DUCATI’S HYPERMOTARD GETS INKED
D
ucati is set to unleash the latest member
of its Hypermotard family in the form of
the new Hypermotard 950 RVE, which
enters the market between entry model
Hypermotard 950 and the top of the range
Hypermotard 950 SP in Ducati’s ludicrously
fun Hypermotard family.
The Ducati Hypermotard 950 RVE will be
available in Australia and New Zealand in very
limited numbers and will arrive in September
2020. Pricing for this model will be confirmed
by Ducati ANZ closer to the date of release.
Immediately setting the new Hypermotard 950
RVE apart from the rest of the Ducati range is the
livery called “Graffiti” instead of the usual solid red
we’ve come to associate with the Italian brand.
That name, by the way, is inspired by street art
according to Ducati, with the bike boldly showing
off its hyper personality in the design.
The bike builds on popularity online of the
Hypermotard 950 Concept, which Ducati
presented at the swanky Concorso d’Eleganza
Villa d’Este and going against the grain of the
usually upper-crust affair.
With the one-off concept bike going down as a
hit, Ducati wanted to transfer some of the same
hand-built qualities over to the production bike.
The result is an intensive paint process which
uses very low thickness decals and a multiphase
painting system to result in a finish that
is – in Ducati’s words – comparable to that of
an airbrushed bodywork.
The electronic package of the Hypermotard
950 RVE is no run of the mill affair either, and
is enhanced by the Ducati Quick Shift (DQS)
Up and Down EVO, which is matched to Bosch
Cornering ABS with Slide by Brake functionality,
Ducati Traction Control Evo (DTC EVO) and
Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) EVO.
While it is a motard by name, the Hypermotard
950 is the fun-bike built from the ground up to
guarantee a high level of fun and control while
riding – as such it is about as far as you can get
from a run of the mill motard built from a dirty
old off-roader.
The aggressive design of the bike takes its
inspiration from the motard school, revolves
around the twin exhausts under the seat and
the smaller superstructures that leave the
mechanical components visible, including the
trellis rear frame that against Ducati tradition
is in silver steel and not our favourite red.
Powering the Hypermotard 950 RVE is Ducati’s
twin-cylinder 937cc Testastretta 11° engine, which
pumps out 114hp at 9000rpm and 96.1Nm of
torque. While it’s not earth-shattering torque,
Ducati says over 80% of it is already available
at 3000rpm, making it a near-perfect engine
to offer both maximum fun in sports riding on
the track or on back roads full of curves and in
everyday riding on urban stretches.
At the top of the Hypermotard 950 range is the
Hypermotard 950 SP which comes complete
with racing graphics and Öhlins suspension with
increased travel, Marchesini forged rims and
Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) Up and Down EVO.
KIWI RIDER 15