Ducati Hypermotard 950 RVE Review: Serious-ly Fun

It is 5.30am. Unlike my usual groggy state on most weekend rides, this time I was alert. Something about the day had turned my mind on way before my body could even wake up. All I could dream through the night was just how mental the day was going to pan out. Managing to snag the keys to the Ducati Hypermotard 950 for nearly a week, I was already on an adrenaline high. 

This bike is special. Its reputation of being the wild child of Ducati’s mental motorcycles had made quite an impression on a teenage Jehan. The just-turned-20 year old Jehan got his first taste of the bike when a friend lent him the old 821 for a short spin. Now, this almost-30 Jehan is a bit more skilled and yet, was still shivering when he had to hop aboard. And as soon as the 937cc Testastretta motor thrummed to life, I knew I had to have my brain on guard for the sheer manicness that was about to unfold.

Focus.

Extreme focus. The Hypermotard demanded it from me. The tall stance does its best to intimidate you and the slender seat throws you off big time. It is like a MX bike on ’roids and road tyres. And when you approach a corner, you have to fight off every instinct to throw your body into the corner, because you will end up cocking it up. Instead, stay upright, throw the bike down and go supermoto. Then, you start to see the magic unfold.

As I began my climb up the ghat of Lavasa, the Hyper just rollicked from one bend to another. Snaking through the tight switchbacks of Lavasa was light work for the Hypermotard. It was super precise, no forgiving side to it. If the rider is a nincompoop, the rider will pay the penalty. It is a sensory overload, keeping you dancing on your toes always.

I might have been a tad too adventurous, lowering electronics intervention to the least. In Sport mode, the Hypermotard was unleashing the full fury of 115 thoroughbred Italian horses. Each and every one of the 96Nm of torques made it their point to make a mockery of my decision to fiddle around with the aids, hoisting the front wheel in the air at every given opportunity. Every time the front began getting lighter, my heart began pumping harder and levels of serotonin reached new levels.

And with the rear tyre spinning sideways ever so smoothly at corner exits made it one of the most memorable rides up my most frequented set of twisties. A glass of lime juice was needed to calm my heart rate to a reasonable level. 

While this was the account of the day I took the bike to understand its mannerisms, the shoot day was far from ideal. The monsoons had shown its erratic side as heavy downpour refrained us from doing more than a handful of shots that you see here.

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However, this is where the new Hypermotard’s sensible and slightly matured edge comes to its aid. Turning the engine mode into Touring, the mental bike becomes so much easier to handle. It isn’t quite as calming an experience as say a Monster but for the Hypermotard, it surely does show off its duality well.

Even when our photo guru Vikrant was fiddling around with his camera gear while I was getting drenched in the office leathers, I wasn’t getting flustered. In fact, the cool temperatures and the pouring rains amplified the experience to a whole new level. The small power slides remained in control. The wheelie control setting makes sure that I don’t end up doing something too silly in the far from ideal riding conditions. And need I say anything about the flawless operation of the quickshifter, a trait that has become synonymous with modern Ducati motorcycles.

There are a couple of compromises with the Hypermotard 950. The routing of the exhaust system ends up making your right leg always feeling a bit of the heat. Even when I was wearing my leathers with track boots, the heat emanating was felt around my ankle. 

Then there’s the stopping power. Since everything on the bike is more or less highly sophisticated, the brakes aren’t quite matching up. The Brembo M4.32 monoblocs are a couple of generations older than the top-spec hardware we have seen from Brembo. We aren’t expecting Stylema Rs on the bike but certainly the M50s would’ve made for a better fit.

Lastly, a halogen headlight on a modern Ducati is such an out of place addition. The Italian bikemaker has kitted its maniac with the highest suite of electronic aids and then skimping out on such a basic bit of modern tech seems like a letdown.

So, while these omissions and niggles do spoil the Hypermotard’s case a bit, they aren’t deal breakers by any stretch. Neither is it a conventional motorcycle nor is the buyer too. So, those who are willing to fork out over Rs 18 lakh for the bike are nutters. Had I had such money in the bank, the Hypermotard would definitely be a bike at the top of my list and I would proudly wear the nutter badge.