Supersport 1000ds

SUPERSPORT 1000DS

This bike may not look like Ducati's future, but it is

MARK HOYER

WITH PIERRE TERBLANCHE AND P1PPo IN HIDING DUE TO post-999 threats, it was impossible to speak with him or his pet dog about the now-aged styling of the 2003 Supersport 1000DS. But nobody cares what this bike looks like, because the really important thing we're dealing with here is the air-cooled future of Ducati.

The DS designation stands for "Dual Spark," as in two plugs per head. In the beginning it was called TS, where the T stood for "Twin." Turns out that's trademarked by Alfa Romeo. And while Alfa was cool with Ducati using the name, the boys from Bologna were supposed to put that little "TM" next to it on every reference everywhere, including service manuals and such, and include a subtitular remark that the name was lent to Ducati by Alfa. So, Dual Spark it is!

And Dual Spark is it! What a fabulous powerplant. This is the first application for this engine, which will also power the forthcoming Monster 1000 and Multistrada. There's lots of immediate torque, with higher peaks and more twist sooner. This Supersport, even with its fairly severe weight-forward riding position, was easy to wheelie and a joy to rev.

Ducati rounded us up for a big V-Twin party in Southern Spain. We got to ride the Supersport 1000DS, the 800 and 620 on the street, plus the 749 at fast-and-fun El Circuito Almeria. The town is way down in the south, where Spain seems a lot like Malibu, but with inferior food and fewer plastic boobies. The coast roads are superb fun, though, even with the un gering moisture and mud from rain the preceding day. While the two smaller aircoolers were subject to sig nificant updates (more dis placement, for one), the real news is the 1000's DS engine. Nearly everything has been altered from its 904cc forebearcrankshaft, con necting rods, valvetrain, cylin ders, heads. While many changes were to make lighter, more rigid pieces and improve relia bility, the greatest focus was on dissipating heat. To that end, the 94 x 71.5mm 992cc motor has more fins, which helps certainly, but the big change is in the exhaust ports. Exhaust-gas temperature can be as much as 1000 degrees F, so the sooner you get it out of the cylinder head the better. That's why the DS has 40 percent shorter exhaust ports. This, working with more compact combustion chambers and the two sparkplugs (cleaner, quicker, more detonation-resistant bum), has allowed a higher compression ratio, despite the 2mm increase in bore. Lighter desmo valve gear allows more aggressive cams, which now spin in plain rather than ball bearings. Valves themselves are larger, but use thinner stems, so weigh the same as before. Also, beryllium-bronze valve seats are more durable and transfer heat more effectively. Just don’t eat them-they’re quite toxic.

Not that you notice any of this on the road, specifically, anyway. What you do notice is the power, the throttle response and the immediate muscular lunge. The six-speed gearbox works well, and even the dry clutch was amenable to jumping off the line or snapping little wheelies here and there. Not that you need to flog the clutch to get the front wheel up.

The chassis has changed only subtly-a lighter fork-but we are dealing essentially with what came before, which is quite stable with decent suspension action. The rear is good for a linkageless design (nice Öhlins shock with ride-height adjustment plus preload and damping clickers), but you always seem to know this ain’t the latest thing in rear suspension. To differentiate the $11,395 1000 from the old 900 and the new 800, the big bike gets a big rear meat, 180mm wide, plus-10 on the old one. There are mental marketing reasons for the fat tire, but steering is nicer with narrower rubber, and if this were our bike, a 170 would go on as soon as the OE stuff was dust.

This generation of Supersport introduced in 1998 was regarded as a functional step forward from the classic 900SS that nreceded it. but it never seemed as inteerated-feeline or as satisfying to ride. And now that the 999/749 with their improved riding positions have come, the Supersports now rate as the least comfortable Ducatis. For obvious reasons, nobody from the factory really wanted to talk about any Supersport restyle in the works, but with the Multistrada getting the big rollout and a new Monster forthcoming, it’s probably going to be a year or two before we see a new SS.

But trust us, with this fun desmo powerplant, this bike is the future. It just doesn’t look like it yet. E

Ducati