With a focus on “comfortable sport bikes”, i.e., bikes with all the performance of a traditional sport bike without the painful (to some) ergonomics, we introduce you to a long-term test subject here at MD, the 2019 Ducati SuperSport.
First introduced as a 2017 model, our standard SuperSport (there is also a more expensive SuperSport S with Öhlins suspension and standard quick-shift system), features a high performance 937cc v-twin rated at 110 hp, together with adjustable suspension and Brembo radial-mount front brake calipers.
Ducati performance and style with all-day comfort? That’s one of the claims we will be investigating. Take a look at what Ducati has to say about the ergonomics of the SuperSport:
Utmost attention to the ergonomic triangle, aerodynamic protection and the rider’s freedom of movement has resulted in comfort, versatility and jaw-dropping sports handling. The rider zone of the one-piece seat is just 810 mm off the ground, allowing feet to be placed firmly on the ground. Handlebar height does not place undue strain on the wrists and foot peg positioning prevents knees becoming tired while maximising control. The height-adjustable Plexiglas screen can be set to two different positions over 50 mm of travel, ensuring adequate airflow protection even at motorway speeds; enhanced protection can be had by fitting the larger Plexiglas touring screen, available as an accessory. Comfortably separated rider and passenger footpegs and a snugly compact lateral silencer ensure maximum freedom of movement.
The benefits of the riding position are evident during both everyday and medium-length journeys and also ensure fun-packed sports riding.
The passenger section of the seat is well separated from the footpegs and features comfy padding. Long-distance comfort levels can be given a further boost by choosing a seat with extra padding from the broad accessory range; the latter also offers external passenger grab rails that give a more ergonomic grip compared to the standard under-seat ones.
The SuperSport is loaded with technology, including adjustable ABS levels, adjustable traction control levels, three riding modes (Sport, Touring and Urban) and comprehensive LCD instrumentation. We have put only a few miles on the SuperSport thus far, so we will wait until Part 2 for a detailed evaluation of the bike’s performance and comfort.
We plan on adding some Ducati accessories along the way, including a larger windscreen , saddlebags and the quick-shift system (standard on the SuperSport S). I can tell you that, at this point, we are impressed with the SuperSport … so stay tuned for more reports.
See more of MD’s great photography:
I bought a 2018 Supersport S last year. I’m a bit disappointed that this article was just a tease, with not much more than cut and paste language from Ducati’s promo literature, but I’ll hold out to see what you thought of it long term. I’ve had several years away from motorcycles; my last bike was a 2002 Yamaha R1 that I sold in 2004. This time around, being a married man now, I wanted something with a better back seat in order to accommodate my wife. I also liked the fact that Ducati offers a nice soft luggage option. Also, I got a lot of that crazy sportbike stuff out of my system and I’m over 60 years old now, so the Ducati suits me fine for what I want at this stage of my life. It’s definitely more upright than my R1 was, and the wife is reasonably comfortable on the back seat. Problem is that the slope of the back seat is such that when my wife is on the back my goodies get smashed into the gas tank. Really uncomfortable. Besides that, I find that I don’t really enjoy 2-up riding that much…makes the bike really hard to handle. Although I’ve had it since May, we’ve had nothing but rain all winter, so I really haven’t ridden it since November. I keep comparing it to my R1 which I liked a lot more due to the explosive power. The Ducati’s power is adequate, but nothing exciting. Speed shifter is a cool thing to have. Handling is decent, but I’m not pushing it like I did the R1. It seems that this bike would suit a lot of riders looking for something sporty-ish but not too extreme.
It is an attractive machine. Nice compromises made to give a sporty bike a little more comfort while still staying committed to the cause. More sport than tourer, but then that’s the point.
Agreed. Not everyone who abandons superbikes for their lack of comfort wants an adventure bike.
Dear MD
Please post a new article so I’m not forced to look at this Duc any longer. I am seriously thinking of trading my very reasonable Versys 650 for one.
Yours,
Faithful reader
Take a demo ride on one; it will seal the deal.
I’m surprised there’s any debate on whether you could tour on this – of course. It basically sits like a standard, upper body canted forward a bit.
In fact, my take – I went and sat on one, didn’t take it for a ride since not serious – is that they went too far towards comfort. I found the upper body about right but the pegs actually too far forward – contradicting the upper body lean. I don’t think this can be adjusted out with different peg position because the standard Duc exhaust is right there already.
