2019-06-01_Motorcycle_Mojo_Magazine

MAY 2019 MOTORCYCLE MOJO 39

LIST PRICE

$15,295 (base), $18,795 (SP)

WARRANTY

2 years, unlimited mileage

CONTACT

ducati.com/ca/en/home

ENGINE TYPE

Liquid-cooled, 90-degree L-twin,

Desmodromic

DISPLACEMENT

937 cc

POWER

114 hp (84 kW) at 9,000 rpm

TORQUE

71 ft-lb (96 Nm) at 7,250 rpm

BORE AND STROKE

94 x 67.5 mm

COMPRESSION RATIO

13.3:1

FUEL DELIVERY

Electronic fuel injection

TRANSMISSION

6-speed

FINAL DRIVE TYPE

Chain

FRONT SUSPENSION

45 mm Marzocchi inverted fork,

fully adjustable (base);

48 mm Öhlins inverted fork,

fully adjustable (SP)

REAR SUSPENSION

Sachs monoshock, adjustable spring

preload and rebound damping (base);

Öhlins monoshock, fully adjustable (SP)

WHEEL TRAVEL

Front: 170 mm (6.7 in.) (base);

185 mm (7.3 in.) (SP)

Rear: 150 mm (5.9 in.) (base);

175 mm (6.9 in.) (SP)

BRAKES

Front: Dual 320 mm discs

with 4-piston calipers

Rear: 245 mm disc

with 2-piston caliper

WHEELBASE

1,493 mm (58.8 in.) (base);

1,498 mm (59 in.) (SP)

RAKE AND TRAIL

25 degrees/104 mm

TIRES

Front: 120/70 ZR17; Rear: 180/55 ZR17

WEIGHT (WET)

200 kg (440 lb) (base); 195 kg (436 lb) (SP)

SEAT HEIGHT

870 mm (34.2 in.) (base);

890 mm (35 in.) (SP)

FUEL CAPACITY

14.5 L

FUEL ECONOMY (CLAIMED)

5.1 L/100 km

FUEL RANGE (ESTIMATED)

284 km

2019 DUCATI

HYPERMOTARD 950

i

For additional photos of the

2019 Ducati Hypermotard 950

visit: motorcyclemojo.com

sensational roads here, and the pace

of our group ride, legitimately put the

Hypermotard to the test. The bike has

an exquisite combination of stability

and agility that allows for hard braking,

quick turn-in, and the all-important

mid-corner corrections, without drama.

The tall riding position allowed me

to peek farther ahead, over guard

rails and rock outcroppings, than a

butt-up, head-low supersport would

ever allow. The Hypermotard’s wide

handlebars, now angled even wider,

gave the mechanical advantage needed

to muscle the front end around when

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blind corners we encountered – I don’t

think there is a better bike on the planet

for roads like this.

Dual Personality

On the road, spending more time in

the lower half of the rpm dial, the

motor revealed a little more dual

personality than on the track, where

the rpm remained more in the upper

reaches. There was no pronounced

step in power delivery, but there was

a transition from hurried to frantic

around 7,000 rpm, both in feel and in

aural delight. Keeping an eye on revs

and what gear I was in was easy with

the 4.3-inch digital TFT instrument

panel with Panigale-inspired graphics.

Switching riding modes was a simple

task once I got the hang of it, and could

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the opportunity to shut the throttle for a

moment for the settings to kick in.

The Marzocchi fork and Sachs rear

damper on the base Hyper performed

very well, and, like the SP’s Öhlins

units, were very close right out of the

box. The corners were tight, the pave-

ment grippy and the pace rapid, but the

bike remained composed and light on

its feet. We did not ride the base Hypers

on the track, but it would be interesting

to see how well the lower-spec suspen-

sion and tires would do there. My guess

is, with some minor tuning, the base

model would be no slouch.

I can’t give much feedback on the

comfort of this bike, as my butt barely

remained in the saddle over the course of

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cotton balls for all I know. This is not

a bike for touring, that is fairly certain.

There’s no windscreen, and if you try to

put one on, I will scream bloody murder

in your ear until you take it off. There’s no

tank space to speak of to put a tank bag. If

you put a tail bag on, I might look at you

sideways, but I’ll concede that loading up

the rear might help for wheelies. I know

some will buy this bike and commute on

it, or even ride it distant places unsup-

ported, but these are not this bike’s true

calling, so I’ll just leave it at that.

Design Masters

Pierre Terblanche penned the original

Hypermotard, and I don’t know if

he had a hand in this most recent

version, but it looks just as brilliant and

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beauty of a 916: it is more brutal like

a DeTomaso Pantera, very Italian and

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the Hypermotard features twin exhaust

pipe plumbing inspired by Massimo

Tamburini’s superbike masterpiece

• oriented vertically on the right side

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optional accessories for customization,

frame protection and performance

enhancement.

The base model comes in classic

Ducati red, while the SP features a more

sporty red and white colour scheme

with black accents on the duck bill (Duc

bill?), and the gold Öhlins forks and

piggyback shock also differentiate the

SP from a distance.

The mechanical improvements of

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performance and control, increasing

accessibility without dumbing things

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you’re going to the track, the SP is the

clear choice, but a base Hypermotard

with the quick shifter option would

still likely fare very well. For the street,

the SP might be overkill, since the

suspension and tire upgrades make less

sense, but I would still opt for the quick

shifter on the base model even if you

don’t go to the track. Your only job now

is getting you and your new Hyper to

Gran Canaria.