Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono (2024 – ) review

Originally street-tyred dirt bikes, supermotos are loved for their lack of weight, nimble handling and punchy single-cylinder performance but play to a very particular audience. While sticking to that template with the Hypermotard 698 Ducati has created a clean-sheet design raising the supermoto bar in nearly every respect. There’s a purpose-built engine, tubular steel chassis, top spec components, class-leading electronics and great Ducati style. The result is a brilliant supermoto true to type and probably worth the extra cash. In that respect it can’t really be faulted. But, inevitably, the practicality and appeal remain limited, especially at this price.

Nimble, slim and light at just 158kg ready to ride, the Hypermotard 698 is also tall, upright, exposed and somewhat intimidating. The latter mainly because that off-road heritage dictates a monstrously tall 904mm seat height which may put off some shorter riders, though a slightly lower 889mm version is available as an optional extra. That seat is also so slim there’s little comfort over any sort of distance, even if that’s kind of missing the point anyway. On top of that the rider is fully exposed with wide bars and no weather protection. For slicing and dicing around town or (very) twisty backroads none of that matters, of course, and the 698 is beautifully light, nimble and fun. It’s just as certainly not much good at anything else…

Tempting as it is to just give it a single point here let’s try and put the Hypermotard into context. Yes, it’s awful on motorways, can’t take a pillion or luggage, doesn’t really like fast A-roads, hasn’t got much by way of equipment and is expensive. On the plus side, when blasting across town or riding like a loon down a twisty B-road, there are probably few, if any, bikes which are more fun. And that is the end of the Hypermotard’s practicality story, which is fine for the target audience. But if you require any sort of practicality you really need to be looking elsewhere.

The heart of the 698 is Ducati’s new Superquadro Mono motor, effectively half the old 1299 Panigale Superquadro V-twin superbike engine and the most powerful production single ever. As such it shares the V-twin’s monster 116mm piston (another record for a production single) with an incredibly short stroke of 62.4mm and a high 13.1:1 compression ratio, resulting in 77.5 horsepower at 9,750rpm and equally impressive maximum torque of 63Nm. For a single it’s relatively revvy, refined and smooth, while also blessed with a quickshifter on the RVE version and with slick electronics including switchable power modes to make the whole experience less brutal. Which is just as well because in Sport it’s quite fierce, lumpy and lacking in go below 4,000rpm, even if it has more sophistication than most supermotos. Braking-wise the lack of weight means it only needs one big disc grasped by a superbike-spec Brembo monobloc caliper, all ably assisted by Ducati’s latest Cornering ABS system. It’s more than enough.

Ultra-light all-up weight, sophisticated, multi-adjustable suspension and gloriously fat and grippy tyres combine for handling that’s nimbler than virtually anything else around, while also combining sharp steering with a plush and controlled ride. Add that to the punchy, wheelie-prone performance and you’ve the supermoto appeal summed up nicely. The flip side of that, of course, is limited stability and little of the security of, say, a long and comfy touring bike. But nobody expects it all with a Supermoto.

In standard form the 698 arrives with a launch price of £10,999 rising to £11,895 for the RVE with stylish ‘graffiti’ paint and a quickshifter as standard. That’s already fairly steep for a single-cylinder supermoto. On top of that, although light and not especially powerful, the aggressive riding style it encourages will likely add up to a voracious hunger for consumables such as tyres, chains, brake pads and so on. True, a Supermoto is never going to be as bad as a 200 horsepower superbike in terms of upkeep but nor is it going to be commuter cheap, either.

Difficult one, this. As mentioned, the 698 is based around a new single-cylinder engine which is the highest performing of its type and also derived from a previously highly-strung superbike V-twin. That said, Ducati’s reliability is largely impeccable these days and the near eight-year heritage of the Superquadro V-twin should set this ‘mono’ version in good stead. All things considered, though, the new Ducati is likely to be looked after as a pampered toy and we have no major reasons for concern.

Ducati service intervals have also improved hugely in recent years and, exotic or not, the same is true of the Hypermotard. Like other Ducatis the new 698 comes with a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty while its service schedule is equally generous in simply requiring an oil change service every 15,000km (or 9,000 miles) and the more involved valve clearance check every 30,000km (18,000 miles).

Supermotos by their ‘pared down’ nature are usually pretty basic machines but the new 698 raises the bar, even if it can’t quite match the sophistication of top-line touring or sports bikes. For its type its electronics are particularly impressive, and include Power Modes, Cornering ABS with Slide by Brake, Ducati Wheelie Control, Engine Brake Control, Ducati Traction Control, Ducati Power Launch and, on the RVE, Ducati Quick Shift up/down. On top of that a small, 3.8-inch digital dash somehow manages to cram in most of the information you need.

If you need the appeal of supermotos explaining you probably wouldn’t understand! But on the right day they can give the most entertaining, lively, nimble and hooliganistic motorcycling experience around. The Hypermotard 698, with its class-leading engine, is right up there with the best and has the bonus of electronic modes to make it more welcoming for novices and a broader range of riders in general. It’s still not for everyone and certainly not cheap, but it’s great fun, impressively built and an experience like no other.