A new leader in the street-legal supermoto category? Ducati’s Hypermotard 698 Mono is not an entry-level addition to the Hypermotard family. Yes, it’s the smaller-displacement, less-expensive alternative to the Hypermotard 950 V-twin, but it’s also a wicked, eye-opening extension of the family. It’s Ducati’s new approach to the street-legal supermoto category, made possible through an extreme emphasis on light weight, performance, and tech.
Check out the full story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/ducati-hypermotard-698-mono-first-ride-review/
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Check out the full story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/ducati-hypermotard-698-mono-first-ride-review/
Read more from Cycle World: https://www.cycleworld.com/
Buy Cycle World Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cycleworld
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00:00 Did Ducati build the most entertaining and capable street-legal supermoto?
00:04 We are here with the Hypermotard 698 Mono and 698 Mono RVE to find out.
00:10 All right, folks, here we are at a first ride event for these all-new bikes.
00:14 And really, what is a new era for Ducati? An era that will prominently feature this, the new Superquadro Mono
00:21 single-cylinder engine. Yes, Ducati is going back to building a single-cylinder and this thing is quite special.
00:27 Now, why is it special? Well, because this is essentially half of a 1299 Panigale V-twin engine.
00:34 A lot of the internal components here are pulled directly from that big V-twin,
00:38 including a massively over square engine that makes 77.5 horsepower at about
00:44 9,700 rpm and
00:46 46.5 pound-feet of torque at 8,000 rpm.
00:49 Now power is one thing, but the chassis is another and Ducati has gone all-in building a completely new chassis for these bikes.
00:57 With an extreme focus on weight at about 333 pounds dry.
01:02 That's about nine pounds more than Husky KTM and Gas-Gas models.
01:06 Now, geometry is also very similar to those competing models, but where this bike differs is in the wheelbase.
01:13 It is about an inch shorter. So why is Ducati doing that?
01:16 Well, they want a bike that still has that precision and stability to it, but is a lot of fun.
01:20 I mean, that is what this category is all about.
01:23 Now what you're not really seeing elsewhere in the category is a really expansive electronic suite.
01:28 So you've got four ride modes. You've got lean angle sensitive assist for traction control.
01:34 You've got Ducati wheelie control. You've got engine brakes and you've got ABS.
01:39 There are four levels of ABS with what Ducati calls
01:43 slide-by-brake. And now that is going to adjust the ABS parameters
01:47 depending on the mode that you're in to allow you to slide this bike into the corner full supermoto style.
01:54 On this RVE model here, you do get a bi-directional quickshifter standard and this graffiti livery,
01:59 which includes these special looking wheels there.
02:02 Now pricing on this is about $14,500, whereas the base model is going to retail for $13,000.
02:08 Now what are these things like to ride?
02:11 Of course, this is going to be super cliche, but the first word that comes to mind is fun.
02:16 What Ducati is really trying to do here is build a package that is both
02:20 user-friendly for a newer rider bringing them into the Ducati brand,
02:24 but also having something that a professional rider can go out and train with at their local car track.
02:29 This thing jumps off of a corner. It's a lot of fun, especially in sport mode. You've got a really direct throttle response.
02:36 Okay, it's a little bit aggressive, but it just gives this thing so much personality.
02:41 Now I really see this engine being used in other platforms down the road
02:45 because it is just a ton of fun. It's got a lot of potential to it.
02:50 It will be interesting to get this thing out on the street because one thing that Ducati has done is made a tall first gear.
02:56 That's going to make it so you don't have to shift coming out of a tight corner.
02:59 That makes it so you have to slip the clutch and roll the gas on quite a bit when you're leaving a stop.
03:04 But for the most part that is really the only thing we notice as a negative in this power plant.
03:08 I should also say that this has dual counterbalancers,
03:11 just like what you're going to see in the competition and that helps this thing be really smooth.
03:15 Moving over to the chassis with that tall suspension and wheelbase.
03:19 And what I really did notice is in some of the big faster corners,
03:23 you get to have a lot of feel from the front end. You get the thing leaned over and you can just keep
03:28 cranking the thing over because you've got a really good feel at the contact patch.
03:31 Speaking of front end feel, it is probably one of my favorite aspects of the bike, especially on the brakes.
03:37 Coming into a tight corner, it is really impressive how hard you can get on those binders and
03:43 dive the thing into the corner and really actually ride this thing like a proper Supermoto.
03:48 Of course, the big thing here is that you do have that electronics package to back you up.
03:52 And I especially like that slide-by-brake.
03:54 Now depending on the level that you're in,
03:56 allowing you to step the bike out a certain amount as you get into the corner.
04:00 The only thing that we did notice from an electronic standpoint is that that dash is still quite small.
04:05 Yes, it is nicer than anything else you're gonna find in this category.
04:08 That just makes it to where it takes a little bit of time to get used to adjusting settings in this smaller display.
04:14 You've got to roll through a menu and then press a button here on the left side of the handlebar to make sure you're changing
04:19 the settings that you want for each of those electronic rider aids.
04:23 Now because it is a Supermoto, there are gonna be some limitations. We've only ridden this bike at a car track.
04:29 It's gonna be a little different story when you get into town.
04:32 But hey, I don't think this is something that you're gonna buy and do a ton of miles on.
04:36 What they are for is having a good time. You've got a package that is truly impressive.
04:43 Especially when you consider that this is Ducati's first attempt at building something with that new single-cylinder engine.
04:48 And something that is a little bit of a departure from the larger displacement Hypermotards elsewhere in its lineup.
04:54 If you're shopping for a street-legal Supermoto, you should definitely give these things a look.
04:59 Now they will be in dealers soon and we are excited to see what you do with them.
05:05 Thanks for tuning in to our first ride review of the new Hypermotard 698 Monos.
05:10 Be sure to click the like button, drop a comment if you've got any questions about this bike.
05:15 Don't forget to head over to CycleWorld.com to read our full review.
05:18 Thanks guys for tuning in. We'll see you on the next one.
05:21 [Music]