Lurker...seeking advice

I will go first. Probably closest bike to your R12R that I have owned is my Griso, nice torque, low CG, long wheelbase, 550 lbs. Nice cruiser, but works in the twisties nicely.

Now, to the HyperStrada. I don't do wheelies, so have kept the ABS/DTC stock, no changes to any of the modes. I like the bike for tight twisties and short trips. Not so much on interstates, where 6k rpm is required to get 80 indicated, which is really about 75 mph. It is very lightweight, easy to handle, engine EFI is superb, pulls great in all gears. 51 mpg for me running all over the place. I'm 5' 11" 185 lbs and 32" inseam.

My only gripe is the seat is a bit constricting in that not enough or any room to move back some. The hugger does not protect you from water being thrown up on your legs/butt from water on the road.

I came from a Multi12 (2010) and I was a bit concerned that I might miss the power, but not the case at all. Only miss the better suspension for 2up, which I don't do so much anyway.

p.s. I'm at 5242 miles

Too many issues with it, given the chance I'd wait 12 months until they were sorted or go for a more proven bike.

So far so good, except.......

43 yr old and had V-STROM 650 and GSXR sport bikes before. The V-STROM was great but I found I did not do much adventure, mostly commuting. I put 27K on it and pre-ordered the hyperstrada, seemed like it would answer my sportbike itch. It is everything I hoped. I am 5'8" so 'cockpit' is fine for me. I have over 3000 miles on it. Used for some commuting, did a track day at Chuckwalla, taken a few day trips. Most time in seat at one time is about 1.5 hours before I stopped to get some gas and munchies. I have had a problem with it sometimes not revving over 4k or so but just shut it off, turn it back on and no problem. I finally took it in and left it for dealer to fix last week. The trackday and twisties in SoCal were a blast. The commute was a little better on STROM with bigger windshield. I now have a short commute. 4 miles, and taken a few trips here in Alabama. Gas has been over 50 mpg in sport on the road in both states running around, same as STROM. I can only have one bike so this is great fun and good commute. I have the top bag, GPS, and Term exhaust installed, all nice to haves. The wife liked the center bag since it has a backrest when we rode two up.

I have had dozens of bikes in my life (i'm 54 years old). And this bike just pushes all my buttons. Light weight, plenty of power (it will wheelie), very comfortable (I've done 500 mile days), good gas mileage and just plain fun to ride and always puts a smile on my face. I also have a Multi 1200 GT, and if I had to get rid of one bike, I would keep the Hyper. Oh...I'm also 5'10" & 180 lbs. I don't think there is any "one" bike that will do everything. But, the Hyper does most of them quite well while satisfying the hooligan in me.

SoCal

I lived in Temecula commuting to Oceanside and Miramar. I hit all the twisties around me and the track. It was a blast, I looked forward to taking the long way home many nights. Alabama is a bit boring compared to having this bike in CA! The strada is a great one bike solution between the VSTROM and GSXR 750 I had, fun but great for riding long periods. Have fun figuring out what you want. I think you get the idea of the hyperstrada appeal. It was a huge decision to spend the money because Ducati service and parts are more expensive.

I previously had a Triumph Tiger 800XC, and before that a KTM 690SMC (and several before that, but not relevant to this story). I loved the KTM, but I bought it used knowing it had some problems, and I was never able to get it exactly right. So in a fit, I traded it for the Tiger. That was a great bike, a wonderful all-rounder. But not quite the replacement for the KTM, not quite stupid enough, maybe.

Couple of months ago, I ended up at the local Ducati shop, sort of accidentally, sort of on purpose, intrigued by the new Hypers. I took a good long test ride and came back ready to deal. I haven't looked back once, I've been very pleased.

I disagree that it pulls too many revs at speed. I've done long stretches of 80 or 90 without any worries or issues. No problem for me there.

And I don't know if I agree with the idea that there are too many issues to be worked out to consider buying right now. I've had exactly zero problems, and there'd one thing I've learned is that if you got to the forum for any bike (or car, or whatever), there will be people having problems. Nobody posts that they have nothing to discuss, so issues get magnified.

I will say that I agree that the seat is good, but with limited useful options for shifting around on a long ride. I'm probably gonna get my rebuilt by one of the local guys. I naturally end up wanting to sit a little farther back, at the wider part, but it slopes too much there and tends to roll my hips forward and maybe even slide forward in my pants. If that sounds like a recipe for too much pressure on the boys, you'd be right. It sometimes reminds me a little of the discomfort of a bicycle seat, too much weight on the pubic bone. If you sit just a little farther forward on here flat part, it's good, but sitting in one spot gets old after a while.

The nicest thing is that my dealer let me ride everything, so I had a nice comparison of styles and types of bikes, and overall a fun fun day. I was hot, sweaty and overall wiped out when I took the Panigale out though. Didn't enjoy that like I would have thought.

I have talked to Sargents, and if it was not for giving up my seat for a while to get it modified to my liking, I would go that route. I may get another seat to get modified just to keep one stock. Really like this bike though, no problems at all for me either.

