Now that they've been out a while... - Ducati.ms

993twin · Nov 6th, 2008, 11:22 am

So...now that the Hyper has been out a while, what are the general thoughts:

1) How's the reliability?
2) Is it as mono-focused as it seems?
3) What are the top three mods? Same deal - exhaust/gearing/springs or ?

Thinking about getting one, but curious as to what the overall customer satisfaction amongst actual owners is....thoughts?

johnchypermotard · Nov 6th, 2008, 11:44 am

ciao 993twin -

hypertards are as reliable as any other modern duc ... i had 38k on my 900ssie, have over 9k on my mh900e and now have just under 9k on my hypertard ... no issues at all with any of them. standard service and care will provide many miles of enjoyment from a hypertard.

as you list owning an mh900e ... i will advise that the engine on the hypertard is the absolute best 2v engine around ... tons of torque, very wide powerband, a pure pleasure to ride.

as for monoposto focus, i removed the passenger footpegs the first day. i don't like riding with anyone as passenger ... but i have seen a few hypertards riding two up, so it can be done. i am sure the passenger comfort is greater on a hypertard than on a superbike, fwiw.

best mods for the bucks:
1. air box lid - take it off and cut a 2" hole in top, right above center of the air filter

2. replace stock paper filter with a K&N, BMC or DNA element filter.

these two mods will provide a 4-5 hp gain.

3. lightweight flywheel

if you want to go with exhaust mods, the choice is yours between slip-ons, cat eliminators, or full systems. there are MANY systems out now, so pick your flavor.

with slip-ons and cat eliminator, you can get by with stock ECU ... with full system, you will need to go with the race ECU, or a powercommander.

an exhaust mod and ECU change will really get rid of the throttle sensitivity that the stock hypertard has (imho), and will make transition throttle control MUCH better.

btw, before i got the hypertard, the mh900e was my only street bike ... i had convinced myself that the mh900e was a comfortable ride. was i wrong! the hypertard is SOOO much more comfortable and easy to ride fast. don't get me wrong, the mh900e is still my fav ducati, as it is just so cool looking. but for everyday riding, the hypertard is the best.

a presto,
johnc

SuperGeorge · Nov 6th, 2008, 11:55 am

Sorry man but your questions sounds like crap to me...The Hype you just see it, love it, buy it!!! So simple!!! It is my first Duc (others will follow ;-) ) and although I had a little doubt about engine reliability, I simply just bought it. The thing is for whellies all day long, fun on track and will not say no to your touring needs as long as you bear in mind that it will be just you, the Hype and a lot of winding!!!

The engine is the honored air cooled 2valves desmo L2 designed about 4 decades and getting better as time passes by. Need mods??? If you have money, taste and imagination the sky is the limit!!!

993twin · Nov 6th, 2008, 12:14 pm

Yassou Yorgo! My questions are crap?!? What, are you some kind of Malaka?!?

Great response John. it turns out that my MH900 spends almost all of it's time in the foyer, as although it is a joy to ride (at a casual street pace) in the bends, it's a torture rack for sure just riding around town. I don't know how you ever convinced yourself it was comfortable!

That being said, I'm well aware of what the design focus was, and am very familiar with the plusses & minuses of the various Ducati engines (and everything else!), I am really wondering if any strange problems like exploding hubs, stalling problems, etc. might effect the 'Tard in particular.

The Multistrada was a great example of a bike that seemingly everyone said "ugh" when they saw it..."what am I gonna do with that," etc., but after riding it were absolutely enamored! I'm wondering if people in general are similarily enamored with the 'Tard. Personally, when I first rode the bike (with full race exhaust) summer '07, I thought "holy shite - this is my next bike!"

But that was without any consideration of the (relatively) practical aspects of ownership.

All that being said, I have a hard time thinking of a better *street* motor than the 1000 / 1100 desmodue!

SuperGeorge · Nov 6th, 2008, 12:41 pm

993twin I was not some kind of malaka till 20 minutes ago but you have you sure just made me a malaka xaxaxaxaxaxaxa I am just here sitting in front of my monitor and can't stop the tears from laughing!!!