I was glad this was the case as it would be kind of a too-tempting bike, and I agree with the others that are skeptical of Euro bike maintenance even with the reports of some (lucky, IMO) examples.
You can tour on a Honda Grom too… https://jalopnik.com/this-nutty-bastard-rode-a-honda-grom-from-portland-to-1625358412
Sure, and you could also tour on a bicycle.
Where the pegs by the crank ? Now I gotta go for a sit fit, can always grind the seat off flat and recurve the wind screen. Hoo chi momma !
Have to add my 2 cents here. Wanted a Ducati my whole life and picked up a ’97 Monster 750 with 9000 miles that sat for 15 years. A bunch of work and it ran well the first year, but was real rich at cruise speed. Found that the needle jets were worn, replaced them, ran much better, but the exhaust valves sank in to the seats. Lost that year because too busy in the summer to work on my own bike. $500 to have some nice hard seats installed at my local machine shop. Jetted it on the rich side with my O2 sensors and it went 10,000 miles last summer. Will replace belts and set valves this month and see what happens this coming summer, unless I can find a buyer, then will get a 400 Ninja to replace it. Air cooled bikes can be a pain in the ass. My SRX600 siezed twice while riding in cold weather. Oh yeah, have the smallest sprocket that will fit on the wheel on the Duc. My 250 Ninja ran 2 teeth up on the drive sprocket. My opinion, Japanese(don’t care if it’s built in Thailand), water cooled, fuel injected.
As many comments have stated, some folks love to sport tour on their Ducs. Wouldn’t be my first choice but to each their own. I’d rather be on a nice standard or 650cc dual sport myself. The Super Sport does nothing for me. Looks just like the other sport bikes on Craigslist that kids painted in primer to make them look cool and ratty. I’m sure it’s an awesome bike, but riders will quickly tire of it after a few months when something new comes out. Besides that, if your Duc dealership is anything like the one where I live, all you will see are Scramblers when you go there.
Well, we all have our opinions. As for quickly tiring of it, my experience with an older 900SS would argue otherwise. I purchased new in 1999 and kept it until 2014 mostly because it was a great all-rounder. As for the matte paint, you can also get the bike in gloss red. Scramblers? Interesting, as I never see them at all where I live.
Still wish they put cruise control on a bike considered a touring model. Doesn’t have enough to give up my Sprint ST 1050 which is 11 years old now.
My Sprint came with side bags, too bad this bike doesn’t…maybe I expect too much. Do like the suggesstion of putting the prior 1200 multistrada engine in to give it some more kick.
Who told you this was supposed to be a touring bike? This may be the source of your confusion.
Agreed. This is way more “sport” than “touring”, but offers reasonable ergonomics with its sportbike styling and handling.
Ducati implies a more comfortable sport bike. Naturally I would think it more capable of touring duties and everyday riding/commuting on roads instead of track days. I very much considered the ST3 and ST4 which was a contender at the time I bought my sprint. Maybe that’s what I was hoping for.
I do remember the Ducati Supersport bikes…works of art. Never rode one though…
Looks nice, $15K and 110hp? When I started shopping for a comfortable sport bike that I could do some light touring on, the Ducati SS was on my short list. Then I found the Suzuki GSX-S1000F and my search was over. 🙂
Did you actually demo ride the Supersport? If you went only by spec sheets, you missed out on a great machine.
Maybe so, then again he got a great machine and saved a lot of money to boot. The Suzuki GSX-S1000F got great reviews from what I read. I agree that the Duc looks better though lol, at least in pictures
yup – and in white or grey the 1000f looks pretty sharp. 150hp k5, brembo etc.. – seems like the bargain of the decade for the right person.
Have you tried sitting on a Supersport? I found the pegs on the GSX-S to be nearly as uncomfortable as a regular sport bike.
I agree that the GSX-S is better value as an all around bike, but I don’t know why Suzuki thinks value is the most important thing about this segment. To me that bike is a bit of a mishmash of some concessions with the handlebars, but a miss with the height of foot pegs. It also represents a downgrade from any recent GSX-R component level. Really not sure who they are trying to appeal to.
But maybe you can give us your own impression.
I own a 2016 GSX-S1000 naked and its a simply fantastic bike. Got the ECU tuned to eliminate the fuel cut and no more snatchy throttle. Just effortless power everywhere, fine handling and really good brakes with a change to SBS pads. For me, its super comfy. I fall in love with it again every time I ride it. All that for $8500 OTD brand new. Ducs are nice for sure, but I bet my Suzook will cost far less to own in the long run. The K5 derived engine is bulletproof for street use.
