The Ducati Hypermotard 1100 as Secondhand Motorcycle
Motorcycling isn't very sensible, it's fun. It's impossible to choose a motorcycle using your head as the heart has far more to do with our choices in life than anything else, despite what we like to think. The fact that motorcycles like the Ducati Hypermotard 1100 exist is proof of that.We don't like to be negative about anything, especially if it's got two wheels, but it's pretty hard to find a role for Ducati's take on the supermoto. It's not completely unique, KTM's 950 SM started the trend for big capacity heel draggers, but it does stray furthest from the original concept of a 'crosser with new tires'.
The quality and eye catching parts from the Ducati Hypermotard 1100 now synonymous with the Italian brand are all welcome, but they come at a price, in every sense.
The Ducati Hypermotard 1100 is no back street scratcher or ultra perfect commuter. With the mirrors out it's wider than the regular space you have in Thai traffic and the steering's nowhere near as quick as you'd expect. It's not got what you'd call a bullet proof front-end either, due to a more conservative geometry and center of gravity than the focused riding position suggest. Decent tires can help, but it'll still be less sure footed than the KTM. Let's just advise that trying to do a knee down may cause unfortunate side-effects.
On the plus side, the engine is a peach, just like it is in the old Ducati Multistrada. Bags of low down grunt make it feel as pokey as anything to 5,000rpm and it fuels perfectly. Don't bother chasing high rpm though, the 79 horsepower peak feels unsurprisingly flat after that initial surge. Combined with a complete lack of wind protection and the inherent inaccuracy soft tall springs, it's not shock the open road isn't where the Ducati Hypermotard 1100 wants to be either. In truth, it's a bit lost.
Howevery, despite these seemingly glaring drawbacks, somehow Ducati has made one of the most hilarious motorcycles ever built. Most of it comes down to its love of slow floating wheelies admittedly, but even those who aren't interested by stunts still hope of beaming. The Ducati Hypermotard 1100 can't even be criticized for having Italian reliability or quality issues. There have been no recalls, the engine is practically bulletproof and after speaking to a number of users they only common fault they'd admit to was paint peeling off the header pipes, which says it all ready. Bear in mind that the Ducati Hypermotard 1100 attracts a special type of motorcyclists in the first place.
Is the Ducati Hypermotard 1100 pointless though? No, the whole point of this machine is fun.
