| March 11, 2024
Ducati produces a road-going single-cylinder for the first time in a quarter of a century and enters the supermoto class with intent.
Oh, you sexy little thing. Err, the Ducati, not Adam.
By Adam Child | Photos by Milagro
For those of us who associate the Ducati brand with V-twins (or L-twins, as some prefer), it might be time for a rethink. Yes, the configuration still thrives in the form of the Superquadro V2 and Testastretta desmos, but it’s the V4 Desmosedici Stradale R and Granturismo powerhouses that make the big numbers these days.
And now, for 2024, there’s another non-twin—another performance-focused headline maker that threatens to shake up not only some Ducatisti purists but also our perceptions of what a single-cylinder engine should be.
The Superquadro Mono is Ducati’s first single since the 549cc Supermono racer of the mid-1990s and the first production single since the bevel engines of the 1970s. Effectively one-half of a 1299cc Superquadro V2 Panigale, the 659cc, four-valve desmo makes 77.5 horsepower and revs to an astonishing 10,250 rpm, making it both the most powerful and highest revving production single the world has yet seen.
It might be the base model but it’s still a looker with a claimed 77 horsepower from a single-cylinder engine. Yes, 77 horsepower!
The first machine to receive the 698 Mono power unit is this: the all-new Hypermotard 698 Mono, 333 pounds of extra-light and fast-steering fun and games, a road-legal but virtually ready-to-race supermoto scalpel.
The Hypermotard’s chassis features a trellis frame that weighs just 15.8 pounds, lightweight and fully adjustable 45mm Marzocchi forks, and Y-shape cast alloy wheels instead of the heavier wire spoke rims commonly seen in this class. The rear suspension is via a conventional twin-arm swingarm and a fully adjustable Sachs rising-rate monoshock, while the brakes are a single Brembo M4.32 caliper and 330mm disc up front, and a single-piston Brembo and 240mm disc at the rear.
This being a Ducati, there is state-of-the-art cornering traction control and ABS as well as three power modes; four riding modes (Sport, Road, Urban and Wet); wheelie control; wheelie assist (which helps you pull and hold better wheelies!); engine brake control, and launch control. There is also Ducati’s Slide By Brake function, which allows non-expert riders to back-in to corners like a pro—more on this in a moment.
The RVE edition can make a man or woman do silly things indeed. Has there ever been a naughtier-looking Ducati?
Like the bigger and heavier Hypermotard 950 V-twin, the Hypermotard 698 Mono is offered in both base and RVE/SP variants, the latter having “Graffiti” graphics, dual-color wheels and an up-and-down quickshifter. The base model starts at $12,995, while the RVE is priced at $14,495.
Our test RVE was also fitted with a distinctly fruity, track-only Termignoni race exhaust system that raised peak power to 84.5 horsepower, along with a race seat, sump guard and race footpegs, which would take the asking price close to the $18,000 mark—encroaching very closely on the twin-cylinder Hypermotard SP.
The Ducati Wheelie Control will allow you to get close to 12 o’clock if you dare.
But first, let’s talk about that free-revving, mold-busting Superquadro Mono.
Its capacity is actually 659cc, not the 698 it says on the tin, but the important numbers relate to its bore and stroke. At 116mm x 62.4mm, it is, like the Panigale V2 it’s developed from, massively oversquare and, thanks also to low-friction internal coatings and superb twin-balance shafts, revs beyond the imaginable to 10,250 rpm. An equally wild 77.5 horsepower peak arrives at 9750 rpm while torque peaks at 46.3lb-ft and a relatively lofty 8000 rpm, reflecting the high-revving nature of this very modern single.
The electronics are such an integral part of the 698 package that setting up for the mixed weather conditions during our test at the Valencia supermoto circuit in southern Spain was key to the bike’s performance.
In the morning, for example, it was damp and cold, so I opted for Wet mode, the low power mode (58 horsepower), ABS level 4 (that’s the max), Ducati Wheelie Control 4 (also the max), Ducati Traction Control 4 (out of 8) and a middling Engine Brake Control setting.
Those wheels aren’t anything particularly special—they’re not carbon or forged alloy—but dang, don’t they look good.
Something of a chore, perhaps, but once dialed in, the combination of throttle maps and rider aids are so good I could ride with utter confidence on a difficult surface, picking up my braking points while allowing the Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires to come up to temperature. The Wet mode throttle response is soft and friendly off a closed throttle, and I could feel the DTC bringing dozens of small slides at the rear into line.
