Second day of owning a 821 hyper and man, I love it.
My first bike after getting my license was a 696 monster and let me tell you, it was my dream bike. I got it with about 36000 km on it, stock I put on some leovinces and brought it to over 60.000 km. it was an absolute dream. The sound of it was mesmerizing, especially without DB-killers in, so loud and so mechanical with pops and bangs all over the place. Sometimes I described my feeling for the bike like, somewhere in italy there was a guy with a glass of wine and a pencil who drew out a bike that makes no sense but is amazing. There is not an insane amount of power but it does such a great job on making you feel like you could race faster bikes.
There where some great adventures, I have had it on the TT assen racetrack a few times (where the non adjustable front forks lack a lot) where i was in the slow group but I got a lot of smiles per gallon, I have had it tuned on the dyno and felt like the metzeler m7 rr gave me the most of my bike. Leaving the house in the morning with a cold start and way too much noise? People hating me for it? People telling me the bike is super unpractical? I just laughed and go on with my life enjoying my bike. I loved my monster, and I know of course, it was my first bike but the bike is so easy to love and so childishly fun to ride.
Yesterday I got to trade it in on a hyperstrada 821. I hoped to always keep my monster but the sum of my high milage bike with upcoming high maintenance cost (worn out clutch, valve adjustment and new tires) made it irresistible to look around for a deal like this. I have seen hypermotards in person but never the strada. The specs (on paper) are not something to be ashamed of and everytime I saw a motard in real life I kept looking, they are better in person than in pictures. The seating position is a thing when coming from a monster, and the bags on the side just made me laught. allthough the first shopping run, when I could keep my helmet in them made me happy.
It was the first bike I picked up at a dealership and leaving there made me feel good and special. Just picked up a nice bike. At the store it looked so good, bight and shiny and the design looks like a nice and compact adventure bike bit it also keeps the supermoto feeling. Also it has a single sided swingarm and who doesn't like that? The first bit of riding was a highway and 110 bhp is certainly enough to do so but thats not what it is made for. The second ride was without highway's and gave me some opportunity's to pick some lower gears and feel what the bike was up to. Opening up in 3rd gear for the first time for an "agressive" overtake made me brawl like a mad man. The thing really comes to life in high rpm's. Showing it to my friends made me proud and since it is parked in front of one of my windows I just keep looking form the dinner table. I thought my monster was a classic beauty but the hyperstrada looks so nice in person (without bags especially).
The previous owner had quitte a specific taste regarding the drive modes since the urban mode had all assists off (DTC0 and ABS0.....) The same goes for sport. Touring was good but I felt like I had to reset the whole mode menu. After figuring out the that the dutch translation of the user manual was translated in a very...... italian fashion I found out how to bring it back to the original setup which made me ride more on sport mode. The exhaust gave me more emotion. Which is a topic I need to talk more about. I know ducati's and I love them but I grew in to being a ducatista. I got to ride the monster and started getting in to the brand. It might as well have been a suzuki or a yamaha (which I cannot imagine anymore lol). The bikes I love are 848, 748 and the 2 cyl panigales. How radical those bikes are and how they look...... by means of sound, those are ducatis and everyone with the slightest bit of moto knowledge will tell from miles away. I always feel and felt like the 696 was one of those. In low rmps it was quirky but the wet clutch made it somewhat forgiving. The low rev sound is deep and throaty almost like a single cylinder bike. But then when you give the monster some beans and dare to push it over 10k rpms you literally feel like a motogp bike. There was no sound better then that. So loud, so pure. I dont care that any 1000cc bike would have been way ahead, it is the sound that decides how I feel riding it. You can tell the wound of leaving the monster is a little fresh.... but before getting back to the the hyperstrada I must talk about one of the underwhelming ducati experiences. My dad (1250GS rider) and I went to a ducati day on the track in assen. The dealership had some bikes available for a test ride and I hoped my dad would try a multistrada, which they had in the pikes peak edition, way nicer bike than the GS but not the sensible option. The dealer asked me if I would like to try the 959 panigale. Stupid question, sure I would. It had the bright orange and white livery and an exhaust. I have never ridden something as fast (Someone lend me a v4 panigale sometime?????) but it was not the sound that made me blush and scream. I did not like the cleanness of it, I have tried to describe it before but it did not have the drama I expected a ducati streetracer to have. For the rest it was a lovely bike but for another time.
I'm getting of track here so back sound of the hyperstrada is something to talk about. In low rpms it sounds really not like a ducati (as described above lol). Especially combined with the new and assertive seating position I felt like i'm on a supermoto and the sound really compliments that. The engine runs a lot smoother, is still usable at below 3000 rpm and doesn't sputter. In higher rpms I kept reliving the 959 ride. The sound was mechaincal but this time it was not a test ride, it was my own bike. I heard it in a different way. It gave me a more advanced sound. More like a video game. How I like that the monster was so raw, the sound of a more advanced bike made me happy. I see how it could use a slip-on the spice up the high rev sound btw. But the engine is really good and makes a good amount of power.
Then there is the driving experience. I have only incidentally touched toes on the street on my monster, like 5 times in 4 years maybe? The first time I touched this morning I did not even flinch and both shoes have kissed the streed today. Also, I know there are bikes with 200 bhp but a 110 are a lot. The way the touchy clutch picks up and you lift the front wheel in first gear is just a blast. it is just so lively. You can sit like a hoon on it and ride it like a supermoto, which I need to adjust to. But you can also be the adventure/dual sport type of guy and be it in a very very pretty bike.
As for the seat time in the hyperstrada I feel like I start loving it more every hour and I cannot wait to spend this season on it. It makes me feel confident. I hope to change my adventure tires to some stickier tyres soon, maybe stiffen up the rear suspension.
I start seeing why this is a great bike and cannot wait to experience it more.
ps, my starter motor sounds a bit sleepy, I have read that this is a known issue.... I see where this is going?
I hated my Hyper off road. But I didn't ride it off road enough to figure it out. Much prefer a 21" front. 