Who is Suzuki looking for with the GSXS? Anyone wants a great, comfy naked.
If you are over age 30 and can forgo poser points, comfort makes a lot of sense. I used to rate bikes by how long you could ride them without discomfort. After working thru a BMW K75S, Ducati Monster and Honda VFR, I discovered why so many BMW GS were being sold. Not for occasional off road use, they are upright comfortable, handle ok and have almost adequate power. After my first GS, I switched to an Aprilia Caponord, then to KTM SMT and SDGT. Conclusion? After a couple of hours in the saddle, comfort is a big deal. Apparently the manufacturers are becoming more aware of that too.
I agree on comfort being a priority, but it means different things to different people. This Supersport appeals to me as most of my riding is one-up, I like the twisties and I expect no long-distance rides (upward of 300 miles/day). To me, the look of the Adventure bikes is off-putting – too agricultural, though I admit they’re great all-rounders from a functional standpoint
I bought a new 2002 bright yellow, full fairing Ducati 900 Supersport and really enjoyed it, especially after I put lowered riders footpegs on it. It drew stares everywhere I rode it. The brakes were superb and the bike had some get up and go too. It was always reliable for the time I had it.
I like the new offering:)
Sam
I couldn’t agree more. I bought my 900SS new in 1999, made a lot of performance and appearance modifications, then kept it for the next 15 years. A great street bike.
I had a 1992 900SS, white frame. I loved that thing, but I hated the carbs. That bike with the last of the air cooled Multistrada engines would be awesome, with a little update here and there.
I must say that I don’t like the fairing on this bike. Too bad they don’t offer a half fairing job like they did back in the day. The top of the fairing looks pretty nice.
It would really be nice if you could trade in the fairing lower for the rest of the tail section. And the a hot air cooled two valver for the four valve water pumper. How about some of the excellent rear suspension linkage from the air cooled MS as well. Toss me a bowl of that pasta Luigi. I’m on it.
On most of the water-cooled bikes the full fairing covers most of the (unsightly) exposed plumbing, which was not a problem on your air-cooled 900SS.
Another in a long line of excellent reasons to use the air cooled engine.
When some of the people on this thread are complaining about insufficient power from the water-cooled, 4-valve 939, an air-cooled engine would be a major disappointment unless it were 1200-1300cc to even match the 939 engine. Also, Ducati already has an answer for the unsightly plumbing – route those water passages internally, like on the XDiavel.
The lack of plumbing mess and overall simplicity argue for air/oil cooling, while elevated power levels, reduced radiated noise and better emissions performance (through reduced clearances) make their case for water cooling.
Not to mention 19000 mile valve adjustments.
Yeah, Ducati in particular seems to do a really poor job with their plumbing aesthetics.
Oh, Ducati knows how to hide the plumbing; just look at the XDiavel. For some reason they’ve so far elected not to expand the internal engine plumbing to other models in the portfolio. Maybe it’s because the XDiavel is belt drive and, therefore, it’s difficult to convert the cases to a chain drive design.
I think the big thing is that the Diavel isn’t a platform bike and competes with other machines in a niche that wouldn’t tolerate that kind of sloppiness.
Admittedly, bikes like this Supersport aren’t as demanding when it comes to hiding the plumbing – it’s mostly concealed from view.
I know it’s not a sport-tourer, and that the ‘stradas are doing that role, but I have to say: My ST4 was one of the more comfortable, fast, & easy-to-ride quickly bikes I’ve owned over the years – if this is an improvement on that, it’s gonna be good.
Looks sporty. And bags say tourer to me. IMHO, this seems to be the ideal sport tourer. But, then, the last bike I owned that I thought was a great sport tourer was my Honda 996 Superhawk…the beemer and ‘Strom I’ve had since have been too much tour and too little “sport” for my tastes…
When I bought the 996, I was real close to an ST2 or 4…
“We have put only a few miles on the SuperSport thus far, so we will wait until Part 2 for a detailed evaluation of the bike’s performance and comfort.”
nice ‘long term” review…
You’re new around here, aren’t you?
“.. part one..”
I’m the guy that always bit…s about small gas tanks. I understand about supposed mpg (which I never seem to get) that makes for a useful range. I’d love to have a new sport tourer, I have a few, ST2, Buell Ulysses, Buell 1125, Suzuki SV1000. None have as much range as I have butt, even as an old timer. This one looks like another comfy bike with a little tank. Does it really have a 16L tank?
