Is HS an all-day Monster 821?

kltk1 · Aug 31, 2020

Hi, folks. I just found out about the forum and signed up to do some research. I'm currently a 2016 Monster 821 owner and I absolutely love the bike. It's light, fun, handles phenomenal, and sounds fantastic. Even in stock form. I absolutely love the bike, unfortunately, it's not an all-day friendly bike, and isn't really designed to be. I rode a Multistrada 950 and was pretty disappointed. I had high hopes it would be an 821 Monster with an all-day comfortable riding position. It's comfortable but it's not a fun bike to ride. It gets the job done as a tourer but there's no fun factor. At least for me.

That said, I read through some posts here comparing the Monster to the HS but I didn't quite get what I was looking for. Could I expect an HS 821/939 to be very close to an all-day Monster 821? Snappy handling, quick-revving motor, light on its feet. I'd certainly ride one before making a final decision on a purchase but I'd like to get the perspective of those with some experience with both bikes. If I were to make a purchase, it would probably be a 'Strada because of the seat, taller windscreen, and saddlebags for overnight/weekend trips and would be an addition to the Ducati family.

Thank you in advance.

gatdammit · Sep 1, 2020

kltk1,

Welcome. The 'Strada has more utility than a monster, but don't think it's anywhere near as touring capable as a Multi. With the DP touring screen (or aftermarket) and keeping it below 80 mph, I can do 300-400 miles before I get fatigued, mostly in the upper body/ shoulders. Stock seat is not bad when the foam is still fresh. The bags allow you to hopefully ditch a heavy backpack or satchel.

It performs very well. I don't much about the Monster's ride quality, but below 100 mph, the Strada can keep up with smaller sport bikes in the right hands. For urban/ traffic, it's phenomenal. Alert riding position, great torque and point-and-shoot handling. Stock suspension isn't great, but adequate for novice-average riders. Above 100 mph is just out of this bikes design language. It's pretty dirty in high wind and motor runs out of steam around 120. Pipe, sprocket, intake and a tune really wake this motor up. If you don't want a sport bike and the big league touring models ain't your cup of tea, this is a very good platform.

kltk1 · Sep 1, 2020

Thank you very much. A touring rig wouldn't be its main role. Mostly a fun bike that's all-day friendly. If I could get enough gear in the bags for an overnight, perhaps a weekend, I'd be a happy guy. As I indicated, I absolutely love the Monster 821 and would like to find something that's a close match to it that's all-day friendly to add to the stable.

segascott · Sep 1, 2020

I had an f700gs and a Monster S4R at the same time... the Monster had a small tank range, cramped ergos and a stiff ride compared to the BMW but was a blast in the twisties. However the closest fun roads are a 45-90 min highway slog for me, which made me wish I was on the BMW until I got there.

The f700gs could handle loooong rides in any kind of weather condition in relative comfort, but felt like an SUV on the curvy bits.

The ‘Strada is waay more comfy than the Monster on the longer rides, but waaay more fun than the f700gs on the fun bits. I happily sold the S4R and the GS after getting the ‘Strada and haven’t looked back. As Gatdammit said, the suspension isn’t perfect and the tank range, while better than my old S4R (not hard) is still less than my old GS... but you quickly forget about it when you start riding

That being said, the riding FEEL is way different than the Monster. If you are in love with that seating position and reach to the bars, the Hyper is going to feel weird. Took me a bit to get used to it, but I’m loving it now.

N4teTheGreat · Sep 1, 2020

I've put in many 9 hour days on my Hyper and at 6'3" I find it pretty comfortable. It's fine on the highway, but highways are generally boring so I tend to trade longer distance / time for better roads on my road trips.

nickwst4 · Sep 1, 2020

Interesting question! I'd say the HS is far and away a better bike than either of the Monsters I've had, including a beautiful S4R that I bought in January this year and sold only a month ago. I thought that bike was going to resemble the model it shares a lot of its parts with, the ST4/s, but in no way did it compare with my beloved ST4 in terms of ergonomics, ride quality or, especially, engine smoothness. In contrast, the HS is comfortable, smooth, tremendous fun and has extraordinary levels of performance that bely its modest capacity. In a nutshell, the HyperStrada is alive!

Segascott noted above that the riding position of the HS can seem cramped compared with the Monsters, but I improved on it by rotating the HS bars forward somewhat. As with most modern bikes, a simple bar reposition involves dealing with the controls that are pegged in place by the maker but it was well-worth doing.

