Ducati Hypermotard

Sometimes the answer is staring you in the face. Type “Hyper” into Google and the electronic God of all knowledge throws “Having a very excitable or nervous temperament – highly strung,” right back at cha. From this, it’s easy to conclude that Ducati’s not lying with the name of the Hypermotard.

As we found out with the similarly engined Hyperstrada, the ride’s as twitchy as Shappelle Corby hearing the snap of a rubber glove.

It’s been a couple of decades now since motorcycle manufacturers have discovered that if you make a bike easy to ride, then it’ll be fun and offer the best experience to the rider. In racing terms, that’ll mean that you’ll end-up going faster (just look at MotoGP to see the best example of that). All of this can be summed up in just one word: confidence. Take that away and whatever experience you have can be shattered to the point of self-doubting your abilities. Just ask that Rossi bloke…

And it’s that vital confidence that’s the missing link on the Hypermotard. The ingredients are spot on: great styling, massive brakes, revvy engine and flat bars. It should be an ex-stunt rider’s dream. But the short throw clutch and hair trigger throttle, first felt when we tested the Hyperstrada (review here) proves that it’s part of the Hyper range’s DNA and not just a one off.

It’s a tricky beast to launch off the line and the throttle’s sensitivity means there’s plenty of lurching when you’re just trying to cruise around. You get the feeling that there will have to be a software upgrade to the bike’s ECU that would cure the ills of the ride-by-wire throttle. Unfortunately, it’s not here yet (well, not from Ducati anyway). And it’s this trait of the Hypermotard that takes much of the fun out of riding it.

And that’s a shame as the rest of the bike’s a hoot. If you’ve never ridden a proper enduro bike, the high and flat saddle might feel strange at first, giving you the impression of hovering on top of the bike rather than being surrounded by it. This gives you a commanding view of the road but not much to anchor into around the groin area. It makes the bike feel quite minimal beneath you, with your forward vision clear to the horizon. Which disappears pretty often, if you’re feeling frisky (honestly officer, it’s the mapping…).

Clutch and throttle aside, the new 821cc, 11-degree engine has a lot going for it. There are three power modes that let you choose between 110 and 75hp outputs. It has a wide spread of torque, a satisfying exhaust sound and longer service intervals (valves get adjusted every 30,000km). It also has hardly any engine braking. The gearbox selects firmly and positively, helped in this area by the short external selector linkage.

If you’re in the right mood, you can really play with the front Pirelli tyre. Sitting high on the bike, both the steering head angle and wheelbase feel shorter than they really are and the extra leverage offered by the wide, flat handlebars means that any turning input seems to be magnified, pushing the front wheel quickly into a new direction.

The overall feel of the bike is one of lightness. It turns quickly, has a rapid change of direction and the brakes haul her up well. This is mostly down to the dual Brembo front calipers, which are more than capable of awakening the anti-lock braking system. The rear feels fine, rather than stupidly powerful.

The fuel tank becomes more central as the moulded unit sits between the frame tubes and reaches down to just above the top shock mount, keeping the 16 litres of premium juice low (for the 2013 range, the tank’s a massive 4.6 litres bigger than before and addresses the poor range owners of the previous models complained about). The bike’s airbox takes over the area forward of the fuel filler, hidden by the painted ‘tank’ panels.

Styling-wise, the bike has many ‘sides’. From the front and back, the aspect is pretty minimal, especially the rear with its small tail unit and single arm suspension. The lack of pillion grab handles adds to the sharp look but might not please the ‘get behind me’ brigade. As a concession, the key locked saddle does offer straps that’ll help secure non-human cargo to the pillion seat.

The Ducati Hypermotard retails at $16,990. In the right conditions, it’s a great bike to ride. However, these ‘right’ conditions exclude riding in heavy traffic and constant throttle cruising. For me, it’s a nearly but not quite bike. And that places it behind other, possibly less flashy but more fun bikes. After all, it’s all about the ride, eh?

DUCATI HYPERMOTARD IN BIKE SHOWROOM

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Final drive: Chain