The supermoto sector was a ’supernatural’ one for Ducati to enter until recently. Ducati has neither significant off-road heritage nor engines suitable for dirt bikes, but in the last few years supermotos have become both more powerful and hardnosed, moving the class towards Ducati to the point where the hardware and its sports bike heritage began to rhyme.
Designed by Pierre Terblanche, a concept version was shown in Milan 2005 and in response to an eager public; the Hypermotard is now a production reality. Worth mentioning is the fact that it wasn’t just the public which went bizarre, even the experts thought likewise as it bagged the ‘Best of Show’ at the same event.
It went into production and is now a bike which ‘thrills’ you with its solid credentials. It uses Ducati’s outstanding 1,100cc air-cooled motor. A theme is carried on in the chassis which in total gives the bike a 17 kg advantage. The 90-degree V-trim power unit’s design is pure Ducati right through, as are the tubular steel trellis frame, a single-sided swingarm and high specification running gear.
There’s a higher spec S version which uses the same monoblock Brembo brake callipers as the 1098, with very low friction forks, an Ohlins rear shock, lightweight forged aluminum Marchesini wheels and sundry carbon fiber components, to lose a further two kg compared with the standard version.
Ducati has pushed motorcycle design limits to find an innovative solution for the Hypermotard mirrors. With the challenge of preserving a clean, racing look around the handlebars, designers created a new mirror concept. On the open road these stick out to give a view behind unhindered by elbow, leg or anything else.
Inevitably, the anxiety about the protection of the angled headlight is in the air. Even the fuel tank will limit your touring ambitions as its 12.4-liter capacity will have you hunting for filling stations every 130kms.
For the longer distances one would have to think twice before trusting the Hypermotard as its capacity matched with the average signals a different purpose, which the officials interpret better, than a layman does.
On a positive side the Hypermotard’s noteworthy weight reduction makes it even better. Twist the throttle and the bike lunges forward much harder than its 90bhp promises, pretty much regardless of the revs showing on the compact and inclusive LCD display.
It has a supermoto type long travel suspension, which may not be idyllic on the roads even for this class of machine. But the bike is firmer and much better controlled, so fork compression is less severe than most and it does not mean you have more suspension margin on bumpy roads. Idiosyncrasy of this type of setup is that the steering can be quite heavy when you’re not braking hard, as the geometry needs to be conservative in the static state so it doesn’t become unstable under heavy braking. The clutch lever is light, though a redesign has reduced the force needed by some thirty percent.
Ducati has a much wider and stronger spread of torque. The front can feel flighty if jostled through a series of bends. Although very good looking, the treatment of the headlight and front mudguard doesn’t work from every angle. The Hypermotard is bringing some useful versatility to its core mission.
The purpose is single minded: To thrill
[Images: Motorcyclespecs, Raptorsandrockets, Kanai ]
