L'ho trovato ... interessante !
mytwowheeladdiction.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-ducati-hypermot...
was torn originally between the Ducati Hypermotard and the KTM990 Supermotard (previously 950 to those who know). Everything I read says the KTM SM is a better bike. Better handling, more power, more fun and cheaper. But I have always dreamed of a Ducati, even though the price was hard to swallow and I’m not a real fan of true sportbikes. It wasn’t until I saw both bikes at the Oslo MC Messe last year and was able to make a ‘face-to-face’ comparison. By itself, the KTM is beautiful. But it is big. With liquid cooling and the radiators, it is really a big bike. And it has a lot of plastic, which isn’t really a problem until you see the Ducati.
The HM is in a whole other league. It is very small, thin and light. With the air-cooled v-twin there are no radiators sticking out. And no plastic other than the styling panels. All hand made, it really is a work of art in comparison. Actually, there is no comparison between the two. It is the difference between a picture you buy at IKEA to fill a space on the wall and a Salvador Dali you buy to treasure.
And then I made the mistake of taking a test ride on the Hypermotard standard model (not the S-model you see here) at a local dealer at the end of last summer. I knew I had to have one. You sit on the bike and see nothing of the front wheel or fender. It feels like you are right on top of the road. And the sound – even with the stock under-seat twin exhaust, it has no water cooling to dampen the engine sound. It is raw and barking – just like you imagine your first Ducati. It just sticks to the road like glue until you give it a bit of juice, then the front wheel jumps skyward. I have always admired Ducatis, but they have been too extreme for my taste. Until now. This bike sits you upright and makes you feel like an instant hooligan.
So. The decision was made. I will _somehow_ get a Ducati. I was able to talk my boss into giving me a very cheap company loan and then began checking prices in Norway, Denmark, Holland, Germany and America. I considered all the prices including transport and import taxes as well as gut-feeling of the dealer. While it wasn’t the cheapest (Denmark was cheaper) I decided to buy the bike from Motor Centrum Terneuzen in south of Holland. My good friends Roel & Priscylla buy their Ducatis there and they have a very good mechanic. I talked with them several times before deciding that I would buy the bike from them. I transferred a deposit and they ordered the bike in November, I think. It was one of the first black Hypermotards to come to Holland. With the money saved from buying in Norway, I ordered several extras and had ‘Sjuul’ (Johnny, the mechanic) rework the motor. He opened the cases, balanced everything, lightened the flywheel and increased compression slightly. He also installed the Terginomini twin carbon rocket launchers out the back, removed the CAT, mounted a carbon hugger, a bash plate (with the Hypermotard logo that is only seen when you are on the back wheel) and a Scottoiler. With the money I ‘saved’ – it is so easy to justify these things! Basically, this thing goes like the wind. And looks the biz.