Ducati was spotted testing a new version of the Hypermotard hinting at its imminent launch, perhaps at the EICMA in November.
The Ducati Hypermotard has been quietly getting longer in the tooth on the sidelines of the Italian bikemaker’s other models in the lineup. The Scrambler family is seeing healthy sales as well as regular updates, the adventure touring Multistrada range is also brand new for 2018, and despite the XDiavel still looking fresh as ever, there’s already a new version in the works. Even the Supersport S is new for 2018.
That leaves us with the aging Multistrada and its uncertain future. Ducati has clearly noticed the motard range being sidelined and intends to change things. The facelifts are kicking off starting with the Hypermotard 937. From what is visible from the spyshots, Ducati has given the Hypermotard extensive updates. For instance, the radiator appears to be bigger. The revised bodywork will give the Motard a fresh look in addition to ensuring even greater airflow to the radiator for more efficient cooling. Also, Ducati is going back to the exposed trellis subframe of the original Motard which debuted in 2007 and was on sale until 2012.
Post-2012 Motards have hidden subframes behind plastic modesty panels. The 2019 Hypermotard is set to lose the panels in favor of the latticed trellis look. Additionally, Ducati is also bringing back the dual underseat exhausts which the first generation Motard wore and the current Hypermotard 1100 still uses. The by-product of Euro4 emissions regulations, a large, unsightly cat-con box is visible under the engine.
It appears that the 2019 Ducati Hypermotard is more of a facelift than a new generation all-new product. So what’s still unchanged? For starters, the 937cc liquid-cooled L-Twin motor stays the same, generating 113hp and 95Nm. The electronics are still the same because the test mule does not appear to have the full-color TFT dash some new Ducatis are sporting. Perhaps Ducati will revise the fueling of the new Motard using components from the Monster 821 which shares its basic platform with the former. Otherwise, there is no major electronics update on the cards.
