Ducati 950 Supersport

[Morety]

New to me and shock, horror, it's not in "Ducati Red"!

The flat silk white suites the bike though. This will be my third Ducati in 40 years. Smitten after testing one as I wasn't expecting to like it but it's a far more capable and comfortable bike than it looks. Still a weapon on the road despite modest 110bhp (this one is a little more) primarily because 80% of the torque is available from 3K revs making it a torquey lump with instant shove on the road. It's lower than my RT, a lot lighter and more manageable now I have lots of metalwork in my spine. Looking forward to taking delivery....those titanium Akras sound wonderful. They also offer a full titanium under seat system which eliminates the cat and liberates msx power/torque curve of 78 ft-lbs and 117bhp. more than enough.

 

[MILLE_RIDER]

Beautiful

 

[Morety]

Quite loud without being deafening, pops & burbles nicely on the over-run

 

[Flappytabs]

Luverly

 

[steve hughes]

That looks really smart, now start googling matt paint care and cleaning. My pal had a Ducati in the matt white , in some lighting it looked pearlescent.

 

[Morety]

Basic rule with matt paint is to avoid waxes or polishes and simply use a ph neutral snow foam and shampoo. There are some matt specific polishes which don't fill in the peaks and valleys of matt topcoat, offering additional UV protection and hydrophobic properties.

 

[leadfarmer]

Looks great

Vulcanet wipes are excellent for cleaning matt paint

 

[Morety]

Bike arrived today

Lovely example. Had a decent ride this afternoon before topping up for return leg, all on A and B roads. Exceeded expectations in every area. Very comfortable with a better leg position than even the RT, comfy saddle, bars aren't too wristy and no back/neck strain. Handles beautifully but not like S1000RR or Jap sportsbikes where they drop in quick....this one reacts better to smoother lines on positive throttle, very reminiscent of the 998 I rode. That suspension is superb, magic carpet ride even when pushing on but the biggest surprise was the motor. Forget the paper specs, this thing is fast for a roadbike, without being scary fast. I took it out on some quiet A roads I know well, with plenty of corner action and honestly? It's quicker than either my older RS1200 and my RT, and that I wasn't expecting. Overtakes are a breeze in any gear. In sports mode, with TC switched off and anti-wheelie switched to minimum, it has enough poke to lift front in 3rd gear all too easily. It has to be the most rounded sports oriented bike I've ridden, which benefits from not torturing the rider with discomfort. The bonus is the soundtrack from those Akras. they lend a nice deep boomy tone without being too loud and burble nicely on the over run. The engine is classic ducati rattly but not as loud as my RS1200 was (that sounded like a blacksmith's forge when hot). All in all, delighted with it. Love the light weight. It feels much lighter than the 210 kilos wet weight claimed, in fact it feels more like sat astride a 600 sportsbike. Pure joy on wheels, so I'm a happy biker. Downsides? Not much luggage space but I'll try a kriega solution. Fit and finish are exemplary and better than any beemer I've owned. No real gripes yet but early days.

 

[Nick Marshall]

What’s the story? Looks like it has been tracked. Rear tyre melted and scrape on the exhaust.
Lovely bike mind. Looks great in white with the red frame.

Took a few pictures at Silverstone a couple of years ago.
Looks pretty nice in red as well.

Riding position and seat felt very comfortable the short time I sat on it.

 

[Morety]

Yes, it was tracked, previous owner was a track day enthusiast but tyres can be changed, motor is strong and recently fully serviced but everything else is almost showroom. Tyres have life in them and are as grippy as sh1t to a blanket. No marks on the bodywork or headlamp, not been dropped or scraped. Just the hero marks on exhaust where he got a bit enthusiastic with cornering

 

[fatbob99]

Looking at the front tyre is doesn’t seem to have been pushed that hard ,
I wouldnt give it a second thought
Happy new bike

 

[Morety]

Love it. It’s a ballerina on the road. Had a good few hours stripping and inspecting everything…it may have been tracked but it’s largely mint under the covers. Tool kit well used. I always like to see that. Speaks of a cared for bike.