Concur about minding negatives on forums. What's the first thing you do when your car/bike is acting up? Join a forum and start posting...

Won't rinse and repeat but I will touch on best and worst.

Goods: -Engine. I'm a speed/power junkie and get bored easily cause I keep my fist/foot in it a lot. I was skeptical about the smallish looking displacement but the numbers were amazing. It probably has a lot to do with the fantastic EFI, but this is a very good engine. Very punchy, grunts hard down low, long rev band for a twin, 43+ mpg worst case. And the power modes and endless adjustments to boxes really satisfy the geek in me.

-Style. It's a technically sexy bike. The first vehicle I've owned where I didn't want to swap the exhaust/wheels almost immediately. Having kids has sapped most of the coolness from me but I could honestly ride this bike for probably 2 years before really getting the bolt-on fever itch. It's style that works, too - bags, screen, handguards, etc.


-Brakes. Insane stopping power and have yet to find front ABS engagement point. And this coming from a guy with rotor issues...

Others: -Not the best open road touring setup. I clock over 200 hwy miles a week at speeds above 75 mph. Weight, suspension and smallish-screen create a ruff extended tourer - not bad, just not Big-Bimmer comfort. *However, remember that a small percentage of this bikes DNA is meant to go off-road and it's amazing in urban environment, so, if versatility is the ultimate goal... As for the high-rpm at speed argument, I just don't follow. The fuel mileage certainly doesn't reveal inefficiency. At 80-90 mph, the twin softly booms behind you and if you use a softer power mode, it's not twitchy. Honestly, your mostly fighting the suspension and wind blast at those speeds, not the power band.

-Suspension. Front is just ****. I can't believe Duc even sells a bike with non-adjustable forks. There's $8K import labels that have fully adjustable shocks. You could certainly argue it was a do-all setup but, c'mon, is someone really spending more time in the dirt than asphalt? *Almost certain to be updated for next model year and worth the wait if they don't jack the price way up.

-Transmission. I've seen this panned in a couple reviews and I'd have to agree it could be better. It's pretty stiff if not in protected boots and often finicky with false neutrals or missed shifts. Slipper clutch is awesome, however.

My Strada's been in the shop for 3 weeks trouble shooting front end and swapping rotors/pads for 3rd time. I'm missing the best riding weather of the year and I still wouldn't sell or trade it for anything. It's a average/smaller rider's dream setup and I've never felt more in control and confident in a saddle.

I'm really happy with my Strada, had her since June. I agree the front suspension could be better, but it has all the power I want, and then some. I always have a big SEG on my face when I come in from a ride. I'm also 5'10" and 180, seems to be a theme here, lol. BTW, BigBlockDude, I was just over there at Pebble beach last week, no bike though. Truly amazing area to ride, I'll be back!

BigBlockDude said:

I went to my local Ducati dealer this weekend and they did not offer a test ride on any models... I don't think I will ever buy a bike without riding a demo first. I have bought bikes before that I never rode, but always regretted not riding them before buying them.

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Aw, that's a load of crap. My dealer practically forced test rides on me. I'd roll back in the garage with whatever bike and my guy would be there with the keys to the next bike in line.

If I fell ***-backward into a pile of money, I'd buy a Diavel for special occasions. I had no interest in that bike and told my sales guy that I just didn't get what it was for. Turns out what it's for is rolling in and out of the throttle like a pure *****, laughing the whole way. It was just a blast to ride.

Nobody would buy a car without a test drive. I understand the probability that you'll scratch/dent/wreck a bike is more likely than with a car but, that's what the sign-your-life-away waiver is for. Sounds to me like pure inventory control on their part.

My shop does big test ride weekends. Roll out all the models and mostly try and hook owners looking to upgrade. Just so happens they had one before I took delivery of my Strada. I was pretty surprised how many bad reviews the 1199 Panigale took, mostly from older guys that couldn't handle the ergo's.

The Diavel is the real Monster in Duc's lineup. Changed my whole perspective on owning a "cruiser". I was pacing all the sport models and the wheel walked up in 2nd while I was riding somewhat conservative. I hate the headlight and think the reach to the bars would get uncomfortable on a long ride but I felt like it was worth every bit of $20K.

porkrind said:

Aw, that's a load of crap. My dealer practically forced test rides on me. I'd roll back in the garage with whatever bike and my guy would be there with the keys to the next bike in line.

If I fell ***-backward into a pile of money, I'd buy a Diavel for special occasions. I had no interest in that bike and told my sales guy that I just didn't get what it was for. Turns out what it's for is rolling in and out of the throttle like a pure *****, laughing the whole way. It was just a blast to ride.

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Yeah i didnt get the Diavel until i rented 1 for a day, its for exactly like you describe. If you do the math the 848 has better ptw ratio...

bigbrownbuku said:

Yeah i didnt get the Diavel until i rented 1 for a day, its for exactly like you describe. If you do the math the 848 has better ptw ratio...

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The 848 may have a better power-to-weight ratio, but it's nothing like the torque of the Diavel, and this is one of the cases where area under the curve means a lot more than peak power.