Ducati HyperMotard: More Hype than Hyper?
Count me as one of the people who being brought up on sportbikes looks with skepticism on the claims about the capabilities of modern motard style bikes like the Ducati Hypermotard. Fans would have you believe that on tight, twisty roads the Hypermotard will eat more powerful sportsbikes for breakfast. Well now the June issue of Performance Bikes magazine have pitted the Hypermotard against a Suzuki GSX-R1000K9 on a go-kart track. Should suit the Hypermotard right……right?
Well it wouldn’t be for want of rider skill. The tester was Kev Smith a former supermoto racer. The venue was a kart track that packed 10 turns into 400 yards and with a straight that is all of 65 yards!
The Ducati was fast but incredibly not as fast as the open class sportbike (Suzuki GSX-R1000). Despite recording a max speed a little higher than the 180bhp Suzuki the Hypermotard finished in second place although it did see off a Triumph Daytona 675, a Kawasaki Ninja 250 and bizarrely a Burgman scooter amongst other things.
The torquey power delivery made the Ducati fast out of turns but the rider couldn’t get the same feel on corner entry compared to the superbike even with the foot out, look at me style that is de rigeur for this style of motorcycle, which meant the big Suzuki completed the lap a mere 1/10th of a second ahead at 30.4 seconds.
So we can all relax. As well as looking the part out front at Starbucks the Ducati Hypermotard is a competent bike for the sporting rider that is in its element when the roads get tight, twisty and bumpy. However traditional sportsbikes, despite the perception, still rule in most road circumstances given riders of equal talent (admittedly something that rarely occurs in the real world). ducatnewstoday is yet to test a Hypermotard but it is on the list!!
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A Hypermotard is no more a motard than a Multistrada is a Dual Sport.
How bout trying the same test with a Husky SM610 or a KTM690, I would bet you would have very different results.
Further, how much fun was the Gixxxxxer to ride on this go cart track? I’d take the Hyper any day as long as I wasn’t griding up for cash and prizes.
@Mikey I know my S4Rs is a hell of lot more fun to run on tight mountain roads than the R1 I had before it. 100mph gearing and soft midrange meant you really had to be on it for the Yamaha to fly
@Adverb Very true, after all the Hypermotard is really a Multistrada in drag!
Very interesting, though was there much set up of the suspension on each respective bike or were they stock std? It would also be interesting to see a sample of different riders too.
How about a test of a Street Triple vs. the Daytona 675……
Actually i want to know how the old SP1 fared against the 1198S…..
@Mark, well…try a R6 instead of a R1…and I weigh a good pound or two (at the most!) than you.
I’m sure the S2R I picked up for a street bike is going to be a much better partner than the ’07 R6 which is soon to be in someoneelse’s garage.
@Richard +1 on the different riders. The rider was an expert (a supermoto champion) it could well be different with riders of more average skill levels.
As a former owner of an SP2 I read that story with interest. despite panning the SP1 when it was new they concluded that it felt as special to ride as the 1198S and for the price almost an unbelievable value. The SP1 they tested had a power commander and a full Akrapovic system and made 127bhp at the wheel (vs 155!! for the Duke)