This Supersport is more Sport than Touring, as exemplified by its size – not too big. If you’re coming off a replica racer this will be a decided move toward rider comfort; if you’re coming off a serious tourer it will be a letdown. As always, it depends on what you’re looking for.
The new Interceptor is pretty much immune to running out of gas… Ergos not too far from this one, just heavier and more focused on the touring side of sport-touring. Yet still sporty. Weirdly enough, my favorite, the ZX14r isn’t so bad, either. Mainly because all you ever get to do on it, outside of a drag strip, is idle around.
I have had the Hyper 939 and now the 959 Corse. I just don’t think that 939 motor is entertaining enough for me. When you are on the interstate and signal to the engine to accelerate and quickly pass someone hogging the left lane I felt like pulling out a crop and whipping the side of the bike. Come on!!! Hello? Engine Room!!!
The 959 motor on the other hand is a really fun motor. It should have been the motor used in the Supersport. Well for me it would be nice to have that rush of top end power. The 939 feels flat up top.
There is a clear demarcation between what’s required on the street versus a race track. Tracks want all the power you can find and no problem if it’s all at the top end. Street usage, on the other hand, rewards a stout mid-range, as you can rarely execute top end charges safely. What this Supersport offers is all the power you need on the street with reasonable rider ergonomics. The only place you could really notice any lack of power with this 939 engine (compared to pure supersport bikes) is down a long straightaway. When is comes to curves the new Supersport will hold its own against any large-displacement bike.
I’ve ridden the 939 Supersport and am about to sell my MV F3 to buy one, mostly due to the ergos.
Did you downshift? I have a real hard time believing that motor feels sluggish in its powerband at highway speeds.
It’s not sluggish. It’s the 113bhp at the crank or probably 100 rear wheel that I wished it had a bit more shove even down shifting at 70mph. But that’s the traffic here running in the 80’s most of the time and no one paying attention to the speed limit except that guy in the left lane. I found the engine a bit wheezy at highway speeds. Around town and normal secondary roads it was a blast.
The bike has plenty of power. What you are describing is being in the wrong gear. It would help to keep the engine from lugging if you want to accelerate really hard. Put a smaller countershaft sprocket on it and it will always accelerate harder.
I have a K75S and it has no problem accelerating really hard on the highway due, primarily, to its really low gearing. Top gear roll-on has been better than many sport bikes I have ridden (that were geared for 186 mph…), maybe you should get one of those.
Jesus H, the guy has ridden two bikes and is offering his opinion between them. Thank goodness we have the Spanish Inquisition to set us all straight.
So, in your opinion Tommy D, is it just a little short on power for that kind of work without excessive downshifting… Or is it geared too tall? (Something that I personally felt to be the norm for Ducati’s of 10+ years ago.)
in my experience every Euro bike I have ridden is geared way too tall
I’m looking forward to the continuation of this review, in particular how the bike behaves with saddlebags. I once had a Sprint ST, which was a good sport touring bike and have been looking for a new sport tourer, with and emphasis on sport.
Beautiful bike. Life is short Michael. Get the slip-on and enjoy..
The original comfortable sport bike is now my user name here. Plus, it came with hard bags. 70k+ on mine with never a valve adjustment needed, which is typical for that engine. Not saying the Duc isn’t purchase-worthy; nope, just the opposite: A comfortable sport bike is something worth considering. The Duc might get a permanent spot in your stable of bikes too.
I too had a Futura I purchased brand new when they were clearing them out.
I installed a set of bar risers, an X-Pipe, and some StainTunes.
Damn it was Glorious!
Still to this day I regret selling it.
Maybe I should change my user name to “Honda VFR” (yes, I have one..)?
Nice looking bike, especially the fairing both in shape, and purity of single color. The attempt to address ergo comfort is also a wonderful thing. Wishes for the usual: flat seat, rear fender, adjustable peg position, and proper wind screen for low turbulence and shoulder protection. Really hard to look away.
Comfy? The monster is comfy (just drop the pegs 20-30mm). The SS is not nearly the torture rack that are the superbikes but it’s still a very committed riding position. The Scramblers definitely merit ‘comfy’ assuming the bizarre grip+seat+peg location is something you like.
I owned a 2014 Monster 1200 and couldn’t deal with the lack of wind protection at speed. The Supersport fixes that issue.