 

[Arsey]

Bike arrived todayView attachment 439202

Lovely example. Had a decent ride this afternoon before topping up for return leg, all on A and B roads. Exceeded expectations in every area. Very comfortable with a better leg position than even the RT, comfy saddle, bars aren't too wristy and no back/neck strain. Handles beautifully but not like S1000RR or Jap sportsbikes where they drop in quick....this one reacts better to smoother lines on positive throttle, very reminiscent of the 998 I rode. That suspension is superb, magic carpet ride even when pushing on but the biggest surprise was the motor. Forget the paper specs, this thing is fast for a roadbike, without being scary fast. I took it out on some quiet A roads I know well, with plenty of corner action and honestly? It's quicker than either my older RS1200 and my RT, and that I wasn't expecting. Overtakes are a breeze in any gear. In sports mode, with TC switched off and anti-wheelie switched to minimum, it has enough poke to lift front in 3rd gear all too easily. It has to be the most rounded sports oriented bike I've ridden, which benefits from not torturing the rider with discomfort. The bonus is the soundtrack from those Akras. they lend a nice deep boomy tone without being too loud and burble nicely on the over run. The engine is classic ducati rattly but not as loud as my RS1200 was (that sounded like a blacksmith's forge when hot). All in all, delighted with it. Love the light weight. It feels much lighter than the 210 kilos wet weight claimed, in fact it feels more like sat astride a 600 sportsbike. Pure joy on wheels, so I'm a happy biker. Downsides? Not much luggage space but I'll try a kriega solution. Fit and finish are exemplary and better than any beemer I've owned. No real gripes yet but early days.

Lovely bike.
When you get the chance, try a new Pani V2. I bet it’s similar in riding position and comfort .

 

[Morety]

Thanks Arsey, love the bike.

I’ve tried the V2 streetfighter and loved the motor. Not the seat though! Hard as a rock and too wide. Very light and beautifully made. Tbh? Not really much different on the road to the 950 but smoother low down. Perhaps a little more mid and deffinitely a bit stronger up top but not night and day.

The v2 pani I believe shares the sane brick hard seat as the SF so that and the £18k (ohlins and the extras most people will want) pricetag rules it out for me. The supersport for me anyway hits more sweet spots.

 

[MILLE_RIDER]

Looks like it has been tracked.

Nothing to worry about a road bike doing the odd track day, it would be a different story if it were an ex racer. My bikes always feel better after a track day, the only place they can be ridden as their design intended. Brake pads glaze and engines get full of 'cobwebs' pottering about on the road.

 

[Morety]

It runs fine, no nasty knocks or rattles, engine still feels very fresh and responsive. I absolutely thrashed my old Mille around the IOM in 2007 and 2009 after riding up the Heysham for the ferry (270 odd miles), then rode it home a week later. It felt all the better for it. Went through one set of tyres on each trip. The mileage on this one is low, just 7K miles and it's had a run in service and before I took delivery has another full service minus belts which aren't due until 5 years/15K miles, whichever comes first. Everything works as it should. new chain/sprockets, new front discs (Brembo Oro discs don't last long when used on track so I had them replaced with oem spec harder wearing ones), new pads all round, fresh coolant, new oil and air filters, and oil change. New high temp synthetic brake fluid too. Bike looks and feels like new bar the track history evidence of scrapes on exhaust. mind you, I have already almost grounded it on the road as this morning I took a spirited ride and had the thing on its ear. Completely confidence inspiring machine in the handling stakes. I've worn most of the scrubbed edge off the tyres now!

 

[Fluffmeister]

That is lovely.

PS, This stuff is excellent for Matt paint cleaning and protection

 

[Morety]

Thanks for recco. Trying some of the wipes mentioned earlier. Pricy but thought I’d give them a go. Will look up the matt paint cleaner too

 

[Davey B]

What a lovely thing....you must be one of the few on here who can still ride a sports bike without clicks from knees, wrists and necks, aching arses and moans about speed cameras. Health to enjoy it sir. !

 

[Morety]

Thanks Davey. It's actually remarkably comfortable. Great seat, nicely cushioned, good peg and bar layout. Can ride it with no issues despite recent surgery to back.

Today was my attempt at locating a spare switched live that Ducati told me wasn't fitted to the 950....well it was because after ages working out the monkey puzzle that is panel removal (all fasteners on inside!), I eventually located loom under RHS of tank behind right fork and lo and behold, found a switched live pigtail tucked away out of sight. Clipped the sleeving off, tested wires with multimeter to determine which was the switched live (12V), then modded my recently acquired Zumo 660 cradle wiring ready to fit. Soldered the fused cradle battery terminal wiring to the switched live, coiled up spare length (after snipping off unused wires from cradle and covering) and routed cable around fork to the yoke.

I'd already bought an "Excitomer" Nuvi yoke mount from ebay, supplied with longer yolk bolts to allow for cradle fitting. Mounted cradle to this then to bike, using anti-seize compound to threads before tightening.

Inserted Navi6 unit, switched on ignition and it works! Really happy with the position and the fact I'd kept everything nice and neat...as good as the factory prep solution for my old RS. Can now use the Navi.