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After 10 years, Federico Minoli has stepped down from his Ducati CEO throne. He did so in a moment of the company’s strong recovery and growing successes thanks to the last two models he approved: first the 1098 Superbike and now the Hypermotard 1100.
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| Knee down: CW European Editor Bruno de Prato puts the Hypermotard 1100S to the test in Sardinia. |
While the honor guard marched off, I went to the introductory test of the Hypermotard, held on the twisty mountain roads of Sardinia and the only racetrack on the island, a tiny but pleasant circuit. Lean and aggressively styled, this latest creation from designer Pierre Terblanche proved to be the very functional final result of a daring but well-honed concept. At a claimed dry weight of 395 pounds (390 for the 1100S), the bike is light, and as is the case for the 1098, that alone is a sign of quality.
It feels light, too, and was easy to ride at moderate-to-medium speeds through town or on twisty mountain roads. Customers may choose the Hypermotard for its style, for it is a very fashionable motorcycle, but they will be won over by its performance. The bike is so intuitive that if you merely think “corner,” it steers and leans into it with ease. When I increased the pace, the highly competent chassis and the ultra-flexible air-cooled V-Twin stepped into play to allow a great ride. Despite aggressive front-end geometry (24 degrees of rake and 3.9 inches of trail), the Hypermotard showed rock-solid stability all the way to an indicated 127-mph top speed (with more left).
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| Rock solid! Carbon-fiber guards protect the friction-reducing coating applied to the S-model’s 50mm Marzocchi fork legs. |
On both standard and S models, the new Marzocchi fork is absolutely outstanding. Massive 50mm stanchions offer two benefits over the more widely used 43mm unit: first, greater rigidity, and secondly, more space for larger-capacity dampers and bigger-diameter coil springs. Additional frictional loads generated by the larger stanchions are countered by painstakingly accurate machining and the use of high-quality components.
At the racetrack, where the 1100S was fitted with the optional off-road-only 2-into-1 exhaust system delivering an additional 5 hp, the excellent responsiveness of the suspension made it easy to take full advantage of the 95 hp peak power and, even more important, the 76 ft.-lb. of torque delivered at 4750 rpm. Light, fast, responsive and surefooted, the Hypermotard 1100S attacked the 1.25-mile circuit deep in the heart of Sardinia with incredible eagerness.
Ducati World Superbike racer Ruben Xaus (on hand to show just how competent the Hypermotard is at the track) suggested correctly that taking advantage of the engine’s generous low-end response is the way to make this bike go fast. With assistance from the premium Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa III radials, the Hypermotard achieved remarkable lean angles, with only the footpegs scraping the tarmac just about the time my knee sliders did the same. Despite its tall stance, the bike maintained superb composure, neutrality and stability, even when negotiating the fastest bend of the track at about 85 mph in fourth gear.
The Hypermotard 1100 and particularly the 1100S are the perfect “tall-in-the-saddle” counterparts to the 1098. Spirited and superbly executed, they represent another pivotal moment for Ducati.
Sound Off! Do you want to try a big supermotard?
| Xtra Pics from “Monster Motard” in the July issue of Cycle World, on newsstands June 5th. |
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