2016 Ducati Hypermotard SP - LONG TERM BIKE TRACK TEST UPDATE

Last time we talked, I told you about how I added the screen and luggage from the Ducati Hyperstrada to make my very own Hypermotard-strada SP. I also told you about how I rode one of the most incredible routes up to Laguna Seca for the WSBK race. Well, what I didn’t tell you was that I stayed for a day after the race and, thanks to the nice folks at Pirelli, got to ride until my little cold heart was content. Sometimes, life hands you ice cream cones instead of lemons.

Getting the bike ready for track duty was as simple as pulling off the bags and windscreen (though I'd have needed to tape/unplug the lights and pull the mirrors if this were a normal track day). The Pirelli team sorted me a fresh set of Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SPs for the day and I was good to go.

Initially, I thought Laguna Seca might be a pretty intimidating place for the Hyper's first track outing. As we pulled up to the track that day, I actually realized I had never been on anything nearly this tall on a track before, and the idea of dropping down the corkscrew instantly took me back to the one and only time I dropped down into a vert ramp and a skateboard.

My first lap out was relatively slow as I sussed out how the Hyper would transition from side to side and how it would feel under the intense elevation changes the track provided.

Three laps later I was pretty sure I never wanted to ride another sportbike at a track ever again. The level of comfort and control the Hyper provided made the entire experience of riding a track more light and fun. Granted, that's partially because I love riding upright bikes and partially because I'm a big baby and I tend to cramp on sport bikes. But, overall the Hyper excelled at being a track bike.

The stock Pirelli tires give lots of grip, and the SP transitions incredibly quickly from side to side. Initially I thought that the long left of turn five would give me issues, but the Hyper was far happier at lean than I expected. Not quite sportbike levels, but not at all twitchy. Likewise, coming down the cork was drama free as well, and the position actually make spotting my reference points and the quick transitions much faster. Despite the tall 34.4 inch seat height, the Hyper is actually pretty easy to get a knee down as well.

The only areas where the bike did struggle were the two straights, the first across the finish line and the second heading up into the corkscrew. Coming around the tight turn onto the front straight, I struggled to keep the front end down, but then struggled to match the pace of my sportbike riding buddies. Blame the torque and light front end for the first two, and overall horsepower for the latter.

On the other side of the track riding up to the corkscrew, the high speeds paired with the steep elevation had me feeling like I was going to fall off the back of the bike. I guess that whole tucking yourself into a little ball and staying low does have an advantage or two.

After spending most of the day playing, I started really trying to push the Hyper. I'd love to claim it was out of my dutiful attempt to bring you a test from every conceivable angle and I decided to push the bike past it's limits for science, but if I'm being honest it's because Alpinestars' PR man Heath Cofran is just better on the brakes on his race kitted Scrambler than I am and Asphalt & Rubber's Jensen Beeler joined our little group on the Monster 1200 R.

What started as a pass or two that was a little extra close "for friendship" turned into the three of us backing it into turn 11, running three wide into turn two, and trading places several times a lap as each of us refused to quit. Jensen's Monster had the horsepower advantage on the straights, but I was better between turns two and six, and Heath's superb braking and racing experiences helped him stuff us in the corners coming back down to the finish line. Somehow, we collectively realized that we'd pushed our luck enough and we came in before anyone got too acquainted with the asphalt.

Pushing it that hard, I realized that the Hyper has chassis stability issues similar to some of those of the Panigale under heavy braking, and that the front end could definitely benefit from a stabilizer to help under heavy acceleration and high speeds. Also, as I got more competitive, the lack of power (compared to the Kawasaki ZX-10Rs, Monster 1200 Rs, and Panigales passing me) made me consider ways to get more out of the 939 for future track use.

Overall, the stock Hypermotard SP really impressed me on the track and I can't wait to get it back out there. It wasn't my fastest day, but it was probably the most fun I've ever had riding a track, and it's exciting to think about turning the Hyper into an even better track weapon.

2016 Ducati Hypermotard 939 - DYNO TEST 2016 Ducati Hypermotard & Hypermotard SP - FIRST IMPRESSIONS 2016 Ducati Hypermotard SP - LONG-TERM PROJECT BIKE2016 Ducati Hypermotard SP - LONG-TERM PROJECT BIKE UPDATE TOURING

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