Tuscany – Italy, a beautiful country renowned for its rolling green hills, roads that contain switchback after tight switchback, spectacular views, fabulous wine, cheese and olives and, of course, the perfect location for the launch of the new Ducati Hyperstrada.
I have always been a fan of Ducati’s Hypermotard and a few years back took one on a trip to Clarens in the Free State. After about 100kms on the straight (and I do mean straight) motorway, it became obviously apparent that the Hypermotard was never designed with touring in mind as it has absolutely zero wind protection. The Hypermotard, in its true nature, is a focussed hooligan machine, it loves to wheelie, stoppie and is extremely agile, so mountainous territory with tight, bendy roads are its natural playground. Throughout the entire journey to Clarens, while I was lying down on the tank in my attempt to escape the wind, I was thinking that it would be nice to own one if only there was a little more in the way of wind protection, without compromising the personality of the bike. Now while I cannot wheelie or stoppie (and even though I would love to I’m not even going to try because it IS going to go wrong isn’t it?), I still thoroughly enjoy the Hypermotard because it is so light and easy to ride and it is a Ducati after all so it has a certain amount of street cred too.
Well it would appear that I wasn’t the only one who was thinking along those lines because the latest offering from Ducati comes in the form of the all new Hyperstrada which is a bit of a cross mutation between the Hypermotard and the Multistrada, encompassing the best of both worlds; the lunatical capabilities of the ‘Motard combined with the practical touring capabilities of the Multi. Perfect and a bit Jeckyl and Hydish so what’s not to love because you will never get bored if you know what I mean?
So after a quick tour of the Ducati Factory and museum (a must for those of you who have never been if you are ever in Italy – really, really impressive) our group of international journalists set off from Bologna to Tuscany and our destination which would be the Hotel Le Terme, Bagno Vignoni in the province of Siena. It would be from here that we would head off into the Tuscan countryside to test ride the new Hyperstrada with the all new power unit for the next generation Hypermotard family in the form of the 821cc Testastretta 11 engine which includes an ideal, all-round performance-producing 110Hp, so rather a feisty little machine with loads of torque, typical of its pure Ducati character. The Hyperstrada also comes with Ducati Safety Pack (DSP) which incorporates 2-level ABS and 8-level DTC which underlines Ducati’s focus on performance and safety.
We set off early on a rather overcast and ominous looking morning in May which theoretically should have been the best time of year to ride in Tuscany but, after about five minutes of riding, the heavens opened up and the rain came down, followed by some rather severe hail (it was quite funny to see several journalists taking cover behind a giant tombstone on a hilltop until the hail stopped). Now although this may not sound ideal it was a good opportunity to test out the three different riding modes that come on the Hyperstrada which are; “Sport” (providing 110Hp, delivered with a “high” Ride by Wire throttle response, level-3 DTC (Ducati Traction Control) system intervention and level-1 ABS of sport oriented braking performance with reduced rear-end lift-up prevention), “Touring” (again providing 110Hp but delivered with a “medium” RbW throttle response, level-4 DTC system intervention and level-2 ABS with maximum safety and braking stability and increased rear-end lift-up prevention) and then lastly “Urban” (which provides 75Hp, delivered with a “low” RbW throttle response, level-6 DTC system intervention and level-2 ABS with maximum safety and braking stability and increased rear-end lift-up prevention) and it was the latter I would chose once we were on the move again until the roads dried up and the sun was out. The ‘Urban” mode really does tame the Hyperstrada and does exactly what it is intended to do which is to keep the rider safe in conditions that are not ideal for riding. Fortunately, the inclement weather cleared up quite quickly and it was at this point that I changed the mode into “Touring” which can, by the way, be done on whilst on the go and quickly by a mere selection on the display panel. A quicker throttle response delivered by the RbW and 110hp unleashed transforms the ride from a meek one into a more aggressive one instantly. For most of the morning I rode in this mode through the beautiful countryside of Tuscany which, as I mentioned before, has many, many twisties and I found the Hyperstrada an absolute pleasure in this mode; sporty enough to take the tight corners in its stride but I really loved the confidence I felt by knowing that the ABS and DTC were operating at near optimum levels. I would be barrelling along only to find a corner closing up on me and I would have to jump hard on the brakes which would bring the Hyperstrada to a controlled and quick stop every time, so enough said about that because I am still here, aren’t I?
