Ducati overnight released the new Hypermotard 950 RVE, which enters the market between entry model Hypermotard 950 and the top of the range Hypermotard 950 SP in Ducati's ludicrously fun Hypermotard family.
The Ducati Hypermotard 950 RVE will be available in Australia and New Zealand in very limited numbers and will arrive in September 2020. Pricing for this model will be confirmed by Ducati ANZ closer to the date of release.
Immediately setting the new Hypermotard 950 RVE apart from the rest of the Ducati range is the livery called "Graffiti" instead of the usual solid red we've come to associate with the Italian brand. That name, by the way, is inspired by street art according to Ducati, with the bike boldly showing off its hyper personality in the design.
The bike builds on popularity online of the Hypermotard 950 Concept, which Ducati presented at the swanky Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este and going against the grain of the usually upper-crust affair.
With the one-off concept bike going down as a hit, Ducati wanted to transfer some of the same hand-built qualities over to the production bike. The result is an intensive paint process which uses very low thickness decals and a multi-phase painting system to result in a finish that is – in Ducati's words – comparable to that of an airbrushed bodywork.
The electronic package of the Hypermotard 950 RVE is no run of the mill affair either, and is enhanced by the Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) Up and Down EVO, which is matched to Bosch Cornering ABS with Slide by Brake functionality, Ducati Traction Control Evo (DTC EVO) and Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) EVO.
While it is a motard by name, the Hypermotard 950 is the fun-bike built from the ground up to guarantee a high level of fun and control while riding – as such it is about as far as you can get from a run of the mill motard built from a dirty old off-roader.
The aggressive design of the bike takes its inspiration from the motard school, revolves around the twin exhausts under the seat and the smaller superstructures that leave the mechanical components visible, including the trellis rear frame that against Ducati tradition is in silver steel and not our favourite red.
Powering the Hypermotard 950 RVE is Ducati's twin-cylinder 937 cc Testastretta 11° engine, which pumps out 114hp at 9,000 rpm and 96.1 Nm of torque. While it's not earth-shattering torque, Ducati says over 80% of it is already available at 3,000rpm, making it a near-perfect engine to offer both maximum fun in sports riding on the track or on back roads full of curves and in everyday riding on urban stretches.
At the top of the Hypermotard 950 range is the Hypermotard 950 SP which comes complete with racing graphics and Öhlins suspension with increased travel, Marchesini forged rims and Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) Up and Down EVO.
