Ducati’s single-cylinder motard doesn’t claim to be a tourer, but how does it fare on a road trip?
Up until now, every road test of Ducati’s all-new 659cc single-cylinder supermoto has focused on its fun factor. From the first launch report to MCN’s head-to-head with closest rival the KTM 690 SMC R, the Hypermotard’s outright ability to make you smile has been tested and analysed to the nth degree.
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- Update one: First impressions and predictions
Quite rightly so, after all, the Mono is an unashamed joy machine and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. However, that doesn’t stop you from wondering what it’s like on the more mundane missions… To find out, I resolved to gird my loins and set out on a big-mile motorway day.
A quest for answers
Having become quite soft in my old age, the thought of riding a supermoto 400 miles in a day genuinely weighed heavy on my mind. Mentally wincing at the anticipated hours of discomfort ahead, I brimmed the Hyper’s 12-litre tank with unleaded and departed through the gloom of an early winter morning for my trans-Pennine destination. The plan was to battle up the A1 and over the M62 to visit family in West Lancashire, before hammering home down the M6 and home in time for tea.
My first glimmer of hope on the horizon comes from the illuminating glow of the Hyper’s headlamp. For such a compact unit, the bright white LED does an impressive job of lighting up the dingy twisties between home and the nearest A-road. Although narrow, the shaft of light is positioned just perfectly, so in the darkest moments before dawn I’m not left feeling my way through the inky blackness.
Forging up the A1, it’s time to settle into mile-munching mode. Shuffling back from the standard supermoto up-front-attack position, I slide myself rearward on the Hyper’s long, flat saddle into a more traditional riding pose and in doing so discover that the peg/bar/seat position works just as well for comfy cruising as it does for supermoto-spec shenanigans.
Aggressive elbows drop down into a more relaxed bend, plus even more’s on offer if you choose to loosen the U-clamps and rotate the bar back a few millimetres before you depart. From elbows to arse; bum support is catered for by the flared saddle, which widens to 190mm and is in the Goldilocks zone when it comes to firmness, just right for keeping me sitting comfortably for the tank’s duration.
Equally impressive is the Hyper’s motor, which thrums along in top gear at motorway speeds without any hint of vibration. It’s simply the most refined single cylinder I’ve ever experienced, and its front and rear balancer shafts clearly work their mechanical magic when it comes to neutralising vibrations, whilst the rubber-mounted ’bars add an extra layer of insulation.
Could be so good…
Pleasantly surprised by the comfort I find myself in, it’s only the flickering of the fuel warning light after 80 miles which furrows my brow. I decide to indulge in a game of fuel-range-roulette and push on past the services then spend a tense 25 miles wondering just how much of the Hyper’s 12 litres is left… Safely on the forecourt after 105 miles, 10.5l of explosive nectar goes back in meaning I had enough spare for potentially another 13 miles. Onwards to Lancashire we push…
Darkness has fallen by the time I hit the road again, but the prospect of the 190-mile schlep down the M6 is no longer daunting. For all its supermoto exuberance, the Hyper’s been a surprising delight on this long, dull journey.
Sure, the zero wind protection and tiny fuel tank are its biggest stumbling blocks, but shove on some rally-style bodywork, a bigger tank, a slightly more comprehensive dash and a pair of 21/18in spoked wheels, and you’d have wonderful basis for a lightweight adventure tourer. It’s baffling that Ducati have insisted that they won’t be bringing out any further models on the 698 Mono platform for the foreseeable future. Shame, that…