You either have Greek friends, been is Greece or you are Greek your shelf (cannot see anything on your profile)

I am sure that your are not offended with my reply - that was not my intention in anyway - just wanted to give you my way of thinking before buying the Hype(you donnot think you just make it yours)

Thanks again for the laugh !!!

johnchypermotard · Nov 6th, 2008, 12:43 pm

ciao again 993twin -

i had convinced myself that the mh900e was a comfortable bike for a few reasons ...
1. it was the only street bike i had for a few years ... so i HAD to convince myself it was comfortable. i agree with you that in the twisties, it actually IS comfortable, and on slab (freeway rides) it sucks. but, after i installed the 5.2 gallon ca-cycleworks tank and increased the range so that i could actually take rides on roads with fuel stops further than 65 miles apart ... i managed to get some nice longer rides in.

2. the ergos on the mh900e are actually the most radical of any modern duc ... the seat to risers and seat to foot pegs are VERY race oriented. the stretch to the risers never was an issue for me (i share the same ergos as both terblanche and van eppes ... the two people who designed and manufactured the mh9900e for ducati), so any bike they worked on, pretty much fits me nicely.

back to your question on +'s and -'s of the hypertard ... no real gotchas here. a great engine, great ergos, no exploding hubs, no stalling (although in bone stock form, the throttle response is snatchy, and the powerband is a little like a lightswitch, as far as on-off throttle response, imho) ... but all that goes away with some minor tuning (exhaust and ECU swap). with these mods, the engine delivers power like a DC motor ... very linear torque delivery that starts right off idle. i do find myself short-shifting the hypertard, rather than keeping it above 6,500 rpm like i do on the mh900e.

in closing ... if you liked the multistroodle for ride quality/feel, and hated it for its looks ... the hypertard is a multistroodle that has its rear frame chopped off and a sub-frame installed, different wheels (no funky front rotors mounted directly to the wheels), better brakes, different forks, better seat, smaller fuel cell, and much better body work on it. its the sports car version of the multistroodle SUV.

MarksFriggin · Nov 6th, 2008, 12:48 pm

I've owned my Hyper since August of 2007.

There does seem to be a rash of stalling problems with the Hyper. I suffered through that myself until a decent tech got a hold of it and fixed it. My bike was out of commission for 5 weeks in a year because of the stalling.

Once it was fixed I had almost no complaints. Now that I've added a Leo Vince exhaust, DP slip-on ECU, BMC air filter and DP air box lid, the bike runs so much smoother. No complaints at all now.

If I were going to do it all over again, I'd have the dealer throw a Termi exhaust on it before I took delivery. They run way too lean stock.

993twin · Nov 6th, 2008, 1:02 pm

Estuthiao Vre! ...how does "Kyriakopoulous" sound to you? Nice Irish name? I'll be swilling down a frosty mug of Avgolemeno for that one! Of course I wasn't offended - if anything, I saw a golden opportunity to, in true Greek fashion, call you a Malaka for even the slightest of reasons or no reason at all!

Great reponse John...never let a chance to RATIONALIZE get away! As soon as I rode the bike, I thought to myself wow - this handles very lightly...sweet! After twenty min on the highway, however, it was "you've got to be kidding." All those thoughts vanish as soon as the gaze wonders back to her wonderful lines (yes, yes..the jokes...let's hear 'em!). People don't really realize how radical the ergos are on the MH900e...moreso than anything I can think of. The stretch isn't quite 851 style, but you are scrunched up and cranked over. Great for the mountains of Colorado...not so much for almost everywhere else.

Looks like race exhaust or at least slip on with ECU swap is in order. How about the gearing? The bike I rode in 07 had the full race system on it, and that thing would effortlessly pull the front up in the first three gears, so I ahh..ahem...suspect gearing is not the usual 1 down in front or 2-3 in back.

The Hyper seems to be to be a more raical, more narrowly focused MTS with different bodywork. Ergo's seem similar but not the same. Handlebar differences of course add to that. Basically, it felt like a big dirtbike...and a one way ticket to Jail!

Oh well, better make sure I keep a bail bondsmen's number handy!

993twin · Nov 6th, 2008, 1:03 pm

good points mark....

johnchypermotard · Nov 6th, 2008, 1:40 pm

ciao again 993twin -

fully agree on the mh900e being a rolling work of art ... after 6 years of owning #974, i still can sit for hours in the garage staring at details on the bike.

also agree on the hypertard being a major threat to loosing ones license. the bike just makes you want to do really stupid things, that are fun, but po-po folks don't like much. that said, i have gotten out of a ticket on the hypertard, as the motorcycle cop really liked the bike, and let me off with a warning.

a presto,
johnc