I've now learned my lesson and will never buy another Monster. Ducati's sports bikes don't suit my style and the MS models are just too ugly. Possibly a Scrambler would appeal, but I have both capacity versions of Cagiva's Raptor naked and a Moto Morini Scrambler 1200 that more than fill that niche!

Nick, in the UK.

kltk1 · Sep 1, 2020

Thanks, folks. As it relates to the M821, it’s not so much the riding position I love but the character and fun nature of the bike. It’s light, flickable, and just fun to ride. From what I’m reading the HS seems to split the difference between an M821 and Multi 950 which is essentially what I’m looking for. A bike that puts a smile on my face like the M821 with the ability to ride it more than 90 minutes and possibly get an overnight or weekend out of it.

rldixon · Sep 1, 2020

kltk1 said:
A bike that puts a smile on my face like the M821 with the ability to ride it more than 90 minutes and possibly get an overnight or weekend out of it.

I've done 300-400 mile days on two to five day trips on my 2014 HS (I'd much rather ride something non-linear than an interstate and will spend a lot of time going from point A to point B to do so) and find it satisfactorily comfortable and fun--but find the fuel range to be annoying, I wish I could confidently get 150 miles/tank. The 950MS was intended to address this use-case, but hasn’t had a lot of success, sales-wise, I suspect because it’s all the fat of the bigger MS and little of the agility of the HS. Unless you’re over 170lbs and intend on getting after it on twisty roads, I think you’ll enjoy the HS for your intended use. If your flight weight is over 170 and you intend to ride passionately, you may want to invest in a suspension upgrade, particularly the front.

segascott · Sep 1, 2020

rldixon said:
...satisfactorily comfortable and fun--but find the fuel range to be annoying, I wish I could confidently get 150 miles/tank. The 950MS was intended to address this use-case

I had my heart set on the Multi 950S - really seemed like the ideal bike between the S4R and the 700 GS for my use case (longer highway slogs to get to the fun bits).

Spent a lot of time sitting on them and moving them around the showroom, and was surprised to find that I fit better on a 1260S than the 950S, but also how bulky both Multis felt compared to the Hyper. I'd love to have some of the tech on the 950S but I think the Hyper will keep me happy for a good number of years.

kltk1 · Sep 1, 2020

Thank you. I don’t lose a lot of sleep on stock suspensions. Like seats they can be upgraded or swapped. It’s the all day fun factor I’m in search of.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

nickwst4 · Sep 2, 2020

So far, I've not ridden my HS for more than a couple of hours at a time, but that limit wasn't down to the bike or my feelings about it. At the moment, health considerations and the need for a starter-motor change have it stuck in the garage, but I'm really looking forward to getting out on it again!

gatdammit · Sep 2, 2020

If you have broad shoulders or are taller than maybe 5'7", even the touring screen doesn't quite shield your upper body at hwy speeds. I have the Alien Queen looking Cal Sci screen, and while it does a better job, it's a bit fugly and still doesn't completely block the air stream. My helmet/ neck don't seam to have much issue. The blast on my shoulders causes me to use more gripping muscles on the bars.

Again, if you have no problem cruising below 70 mph, probably last longer and get much better mileage (easy 150 mile range). I can't/ won't long haul below 80, so I'm my own worst enemy. There's bigger screen options out there but they start to look silly on the smaller frame of the Hyper. If you find yourself wanting to hang a Road Glide fairing off this bike, probably have the wrong bike.

kltk1 · Sep 2, 2020

Thank you. I'm not a highway roller and avoid them at every possible opportunity. Also, I don't intend this bike to be primarily a touring bike but more of an all-day bike that's fun to ride, light, and flickable. A Monster with all-day comfort attributes that would lend itself to the occasional overnight, possibly a weekend.

nickwst4 · Sep 2, 2020

We all have different tastes, don't we? I took the standard screen off the HS as soon as I got the bike and replaced it with a minimalistic CF version because I hate the turbulence that comes off most OEM screens, especially upright ADV-type ones. This may limit how long I could ride at higher speeds without strain, but a quiet airflow over my helmet is an absolute priority. I've gone to the extent of designing and making my own smooth-airflow screens on three bikes to give a little more protection without noise, but I don't see the HS as my main long-distance machine. The ST4 with it's unique screen mounted on Ducati's Comfort upper fairing is the one for that. The nice thing about the HS which lifts it above plenty of bikes I've had is that it is an exciting but stress-free ride without inbuilt limits.

Is HS an all-day Monster 821?

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