Bolt upright, combined with anything short of an Adv bike’s rear travel, is not at all what my lower back would call “comfy.” The Supersport, like almost all European bikes, do have pegs far too rearset for my taste; but the moderate amount of forward lean, in my opinion, help make it more comfortable than bikes like the Monster. But I guess that’s why they make different bikes for different folk…..
I test rode one and was blown away by how comfortable it was, easily a full day ride kind of bike and super fun. Comfortable, awesome sportbikes are possible.
If only it came from a Japanese manufacturer…
Now why would you say that? Maybe Ducatis used to be finicky, high-maintenance machines, but not anymore – the valve adjustment intervals are on par with any Japanese bike, for instance. And the design is, in my view, superior to any Japanese bike.
“If only it came from a Japanese manufacturer…”
That’s something I would say too, due to personal experience with Japanese bikes (mostly Honda’s but almost as many Yamaha’s) and Ducati’s. Since 2009 I know 4 people who have owned Ducati’s who gotten rid of them due to too many issues. Personally I would never buy a Ducati, or a KTM for that matter, or a Moto Guzzi and probably not an Aprilia, no matter how many people come on and say their bikes have been stone reliable. The guys I have known personally who have had bikes from any of these manufacturers just have not had that kind of luck. Too bad because they are generally cool bikes if they could get the transmissions to work, the electronics to not fail, the brakes to work, the oil to stay inside the cases etc etc
To each their own I guess. I’ve owned seven Euro bikes since 1978 (Moto Guzzi, BMW, MV Agusta and Ducati) and have had great experiences on them. Yes, I maintain and garage them, but I’d do that with any bike. The Japanese bikes, with very few exceptions, just don’t have the character I’m looking for, nor the styling.
I’ve always had an affection for the rare and unique. Nearly 20 years of owning various Euro bikes the odd Buell have left me with two important and valuable bits of knowledge and wisdom:
1. How to diagnose and fix just about anything that might go awry on a motorcycle, and
2. Always have a Japanese bike in the garage for back up if you prefer riding over developing your mechanic skills.
I know that maintenance is an issue with the higher-end Ducs, but I have to say that my 2009 Monster 1100 has been pretty damn cheap so far. I’m at about 35000 miles, and have done two major Desmo services ($800 USD each) plus tires and oil. I replaced all of the plastics (color therapy!) so it’s shiny again, for about $450.
Compared to my three previous Ninjas, it’s been a pretty inexpensive bike to run. It’s a total blast as well, and I’ve done a dozen multi-day camping tours on it.
I road tested this SS and the M/Strada both with the ‘same’ engine. I can assure you that they are not the same in tune or rider’s feel. The gearing must be very different as I had to rev the SS a lot where the M/S was a lot more better tuned for suburban riding.
The M/S set up was what was wanted in the SS by me, but Ducati did not.
In the interest of simplicity and maintenance I would love to see this basically same bike but with the 1100 air cooled engine. Ample HP for anywhere near reasonable(-100mph)street riding. And cheaper/lighter. Bet that would sell real well. I’d buy one.
I’ve ridden the big bore A/C and liquid cooled Ducks. The former are antiques/highly unrefined vs. the latter, especially at lower RPM and ride experience. Power is of course just as big a difference if not more.
Ducati looks to be hitting a lot outa the park lately, and this SS seems to add to the trend.
The air-cooled engine is high-maintenance in comparison to this mill.
I wish reviews included some sort of reference to maintenance costs that owners might expect. Yes, I’m aware that MCN does this, which is why I subscribed.
All motorcycles are higher maintenance vehicles than today’s cars. Ducati finally realized that buyers care about maintenance costs and made enough engine changes to extend valve adjustments to around 15,000 miles, on par with their Japanese competitors.
If by “long term” you mean you’re actually going to put on enough miles to find out real world mpg and major and minor service costs (including tires), then I applaud you. It looks like a nice bike and most people keep their Ducs for at least one major service…I wonder why?
As we all live in the real world, why should we not receive useful, real world information on the bikes you test? Thanks in advance!
I have been in the motorcycle scene over 20 years. I have never heard of anyone making a buying decision based on mpg. It’s either looks, sound, feel, etc. etc. but never oh my god, it’s 43mpg. I’ll buy that. Never.
But for plenty (on this chat board, anyway), gas tank size is a go/no-go, regardless of mileage. Range anxiety is real.
Personally, I would not buy a motorcycle that didn’t achieve better mileage than my car (hovers @ 32-35mpg avg.) on principal so many 600 & 1000SS bikes are out.