As the track surface dried, I opted for Road mode, which gives full power (77.5 horsepower) and slightly lower levels of electronic intervention than Wet while retaining that exquisitely smooth throttle connection. The faster I went, the more the 698 Mono felt like a precisely balanced parallel twin than a single. Sure, it generated the satisfying traction that all good singles possess, but it also revved so fluently and so hard that it was hard to believe there was only one piston beneath me.
On the track, this willingness to rev and rev on beyond peak power allows you to hold on to the rpm between corners—ideal on a tight and twisty circuit. Initially, it feels counterintuitive, as years of riding other supermoto singles have drilled my left foot into short-shifting and using the torque of the midrange to drive between corners. On the Hypermotard 698 Mono, however, you crank it.
Ducati Quick Shift comes standard on the RVE but not on the base model.
As you’d expect, the Superquadro Mono’s extra short-stroke motor doesn’t generate the bottom-end grunt of the more traditional competition, but according to Ducati, 70 percent of its torque is available from 3000 rpm and 80 percent from 4500 rpm to 10,250 rpm. And that’s how it feels; there is always traction, if not copious amounts of it.
With the DWC wheelie control deactivated, the front Pirelli lifts easily in the first three gears, and the bike always drives smoothly off the bottom. No matter how hectic things get, even in Sport mode and with 85 hp of the Termi-equipped RVE model on tap, the throttle response remains user-friendly.
Complementing all this accessible drive is a chassis and suspension combo that works superbly on a supermoto circuit. Both ends are fully adjustable, and both the standard model and RVE share the same suspension components: Marzocchi up front and Sachs on the rear. We tweaked the suspension for track use on the RVE’s slick Pirelli rubber, but on the standard bike and Pirellis, we ran stock settings, which tells its own story.
Cleverly, Ducati has made the 698 work for foot-out supermoto riders as well as for those who stick to knee-down on track days. I’m a traditional knee-down rider, and even with a tall seat and long-travel suspension (8.5 inches at the front and 9.4 inches at the rear), attacking the track felt natural. The fuel tank is in the conventional position (it’s under the seat on some bikes), and there’s noticeable weight over the front, which means that you can feel what the front Pirelli is doing, much like a conventional sports-naked, and don’t feel distanced from the contact patch by the long-travel forks. Mid-corner, the ’pegs did occasionally tickle the track, but this was only with slick tires fitted. Even at big lean, the Ducati felt planted and didn’t drift wide, which some bikes with long-travel suspension can do when pushing for a lap time.
The double-barrel shotgun exhaust for a single-cylinder screams 1990s supermoto.
But it’s the electronics that truly elevate the Hypermotard 698 Mono to a higher level. The collective effect of those riding and power modes and myriad rider aids grants all riders, no matter their skill or risk level, permission to exploit the bike in safety. Those new to supermoto can, for example, add extra lean-sensitive traction control and ABS, set the wheelie control low so the front Pirelli hovers an inch or two over the track, and go cut a lap. As their skills and confidence grow, the electronics can be trimmed to suit.
The Slide by Brake Bosch corning ABS is particularly empowering. Getting a bike to back in is a tough skill to learn as you must brake heavily, crunch down the gears, balance clutch and back brake, and do so with enough aggression to break traction. Get it wrong and a painful highside beckons—but the 698 Mono holds your hand all the way.
Slide by Brake has four settings. Setting four gives conventional lean-sensitive ABS, meaning the rear tire won’t break free or back in. Level three, which I used in the wet, is for supermoto novices and allows a small slide. Level two allows the rear to back in on the brakes but not lock. Level one is for experts and has no cornering function; the rear wheel will lock, but the front still has ABS. Using Level Two, I could brake hard, downshift, release the clutch, and jump on the back brake—and simply allow the electronics to do the rest.
Considering Ducati’s propensity for massive dashes of late, the Hypermotard’s is tiny and not so easy to read.
The system won’t turn you into a supermoto legend overnight, but you will start to feel the rear tire break free without worrying the day is about to end in the medical center. Even with hot, slick rubber fitted, I was able to predictably slide the rear into first-gear corners like I would usually only attempt on the PlayStation. Talking of which, Ducati offers a track-only option, which comes with the race exhaust, that allows much higher and more sustainable wheelies than the standard DWC. Tip: don’t tell your friends it’s installed on your bike.