At around midday, with photo sessions completed, we stopped at Montepulciano for a brief tour of the wine cellars, the technical presentation on the Hyperstrada and a hearty lunch Italian style. After lunch we set out again and this time I tried the bike in ‘Sport” mode. Now if you are a true Hypermotard fan, this is the mode that will appeal to you the most; the throttle response is that little bit more instant than in “Touring” mode and the ABS and DTC is at its lowest level (which incidently can be turned off entirely if living on the wild side is your thing) but, for me, the “Touring” mode is the best one of all and is exactly where Ducati is aiming this new Hyperstrada; for sporty touring with the maximum amount of safety offered.
In terms of touring, the Hyperstrada comes standard with a screen which, although not very big, does the job efficiently without too much fuss. Included in the package are two strong but lightweight and elegantly styled 50 litre panniers which are easily detachable and, if this is not enough storage space, there is a 31 litre top box available as an accessory. The Hyperstrada comes standard with handlebars that are raised 20mm higher than the Hypermotard’s and is fitted with thicker foam cushioning on the seat for both the rider and the pillion. All of these things make the Hyperstrada a very comfortable option when it comes to touring and not once throughout the entire day did I feel any signs of fatigue of discomfort.
So I have harped on about all the good things about the bike but there were definitely a couple of things that bothered me and I was wondering when the best time to tell them would be but, as we returned to the hotel, Andrea Forni, Ducati’s Technical Director, was waiting for us and presented me with the opportunity by simply asking me what I didn’t like with typical Italian gusto, so problem solved. Firstly, the side stand is in a ridiculous place; it is located just below the footpeg and so it takes some getting used to to get it out. I found it best to flick up the footpeg and quickly locate the stand and push it down. Secondly, there is no fuel guage and for touring purposes I would think that would be the one thing that Ducati would have included. Thirdly, there is no gear indicator - I just like them because I’m lazy and can’t count - and fourthly, I am not sure that the 16lt fuel tank capacity is enough in a country like South Africa where the distances between towns are quite far apart so for touring purposes that might be a bit of a concern.
In closing and besides the few little niggly things - which you will always find when you are pressed to find something negative - I actually really liked the bike and, as a female, I would own one. The Hyperstrada is a good middleweight all rounder and can be used for both touring and commuting purposes (the panniers don’t protrude too much and are compact and light and very useful for carting around your goodies on a daily basis) but, most importantly, for me, it is light, agile and comfortable to ride. Most adventure bikes on the market are huge, tall (the Hyperstrada’s seat height is 850mm which can be lowered to 830mm), bulky things which can be a little intimidating for a lady rider or even newer riders. The Hyperstrada, which weighs in at 204kgs, fully fuelled, is a decent weight compared to the likes of a GS which weighs in at close to 240kgs. Add to that a luggage system and a pillion and you are looking at carting a weight of over 300kgs around – too heavy for the average female or novice rider, so the Hyperstrada fills a much needed gap there. Another major factor to consider if you are looking at buying one is that Ducati have extended the service intervals to 15,000kms for a minor service and 30,000kms for a major service, bringing the running costs down nicely for this iconic Italian brand, so if that was ever a reason to not own a Ducati, it is not one anymore.
Along with the Hyperstrada comes a range of accessories such as heated grips, tank bag kit, Ducati – Garmin Zumo 300, larger touring screen, Termignoni exhaust systems and carbon fibre components, so you can customise your bike to make it practical and even more gorgeous too.
