monster. Over all it's the same polarizing look that has folks either helplessly in love or in hate with the look.
The ginormous leap for Ducati here is the fueling. It's buttery smooth. Kawasaki or Honda smooth. 1st and 2nd gear no longer is a threat to buck you off the bike. That said once you dig in it's still that typical, glorious rumble and roar that is Ducati. It's a fantastic combination of Italian meets Japanes and is utterly intoxicating
The exhaust is big and Euro 4 compliant but I will say it screams that typical Ducati sound and I wouldn't be inclined to swap it out. At least not right away The seating and riding position is absolutely perfect. It's a Sports bike that sits about as upright as my Monster and more upright than my BMW. The seat is cush and the bike overall is ridiculously comfortable. Perfect for older man me.
It's a little less horsepower than my Monster, tourque is lower in the power-band but the bike feels quicker. Actually I think the bike "is" quicker. The clip-on's feel uncomfortably tight against the tank until you get rolling which at that point the realization that this bike is world class in handling. My dealership is at the base of the Santa Monica Moutains so I got it up in the canyons in 5 minutes. It is my opinion that this is the best handling bike I've encountered. This bike begs to dive in.
The brakes are typical Brembo strong. I got the ABS to light up and the system reacts very similar to the Monster. The back brake is a tad better than the Monster but Ducati never has put much effort into back brakes and the SuperSport not a big departure from the norm. It has three riding modes that like the Monster are all vastly different. Honestly for this test ride I stayed in Sport mode (the highest) since I know fueling works best there.
The mirrors were Panigale useless. They rattled and rumbled to the point I finally stop looking at em for all but the most basic checking. Godzilla could have been chasing me and I'd never have know.
Honestly this is a ground breaking design for those that want "Sport bike" performance in a much more practical seating arraignment it delivers in spades.
My next bike and no doubt about it