Ducati's Hypermotard: A motorcycle to bait your inner hoodlum. image by tim J flywheel

If Ducati's Hypermotard were a teenager, it would sit in the back of the class, make smart-ass comments at inopportune times and then, when the bell rang and the halls filled with kids, it would leap down the stairs, pushing and stuffing past the "good" kids.

Ducati's HyperMotard is a hoodlum in motorcycle clothing.

I spent some time on the Hypermotard last week after the Laguna Seca US Superbike round. A bike like the Hyper in the west-coast mecca for sport bikes is a truly beautiful thing. I burned around on the coast highway, took Laureles Grade Road* over to Carmel Valley Road and generally had a very enjoyable time on the 'Motard.

With the Hypermotard S model Ducati has finally built an air-cooled motorcycle that doesn't leave me wishing for more—a lot more. I've never been a fan of the air-cooled Desmo stuff simply because I've found them anemic in stock form, but the Hypermotard features near perfect power delivery for the kind of motorcycle that it is—which is fairly anti-social. Our test Hypermotard had the performance kit installed, including exhaust, which may have been a big factor in why it worked so well. I haven't yet ridden a base model.

The 'Hyper draws attention. I stopped for gas in Carmel and a contractor in a dusty pick-up walked over, looked at the bike and said, "I don't know what it is, but I like it". A CHP on the highway near Sand City gave me and the bike the long stare before pulling away.

When a clear space of road appeared I actually leaned over mid-ride and peered at the engine to make sure that the Hyper was powered by what I remembered our test stating it did. Whereas several previous air-cooled Ducati engines I've ridden have bored me because they seem gutless, (once you've ridden a breathed-on S4Rs, there's no going back) the engine/clutch/gearing in the Hypermotard S seem perfectly suited for the duty most Hyper' owners will put their machine through.

*The first right after the Laguna Seca main entrance on 68, when heading towards Salinas. Five minutes from the Laguna paddock if there's light traffic, Laureles is a entertaining road when you want to quickly get somewhere that isnt the track.