Ducati 698 Hypermotard Teased; India Launch Soon

Ducati India has teased the Hypermotard 698 Mono on its social media handles, indicating a launch the coming weeks. Revealed late last year, the Hypermotard 698 Mono, as the name suggests, gets a 659 cc single-cylinder engine, which is the world's most powerful Superquadro Mono single-cylinder unit at the moment. Also, it is Ducati's first single-cylinder engine in a long, long time. Ducati is likely to launch the Hypermotard 698 Mono in two variants - standard and RVE with the latter getting a different livery and a quick-shifter as standard.

The single-cylinder engine makes 77.5 bhp at 9,750 rpm along with 63 Nm of peak torque at 8,000 rpm. If the optional Termignoni exhaust is added then the power and torque figures go up by 7 bhp and 4 Nm. The engine is paired to a 6-speed gearbox with a slip and assist clutch.

The motorcycle gets a steel trellis frame chassis and a steel sub-frame along with an Aluminium swingarm. The overall look is that of a supermotard, of course borrowing design cues from the Hypermotard 950, with a pronounced beak and twin exhaust pipes under the seat. In terms of design, it looks downright deadly.

The bike gets adjustable 45 mm Marzocchi USD fork along with a Sachs monoshock at the rear, which is fully adjustable as well. For stopping power, the Hypermotard 698 gets a 330 mm disc up front with a Brembo M4.32 calliper, radial pump and adjustable levers. At the rear is a 245 mm disc with a single-piston calliper. The bike runs on cast alloy wheels shod with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV rubber.

Electronic rider aids include three power modes, four ride modes (sport, road, urban & wet), engine braking control, cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control and ride-by-wire. All of this can be controlled via a 3.8-inch LCD console.

Once launched, there will be no direct rival of the Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono and we expect it to be priced above Rs. 10 lakh (ex-showroom).