We haven’t seen AMCN tester and professional delinquent David Watt this excited about a ride in a very long time
A Supermotard by definition is an off-road motorcycle adapted for racing with road wheels, brakes and suspension. So, when Ducati rolled out the Hypermotard many years ago with an 1100cc air cooled V-twin, 17-inch wheels, brakes off a superbike, motorcross ‘bars and a plank for a seat, it was no surprise that they went and won the famous dirt and bitumen Pikes Peak Hill Climb with it.

Over the years, the Hypermotard has evolved, and the current version is a 950cc water-cooled V-twin beast with similar off-road DNA. While not putting out superbike horsepower, it will dominate a tight and twisty backroad in the right hands. But it’s still a bit big compared to a proper racing Supermotard.
Enter the single-cylinder Hypermotard 698 Mono. Now even the smallest racetracks and the tightest twisties can be dominated with a Hypermotard.
LOVES TO REV
As far as Ducatis go, this one is special. Not in the usual, limited numbers, dripping in unobtanium and carbon kind of special. It’s more like the delinquent stepchild kind of special. It’s a bit wild. I’m not sure what came first, the chicken or the egg, but the Hypermotard Mono was born to carry the newly developed 659cc Superquadro Mono. It’s the most sophisticated high-performance single-cylinder road engine ever created.
This engine was derived from the 1299 Panigale superbike, where it essentially borrowed one of the two cylinders complete with four-valve desmodromic valve actuation, steel exhaust and titanium intake valves, allowing the single cylinder to rev to a massive 10,250rpm – thanks to the help of two balancer shafts and a short 62.4mm stroke.

The alternator, clutch and cylinder head covers are magnesium and the cylinder is alloy rather than steel, just like the 1299 Superleggera, to keep weight to a minimum. It cranks out 57kW (76.5hp) and 63Nm, which might seem boring to most Ducati fans, but the 698 Mono weighs only 151kg without fuel. The power and torque are delivered higher in the rev range than other single-cylinder engines, which makes the power delivery progressive and the powerband wide. For a single cylinder, it loves to rev and performs best when doing so.

The chassis is a tubular steel trellis which uses the engine as a stressed member. The swingarm bolts straight to the engine rather than to the frame, which keeps overall weight down and keeps the bike nice and slim. The chassis weighs just 7.2kg.
The swingarm will make diehard Ducati fans a bit sad; there is no single-sided arm here. Just a functional, symmetric and lightweight alloy dual-sided item. Function over form on this weapon.
The lightweight wheels aren’t what you normally see on a proper motard, but these cast alloy wheels are 0.5kg lighter than the equivalent spoked items. Unsprung weight is the devil on small bikes, so any saving is a welcome one.

Suspension is by Marzocchi, with a lightweight fully adjustable 45mm aluminium fork with DLC coating. The rear shock is also fully adjustable, although you will need tools to adjust pre-load.
ADVANCED ELECTRONICS
Now for the kicker, the electronics package. Developed on the Panigale V4 superbike, the electronics on this hoon machine are more advanced than the competition. There’s ride modes, power modes, cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, engine brake control and launch control all as standard. The RVE model gets an up/down quickshifter also.

The ABS has four levels, from front wheel only without lean angle measuring, to full wet mode lean angle sensitive ABS. Traction control has four modes, as well as completely off, ranging from track riding and doing power slides, to full wet mode for maximum safety.
A separate wheelie control has four levels also. Mode 1 allows smooth and controlled wheelies, whereas the higher modes restrict wheelies and focus on acceleration and safety. I prefered to just have it switched off. How else will I achieve the 698 Mono goal Ducati wrote on the seat?
Launch control is a bit of a gimmick I think, but it works perfectly well; you engage it while wheelie control and traction control are active and hold the throttle flat out and just release the clutch smoothly. It controls the wheelie for you and gets you away as fast as possible. Fun to try, but unless you are racing, you would never really use it.

There are three power modes, the highest offering full power and an aggressive throttle map. The second still has full power but with a softer throttle map. Then there’s a wet mode with reduced power. Engine brake control has three levels also. The four ride modes are Sport, Road, Urban and Wet. These modes are all individually customisable for each parameter through the menu.

