So... yeah... my couple weeks of riding on the road with my 449 has gotten me hooked. Yeah, me... the guy who said he'd NEVER ride on the road. I'm an absolute idiot newbie about anything to do with street machines. All I know is I don't want a fricken' Harley. I really like the seating position and feel of the Motards. I keep going back to the Ducati dealer to sit on the Hypermotard 796. I think I like it. Tell me about Ducati...
I love those things, with the exception of the front fender/headlight. If I had one, I would seriously consider a round Baja Designs headlight and a more traditional SM fender. That said, I love those bikes. The only real consideration with Ducks is the weird Desmo valve actuation, which makes valve adjustments time consuming. However, I think the intervals for adjustment are pretty liberal, now--10 or 12k miles? I used to be a big Monster fan, but the recent editions dont' have the comfortable bar position. The Hypermotards are super comfortable. At least in the showroom...I've never actually ridden one.
We have a 2011 Hypermotard EVO SP and it is a BLAST You should definitely get one. The bike is extremely agile and sounds excellent. Our first real ride on it was in the Ozark mountains, and it is definitely made for twisty roads. Probably the worst thing about it is the fuel range. The light comes on around 100 miles and is only good for about 20 miles after that. On the plus side, there are a couple of aftermarket tanks out there, though they are $$. The seat is also kind of iffy. When you sit on it in the dealership it doesn't feel all that bad...when you actually take it out for a ride for more than an hour or two, it becomes quite uncomfortable. We're either going to get the DP comfort seat or have the stock one modified. That being said, I wouldn't consider the 796. Everything I've read about it is that it is underpowered and really just suited for around-town commuting and joyriding. We bought another Ducati at the same time...the 2010 Multistrada 1200. That bike is amazing as well. Its a blast in the twisties and has much better range than the Hypermotard...both in fuel and in comfort.
If you want a down and dirty corner eating town and commuting bike; Triumph Street Triple. 105 hp at 416lbs. They love corners and the front end will come up on you if you don't watch it.... We've got a pair of them.....
The street riding will not beat you up like the trail riding 4 sure... But you have speed limits, car, trucks, cops , intersections, tags, insurance?, traffic jams, and UR over all behavior in the public's view to deal with ... other than that, it is great ... Some of the new streeters are over the top with Ducati leading the way ... They have a wireless throttle model and true, true dual sports ... I have a 2002 Triumph 955 Daytona for sale :0) ... but in WA state ...
I've watched Ruben "Spiderman" Xaus, wring out the HyperMotard so many times. It is such a sick machine, and looks like such an addiction I want nothing to do with it. But dang I HIGHLY recommend to anyone that can keep that addiction under control. The video advert is the best safe conditions hooligan video, especially when Spiderman does the one hander sideways wave http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL9pV0TMa2Q and that's all I have to say about that. Go get that thing.
I have a 1100S Hypermotard with lots of mods. Fun bike on twisty roads. Not so much fun while droning on the highway. It needs to be uncorked, intake and exhaust along with fuel mapping changes. The forks could use some help too, heavier springs at a minimum. The S and Evo S models have killer monobloc brakes. This bike will drain your bank account fast. You will not be able to resist titanium parts, carbon fiber, billet and shiny trinkets. With that said, if I were to do it over, I would get a HD XR1200X instead.
As a Brit, it doesn´t pain me to admit .... motorbikes ARE Italian. I´d sooner walk that be seen on a Harley or a BMW. Cars may well be German, cooking may well be French but bikes can never be anything but Italian. And Ducati´s way up at the top.
Yep, have a multi 1100s and its a real cracker. The Hyper is bloody amazing and so agile. its downside is range and comfort and the probability of loosing the lisense. Think about the new 1200 Multi its mind blowing (24,000 km service intervals too)
