Fact Check: The Ducati Supersport T Is Not What You Think It Is

For one thing, the Supersport T and Supersport S T aren’t even new. The screenshot above? That’s actually from the CARB executive order for the 2021 Supersport range. The actual 2024 executive order is below. Apart from the reordering of the items in the emissions control systems (ECS) list, the only difference is the replacement of the “M” in the EVAP column, representing 2021, for the letter “R,” which represents 2024. The list of Supersport models is the same for model years 2022 and 2023, with both regular and "T" versions. The most recent filing even has the same typo for the “Superspotr 950” that, somehow, Ducati North America corrected for its 2022 certification but left misspelled for 2023, and now, 2024.

The “Supersport T” and “Supersport S T” don’t even technically refer to the current model name. Ducati added “950” to the name with the 2021 model update, and the previous generation models were certified both with, and without the “T”, since the Supersport debuted for 2017. The evidence actually suggests Ducati merely added the 950 model names to the existing Supersport list, and left the old names in. Ducati did the same with the Scrambler line, where the Scrambler Café Racer continued to appear in CARB filings through the 2023 model year, despite being last offered in 2021.

The actual truth is that several Ducati models are produced both in Italy and in Thailand. The bikes are identical, no matter the country of origin, so Ducati lists them both for certification purposes. Ducati’s standard practice has been to mark models with a “T” in certification documents to differentiate motorcycles built in Thailand from those produced in Italy. This practice goes as far back as 2015, applying to models including the 800 and 1100 Scramblers, the Monster 797, and the Monster 1200. All of these models were certified with and without a “T”, and none of them offered touring versions.

Would we welcome a touring-focused Supersport 950? Of course. We did outfit a Supersport S for a trip to Laguna Seca back in 2019, after all, and traditional sport-tourers that actually look like sportbikes are a fading breed (the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT a rare recent example that we liked enough to award it the Best Sport-Tourer of 2022 and runner-up for Motorcycle of the Year).

Unfortunately, there is no evidence that supports the new Supersport Touring or Supersport Turismo for 2024. Still, that hasn’t stopped several other motorcycle outlets from reporting otherwise.