ENDURO FEEL
So, how does all this translate to the ride experience? The Hypermotard is very minimalistic for track and urban use, so comfort isn’t high on the needs list. It feels to me quite like a 450cc enduro bike to sit on. The seat is flat and quite firm so you can shift your weight around on the bike. The ‘bars are wide and you sit upright and on the bike rather than in it. As it is so light, small movements make a big difference to the bike’s behaviour. The seat is quite tall at 904mm but being light and skinny, it’s very easy to manage with one foot down. The dash unit is neatly tucked in behind the small front fairing; it’s black and white and quite small, but displays all the vitals including a tacho, shift light, modes and trip meters etc.

SOUNDING OFF
When you fire up the Superquadro Mono, it sounds unlike any Ducati – well, maybe the new Ducati Desmo450 MX racer. It is no V-twin orchestra, that’s for sure. The engine is free revving and the flywheel effect is low. It’s obviously a super modern engine rather than a big old thumper found in an adventure bike.
First gear is pretty long for racetrack performance, so you need a few revs to get it rolling. Negotiating traffic is a breeze; the high riding position is commanding and vision is great. I’m carving up in no time.
It soon becomes apparent that the 698 Mono doesn’t do its best work with small throttle openings and maintaining a constant speed. Even running it in a lower gear doesn’t seem to fix the feeling; there’s a bit of surging while holding a constant light throttle.

Once up to freeway speeds, it’s smoother and will roll along at 120km/h without any issues. It’s much happier with more aggressive throttle inputs and who am I to argue? Especially once I worked out how to disengage that wheelie control.
The 698 has plenty of poke. Those coming from larger bikes will feel the power is a bit dull, but once you learn to use all the available revs, it’s very rapid. It also shines brightest in tight, twisty roads. I didn’t get the opportunity to ride it on a track, I had to make do with all my dodgy squirrel roads around the place to see how it performs.

The feeling from the suspension and chassis is simply amazing. Initially I felt as though the damping was way too soft, especially on the rear. When tipping into corners rapidly, it felt as though it would squat too much and then unload again. While refuelling, I wound a few turns of rebound and compression onto the rear and some up front as well. I grossly under-estimated the effect it would have on the Marzocchi/Sachs equipment; it completely transformed the bike into a stiff race-spec weapon.

