Purely for kicks and giggles, I'm going to test ride a Ducati Hypermotard. I have zero intend to buy one. Honestly. It looks a bit on the tiny side. I'm 6'3", 210lbs. Any biggies out there own one? How's the legroom. Other opinions? I'm not gonna buy. My wife would kill me. I've got plenty of rides. I can't afford it. I'm no pretty boy. I like the S.
I test rode an S recently...it's like sex on wheels. Best, most awesome motorcycle I have ever experienced. Make sure to ride a black one, they're faster.
For someone who has no intention of buying you're awfully worried about how it will fit you Right now Ducati has .9% financing on the Hyper...it's like they're daring you to test ride on and not buy it! Most fun I've ever had on a bike!
Prepare to be blown away. I didn't get the Hypermotard until I demo'd it, and now it's one of my favorite bikes. Smooth, stable, quick, and it wheelies like no other
I test rode a HM and had every intention of buying one before the ride. Not what I had expected. I went with a 950SM after a short, but fun ride. I had ridden neither a Duc nor a Ktm prior to this. You never know till you ride it!
I have a good relationship with my local Ducati dealer here in Denver - Erico Motorsports. I had some time to kill during a visit to look at/price a centerstand for my GT-1000, and went for a ride an HM-S. Great suspension and brakes. Instant throttle response, and very strong torque. I like that bike a lot, but it's not for me - I'm a hardcore pavement guy, and don't feel quite comfortable with the riding position. But I can sure as hell see the attraction to guys/gals who are comfortable on dirtbikes. I'm taking 'Lil Miss Duckie in for Her 7500-mile service today, and intend to ride an S4 Monster before I leave........
i'm 6'2" 210 and the motard fits me fine. The foot pegs are a little lower which accomadate a leggier rider. I've had mine for 3mos/3000miles and i like it more and more every day.
The KTM Super Duke is an INCREDIBLE bike. With that said, however, the reason I got my used SD was that the original owner traded it in on a Duc HM. If it truly is better than an SD, you might have a heck of a time going home without a lighter wallet! But have fun, Tom
So the Ducati demo truck was at the Carolina dealership in Greensboro and was a very popular event. Hope this bodes well for the guys in their new shop! I got there too late to get on the official ride list for the HM, but the regional Ducati rep was nice enough to take me out on a short personal tour. We never got over about 50mph and we weren't scraping pegs or anything, but there were a few turns and bends. The riding position was very comfortable. Upright, elbows out and enough legroom, which was my big concern. This bike is small and I'm not, but I fit fine. The seat on the bike was the accessory racing seat. Felt good and grippy. The bike had the full racing exhaust system, which moves the system from underneath the seat to high on the side. All I can say, is if I got this bike, I'd get this exhaust. Supposedly for $2,500, it adds 5 hp, but who cares, it sounds fantastic. I mean, really, really nice and I'm not a loud pipe guy. The bike is light and turns in easily. The power is smooth with no fueling issues and it shifts nicely. I've got a KTM 530 exc-r and a BMW K12GT. I think the Ducati HM would be the absolute perfect tweener. But, um, that opinion is apparently not shared, dammit. Maybe an '09.
BCC... Thanks for the impressions. Have an HM S with the full Termi. 6'4" 200lbs. Fit it fine. What a comfy thing despite its appearance of compact dimensions... and to be sure, its dimensions are tailored for its intended purposes. It has few peers on roads with bends. Would concur, this full 2-1 Termignoni delivers one of most moving, intoxicating exhaust notes I've ever heard. Perhaps the greatest appeal is how diff/unique the HM is from most sporting rides (And other rides for that matter). I'm not sure it would be the ideal "only" bike, but what a perfect complement it would be to just about anything else in the stable.
I'm 6'2", and 210 lbs. and the bike fits me great. I was really amazed once I got it and started riding it, how comfortable it is. I was afraid I'd look like a circus bear on a bicycle, but wifey assures me that I don't. For me, the small windshield was a good investment, as it made 80 mph on the superslab do-able . Other than that, add the Termi exhaust, gas, and just ride it. Now to the surprising part - the other day we we went out riding with my nephew, and his 907 Duc broke down, so to get home, we put him on my wife's Street Triple, while she rode on the back of the HM. Believe it or not, she liked riding on the back of the HM better than riding on my '07 Triumph Tiger. She said it was more comfortable and it felt like it handled better two up than the Tiger. I was shocked, as I didn't think it would even be acceptable two up. I think you'll be surprised how good an overall bike it is. Dave
I had the exact same experience but eventually got rid of the 950 for the Megamoto. The 950 was a killer bike but I had to have a MM.
I owned a HMS, 950SM and now the MM. I had the HMS for about 300 miles. Looks was all it had. Both my mirror assemblies broke. The aftermarket exhausts were necessary to get a decent sound, but were hugely expensive for what you got. The power was adequate, I guess. The 950SM, in my opinion, was a much better bike in terms of power, handling, build quality, riding position, and tuning ability. The only thing the HMS had over the 950SM was looks. If I hadn't decided to go brand loyal to BMW, the 950SM would still be in my garage.
Well to defend the HM from the MM folks , the HM here has zero build quality issues, has been utterly reliable, is spot on tuned, and magazine tests note the trap times are all about the same -- if this matters to bench racers. And no big bore motard made it to the top of Pikes Peak this year as fast as the HM. So let's turn to the subjectives... appearance? No question. Exhaust note to die for? Used to own a KTM 990 ADV and adore BMW flat twins, but one would be in the minority believing the KTM or BMW has the edge here. As other posts have noted above, riding position is excellent. But we're slicing hairs here -- all are excellent and I would get get a kick out of owning any of them.
I test rode one this past wknd here in Falls Church VA. Can't comment on top-end power since I didn't get a chance to open 'er up since we were riding w/control riders. Low-end felt strong & torquey as it's supposed to be & FI was spot on, no hicups or hesitation. Bike felt solid & maneuverable for a bike of it's size (I ride an XR650R & KTM Duke). Gas tank is tiny so plan accordingly for long trips. I'd have to do a "proper" test ride of it & the Super Duke before making a decision. The HM has the upper hand in looks, the SD in everything else.
Don't get me wrong, I think the HM is a great bike, looks,motor, handling, but the seating is horrific. The slide forward to the tank is a nut crusher. I'd like to see if the guys that rate this seat as excellent even have a pair of nuts to get crushed towards the tank? In adddition, most mag testers have noted that the HM is more focused towards the track as opposed to everyday riding and most would not choose this bike over the MM or 950SM if they had to ride it everyday. Nor would I even if the seat were made tolerable. As for Pikes Peak, Kudos to the HM for the win this year, but its still 20 seconds off the 1,200cc record set by the MM last year. No thanks, I'll keep my MM for now. If you're into a ball crushing track bike there's a nice shiny new HM in the flea market with under 1,000 miles on it.
Perhaps the seating is horrific for you but not me at all or the many at the Hyper forums. Seats are always subjective. I just have my rear scooted back a bit. As a matter of fact, the big roomy seat has me moving all over the place depending on the ride and tempo, never giving me discomfort from a locked-in position. As noted in the last HM thread, the conditions at Pikes Peak (including dense fog and mist) were deplorable this year. All times were well down from previous years.
I wrote a review a while back. check it out. http://www.coastalducaticlub.org/forum/index.php?topic=2397.0
I absolutely refuse to demo ride this bike. I love my wife too much to put her through that. Besides the couch gets uncomfortable after a week.