What you’re missing here is the performance achieved by those bikes getting 32-35 MPG (and most do a lot better). The pure power and acceleration of bikes most cars can only dream of, plus that purchase cost difference (fast cars are expensive).
I’m not missing anything. There are plenty of powerful motorcycles that do better. A $2k, used SV650 out accelerates the vast majority of high-performance cars and gets 55mpg+ all day long. Hyper-sports get crap mileage because they’re tuned for max power, making them terribly inefficient at the speeds/power settings they’re used at on the street 99.5% of the time they’re running.
It goes back to the “one-trick-pony” aspect of high-performance street bikes. They’re performing the wrong trick for the majority of riders out there today, which is why the Ninja 650 outsells the 636 10 to 1.
BMW M3 has been tested to have better mileage than Toyota Prius. Its all about how you drive them. Know yourself first, then your vehicle.
The M3 hat tested to better mileage than the Prius? Link, please.
Unfortunately, the hyper-miler opportunity doesn’t really exist on high-performance motorcycle engines. They have to overcome significant pumping losses and who knows what kinds of spark timing gymnastics just to run decently at low rpms. Maybe someday when a sophisticated vvt system is more common…
MPG? Don’t care.
Range? Now, I care about that very much.
How far a bike can go on a tank of gas has been one of the qualifiers for every bike I’ve ever purchased.
+1
Bing, you must only be paying attention to a particular area where everyone does short but fast jaunts only an hour at a time. You know….zip coders.
.
While a large group of the rest of us pays attention to range, you can’t get that range without mpgs. Most everyone I know and ride with wants 180-200 miles per tank riding around Texas all weekend long. We like to go 3 hours at a time at 75 mph with plenty of throttle dumping in between. And when you cover 6000 miles in 2 weeks, you want mpgs. And many of us will do 1000 miles many weekends throughout the year, just because we feel like it. That’s our scene. And we’ve been riding like this between 35-45 years each.
.
Get a Gold Wing or other bagger, you say? Nah. Sport touring on sport bikes is the most fun way to get to point Z.
Well, I learned two new terms in this and the Kawasaki 636 report.
Throw backers and Zip coders lol
Guess with my bikes I could be considered the first (CB1100) and definitely not the second (FJR)
My 2010 Multistrada 1200S Touring has 60,000 miles on it. Have they been trouble free? No, but worth the trouble as it is fast, comfortable, looks and sounds good. The valves and belts are the only thing I have the dealer do every 15,000 miles. I do everything else, tires, chain/sprockets, pulled the Ohlins suspension at 25,000 and 50,000 for service.
Valves are done, new chain & sprockets installed (up 2 teeth on rear) fresh battery last season and a fresh set of Dunlop Roadsmarts. Now waiting for spring. What bothers me the most is how far I have to travel to a dealership now that Myers in Asheville closed.
Good looking scoot, probly all day comfy too, I just can’t own a Duc without a Termi pipe, even if just a slip-on, but man are they expensive, I’m sure a slip-on is over a grand.
You might want to listen to this Supersport exhaust before you spring for a Termi or Akrapovic. It’s not loud, but it’s not whisper quiet either.
Oh, I have, I used to work for my local dealer (and over 13 yrs in Powersports in total) and am still on good terms with them, I miss the thump of the air cooled 1100’s and even dry clutches, not to mention that that muffler is hideous to look at. I endurance raced with some guys on an 1100 supersport, not the fastest bike on the track but it was fun, miss the sound of that bike too. Stick an air cooled 1100 with a dry clutch like my first gen Hypermotard had, and then it’d be something.
The water-cooled Ducatis don’t sound much different than the air-cooled ones, assuming similar exhaust systems. You know the air-cooled bikes have a lot more trouble meeting noise and emissions regulations, which is why they’ve been mostly supplanted by water-cooled machines.
Much of the “thump” is lost in the catalyst chamber. Changing to a slip-on offers less range of sound than it used to because of that.
Manufacturers can’t choose no catalytic converters; they must meet emissions laws. In most areas, however, you as an individual can remove the cat for better sound/performance.
Certainly, but that modification requires that either the owner fabricates a work around for the removed catalyst (and o2 sensors) or the purchase of a more expensive full exhaust system. I’m just pointing out that this is the most likely difference between the sound of the older (prior to catalyst requirements) bikes and the new ones.
It must be great to be on the same life-saving team as the Harley and cruiser riders.