2019 DUCATI HYPERMOTARD 950 AND 950 SP
FIRST REVIEW
P72
measurements are the same as
the 939 version for both the stan-
dard and SP models, but Ducati
claims the stand-over height of
the bike has been reduced by
two inches. In other words, it
should be just as easy for a rider
with a 30-inch inseam to swing a
leg over the Hyper 950 at it was
a rider with a 31-inch inseam to
climb aboard a Hyper 939.
Arguably in that same vein,
Ducati will offer a low-power (47 hp)
version of the Hyper 950 in Eu-
rope, in the hopes of attracting less
experienced riders on lower-tiered
licenses. And with that the mantra
of the Hyper 950 starts to take
shape: More aggressive and truer
to the hooligan foundation, but also
a gateway for potential Ducati sport
riders that don't want a Panigale.
CRACK ON, SON!
Every experienced motorcyclist knows that pure numbers don't tell the
whole story, and therefore making a bike narrower, lighter and more
powerful doesn't necessarily make it better. And so Ducati arranged a
test ride around the island of Grand Canary—not-so-conveniently locat-
ed about 150 miles off the coast of Morocco—to test both the standard
2019 Hypermotard 950, as well as the up-spec SP version.
First up was ripping around the supermoto-tight Circuit Maspalomas
on the $16,695 Hypermotard 950 SP, prepared for us without blinkers,
license-plate holder or mirrors, and sporting an accessory Termignoni
race exhaust. Because of that, it was tricky to tell how the SP would be
as a road-going, everyday machine. An educated guess is that it would
be a little stiff, on account of the Ohlins fork and shock, which feel
more suited for track use (and also extend travel an inch in the shock
and 0.6 inches in the fork).
(Left) Mission
control for the
Hyper's electronics
are on the left
bar. (Right) Road
manners are quite
polite for a bike as
rowdy as this. Tall
riders will love the
range of movement
the wide bars and
high seat give.