A word of warning, though. The 698’s extra tall 35.6-inch seat height isn’t going to suit everyone, although there is an optional lower perch that drops to 35 inches. That said, I’m short (nearly 5’7”), and I didn’t have too many problems with the Ducati on the standard seat, partly because the chassis and seat are so slim and because the bike only weighs 333 pounds, wet with no fuel. It’s not like a tall and bulky adventure bike that hits the scales at over 440 pounds.
Dial the electronics up and you’ve got quite the pussycat in the wet. But put slicks on and have a dry track underneath you and it’s a different story.
Being a track-focused supermoto means the 698 Mono also lacks a few niceties. A compact 3.8-inch LCD display is a little small compared to other models in Ducati’s range. I preferred to change the modes and the settings in the pits, stationary, not out on track, as they are not too clearly displayed, and you can’t fully turn off the rider aids on the move.
Of course, this was a track-only test, and the Hypermotard 698 Mono will need to be ridden on the highway before we can form a definitive opinion. But based on a day of lapping in its natural environment, it’s clear that Ducati has moved the supermoto needle and changed the way we should look at singles.
Its free-revving Superquadro Mono is the most powerful single-cylinder you can buy. It excels at both low and high speeds, thanks to a hunger for revs and excellent fueling, and even has 10,000-mile-wide oil change intervals. The chassis is light, the steering sharp as a pin without being flighty. Above all, the rider aids are out of this world and will help racers and weekend enthusiasts alike develop their skills in safety. CN
VIDEO | 2024 Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono First Ride
2024 Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono Specifications
| MSRP: |
$12,995 ($14,495 RVE Edition) |
| Engine: |
Superquadro Mono, single-cylinder, 2 balance countershafts |
| Valvetrain: |
4-valve, Desmodromic timing, |
| Cooling system: |
Liquid |
| Displacement: |
659cc |
| Bore x Stroke: |
116 x 62.4mm |
| Compression Ratio: |
13.1:1 |
| Power (Claimed): |
77.5 hp at 9750 rpm |
| Torque (Claimed): |
46.5 lb-ft at 8000 rpm |
| Fuel Injection: |
EFI, 62mm throttle body w/full Ride by Wire system |
| Exhaust: |
1-2 exhaust system, double aluminum mufflers, catalytic converter and lambda probe |
| Gearbox: |
6-speed |
| Clutch: |
Slipper and self-servo wet multiplate clutch, hydraulic control |
| Frame: |
Tubular steel trellis frame |
| Front Suspension: |
45mm Marzocchi fully adjustable aluminum fork |
| Rear Suspension: |
Progressive linkage with Sachs fully adjustable monoshock. Aluminum double-sided swingarm |
| Front Wheel Travel: |
8.5 in. |
| Rear Wheel Travel: |
9.4 in. |
| Front Tire: |
Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV, 120/70 ZR17 in. |
| Rear Tire: |
Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV, 160/60 ZR17 in. |
| Front Wheel: |
Y-shaped 5-spoke light alloy 3.5 x 17 in. |
| Rear Wheel: |
Y-shaped 5-spoke light alloy 5.0 x 17 in. |
| Front Brake: |
330mm aluminum flange disc, Brembo M4.32 caliper, radial pump w/adjustable lever; Bosch Cornering ABS |
| Rear Brake: |
245mm disc, single piston floating caliper; Bosch Cornering ABS |
| Seat Height: |
35.6 in. |
| Wheelbase: |
56.8 in. |
| Rake: |
6.1° |
| Trail: |
4.2 in |
| Fuel Capacity: |
3.0 gal. |
| Wet Weight: |
333 lbs. |
| Instrumentation: |
3.8 in. LCD display with Improved Black Nematic (IBN) technology |
| Electronics: |
Riding Modes, Bosch Cornering ABS, Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC), Engine Brake Control (EBC), Ducati Brake Light (DBL) |
| Standard Equipment: |
Power Modes, Ducati Power Launch (DLC), Full LED lighting system, |
| Maintenance service intervals: |
9000 miles/24 months |
| Valve Clearance Check |
18,000 miles |
| Colors: |
Ducati Red, RVE Edition |
| Warranty: |
24 months, unlimited mileage |
