The 796 rides the common ground between manners and madness, mixing Ducati's unrivalled twin-cylinder power and sportbike heredity with the lightweight and minimalist supermotard concept.
The Hypermotard concept created an innovative segment that bridged the gap between hyper-sports bikes and supermotards. In essence, it took the high speed handling and smooth engine from a hyper-sport bike and combined it withthe aggressive styling, lightweight minimalism and slow corner precision of a supermotard.
The result is an easy to handle motorcycle with unbelievable agility, incredibly sure-footed handing and a flexible engine that deals with city traffic just as easily as a spirited ride through the winding mountain roads.
The Hypermotard is all about motorcycling enjoyment. Its upright and commanding riding position puts you in control and its motard DNA invites you to have fun with every twist of the throttle. It adjusts your riding style and raises your ability to a higher level, and the 'feel' that the lightweight and taut chassis transmits enables you to explore riding techniques that are simply not accessible on other sportbikes.
The Hypermotard's mix of hyper-sports and supermotard heredity encourages a similar mix of riding styles and riding gear and has become a thrilling fusion of motorcycle lifestyles.
Minimalism and functionality have shaped and styled the Hypermotard, and its innovative design sets it apart from the crowd. The line of its distinctive beak blending into the stylish headlamp fairing makes it instantly recognizable, while the carefully shaped tank that tapers into a skinny waistline gives a supermotard feel when aboard./p>
From the sturdy look of the Marzocchi front forks to the Ducati signature single-sided swingarm and underseat exhausts, the Hypermotard’s design remains unique and pure Ducati.
When the prototype Hypermotard was first shown at the 2005 Milan show it represented the creation of a new segment, one that bridged the gap between refined sportbikes and minimalist supermotards. But some at Ducati had reservations about the initial Hypermotard concept and were unsure if people were ready for such a motorcycle.
Despite those reservations, the project continued, driven by the belief in the upright and in-control riding position of a dirtbike, but not the harsh characteristics of its single cylinder engine. These confident few designed a bike that combined the agility and lightweight precision of a supermotard with the refined power characteristics of a charismatic L-Twin sportbike.
Ducati presented the prototype Hypermotard at Milan and was rewarded with a 'Best of Show' award. The innovative Hypermotard spawned a new 'cross-over' category that had reinvented pure riding pleasure with a practical and versatile motorcycle that could be used every day.
The new engine produces an impressive 81hp (59.6kW) @ 8,000rpm and 55.7lb-ft (75.5Nm) of torque @ 6,250rpm.
To protect power delivery and maintain optimum efficiency, an oil cooler similar to the 1100 is used, adding even more family resemblance to its bigger brother.
The 2-1-2 catalytic exhaust system uses an efficient pre-silencer configuration with twin lambda probes providing finer fuel mapping and Euro3 conformity. The system's lightweight and compact design is achieved by using 1mm thick tubing and terminates in Ducati’s trademark twin under-seat, black exhaust mufflers, stylishly contrasted with great looking aluminium end caps.
The incredible valve performances of our engines are only possible because of Ducati's unique Desmodromic system, where valve closure is activated mechanically.
At high rpm it would be almost impossible for the valve to follow the steep closure profile of the cam lobe if it were relying upon a normal valve spring. With the Desmo system, the valve is closed mechanically with the same accuracy as it is opened, enabling steep cam profiles and radical cam timings.
This system is used on every single Ducati power unit including our world-beating Superbike and Desmosedici MotoGP engines.