The roads I ride are far from racetrack quality, so I softened it up slightly and found my happy place. I could feel every imperfection on the road and every twitch of the tyre slipping or skidding. It’s a refreshing feeling to be so connected to the tarmac. Direction changes are rapid and the wide MX ‘bars help keep thing very precise. Although it does take a bit to get your head around how fast it turns. The steep front rake keeps plenty of weight on the front wheel when cornering. There is no feeling of the front end pushing even when forcing the bike right down and scraping a footpeg. I could push it deep into corners, trail braking right to the apex and feel safe every time, even if the back was sliding or off the ground.
The brakes are sweet. The big single front disc only requires one finger to operate and has excellent feel. Stoppies are quite common if you have the ABS in the track focused modes. The ABS is unbelievable, Mode 2 and 3 will let you drift the rear end into corners until it gets too wide or as you start really leaning into the corner it brings the bike back into line and safe again.
It blows my mind that all this is on essentially a dirt bike with road tyres. The Pirelli Diablo
Rossi 4 tyres really compliment the 698. Even when caught in the rain they did a bang-up job. In the dry they are simply amazing. They are pretty soft, but with a light bike and low power output, you can ride the wheels off it and they aren’t going to wear terribly. The front will almost last forever, 698 Monos remember.
VERDICT
Let’s talk turkey. The Hypermotard 689 Mono costs $24,100 in standard guise or $25,400 rideaway for the RVE (as tested) This is a large pill to swallow, but when you consider all the tech that has been loaded (uploaded) into it, plus the weapon of a Superquadro Mono engine that sees 15,000km between oil changes and 30,000km between valve services, it doesn’t seem as hard to swallow. The only real competitor on the scene is the KTM/Husqvarna/GasGas 690/701/700 (depending on your favourite colour). The Orange one retails for $20,695 rideaway, has a more basic electronics package and similar power and weight. Fuel consumption, if it even matters when you’re having this much fun, averages about 5L/100km. The fuel tank is only 12L, so I soon got on a first-name basis with the local 7-Eleven, which is handy as now I didn’t need to remove my helmet.
There is no fuel gauge on the 698, just a light that comes on and tests how big my balls are by counting the kilometres travelled since it came on rather than the distance until I need to start walking. I give in after 12km and a splutter as I launch from the lights. It takes 10.5L after getting me 200km in total.
To me, motards are the rawest form of motorcycling and this one is the duck’s guts! Yes, there is less outright power and top speed than a V-twin powered Hypermotard or Superbike, but the things you can do and the feelings are unmatched. It’s what go-karting is to car drivers.
There is a reason so many MotoGP riders use motarding as training. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re into testing your limits and being a bit of a delinquent, take one for a spin.
PROS – Outstanding tech with advanced electronics galore. Handling is simply amazing. Hoonability is off the charts.
CONS – Initial outlay may be off-putting. The corners of the seat kept popping out. There aren’t enough racetracks near me.
School sports
KTM 690 SMC R
$20,695 ride away
Husqvarna 701 Supermoto
$20,795 ride away
Gas Gas SM 700
$19,995 ride away
Make it yours
Ducati have a few select goodies ready to pimp out the Hypermotard 698. If you opt for the standard model rather than the RVE we tested, you might want to add the quickshifter. Besides the different colour scheme, the quickshifter is the only difference. This can be had for $515.77 plus labour. If you don’t want your hoon machine sounding like a Honda Postie bike, you will certainly want to take a gander at the exhaust options. The first is a beaut set of black and red Termignoni road-legal slip-on mufflers. This keeps everything street legal and above board and costs $2989 plus labour. The next option is a full titanium exhaust system with twin mufflers.
You may baulk at the price tag, however let me do some explaining. The exhaust system comes with a different airbox lid and an ECU update to exploit the extra air flow. This adds 10 per cent more power (7hp). Imagine throwing an exhaust on your superbike and getting 20 horsepower! Also, as an added bonus you get an updated wheelie control setting called wheelie assist. This helps you hold sick mingas right the way through third gear. This kit is sold as “racetrack use only”, but I won’t tell anyone. It will set you back $4454 plus labour. If your credit card still works after that there is a bucketload of carbon stuff, mirrors, levers, brake and clutch fluid reservoirs, heated grips and LED blinkers. The Lowering kit will drop the seat height 40mm and the low seat a further 15mm for the vertically challenged. You can also add the multimedia receiver to run your phone calls and music through the dash.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Capacity 659cc
Type Single cylinder, 4 valve, desmodromic, counterbalanced
Bore & stroke 116mm x 62.4mm
Compression ratio 13.1:1
Cooling Liquid
Fueling EFI 62mm throttle body
Transmission Six-speed
Clutch Wet, multi-plate, slipper
Final drive Chain
PERFORMANCE
Power 57kW (76.5hp) @ 9750rpm (claimed)
Torque 63Nm @ 8000rpm (claimed)
Top speed 190km/h (estimated)
Fuel consumption 5.0L/100km (measured)
ELECTRONICS
Type Magnetti Marelli, Bosch ABS
Rider aids ABS, traction control, quick shift, wheelie control, launch control, engine brake control, ride modes
CHASSIS
Frame type Tubular steel trellis, aluminum swingarm
Rake 26.1°
Trail 108mm
Wheelbase 1443mm
SUSPENSION
Type Marzocchi, Sachs
Front: 45mm telescopic fork, fully adjustable, 215mm travel
Rear: Monoshock with linkage, fully adjustable, 240mm travel
WHEELS & BRAKES
Wheels 5-spoke light alloy
Front: 17 x 3.5in Rear: 17 x 5in
Tyres Pirelli Diablo Rosso 4
Front: 120/70 ZR17 (M/C 58W)
Rear: 160/60 ZR17 (M/C 69W)
Brakes Brembo, ABS
Front: Single 330mm floating disc, Brembo M4.32 caliper.
Rear: Single 245mm disc, Brembo single piston floating caliper.
DIMENSIONS
Weight 151kg (No fuel, claimed)
Seat height 904mm
Width not given
Height not given
Length not given
Ground clearance not given
Fuel capacity 12L
SERVICING & WARRANTY
Servicing First: 1000km
Minor: 15,000km
Major: 30,000km
Warranty Two years, unlimited km
BUSINESS END
Price $24,100 base, $25,400 RVE (Ride away)
Colour options Ducati Red, Graffiti (RVE)
CONTACT