Price: from £10,995 | Power: 77.5bhp | Weight: 151kg | Overall BikeSocial Rating: TBA
Ducati hasn’t had a street-legal single-cylinder bike in its range for 50 years but it’s marking its return with the most powerful one-pot production bike on the market in the form of the Hypermotard 698 Mono.
Looking every inch like the baby Hypermotard that its name suggests, the Mono is the launch platform for Ducati’s new Superquadro Mono engine, a high-tech single derived from the 1285cc V-twin used in the 1299 Panigale. With 77.5bhp on tap and a high-revving ability that’s at odds with the single-cylinder format, the new engine means Ducati’s range, once exclusively filled with twins, now features singles, twins and four-cylinders – a variety that’s as wide as almost any rival brand.
Pros & Cons
- Ultra-powerful single promises impressive performance
- High-tech rider aids to make everyone a supermoto god
- Long service intervals add a dash of practicality
- Tall seat won’t suit everyone
- Not that much cheaper than the 114hp Hypermotard 950
- Usual supermoto compromises when it comes to long-distance riding
Review – In Detail
Price & PCP
For and against
Engine & Performance
Handling & Suspension (inc. weight & brakes)
Comfort & Economy
Equipment
Rivals
Verdict
Specification
Like the bigger Hypermotard 950, the Hypermotard 698 Mono is offered in both base and ‘RVE’ variants with the latter carrying a relatively small premium for its more eye-catching graphics and slightly upgraded spec.
The base model starts at £10,995, which is £1800 less than the entry-level Hypermotard 950, while the Hypermotard 698 Mono RVE comes in at £11,895, your extra cash buying the black, red, silver and white graphics and dual-colour wheels, and endowing the RVE with a standard-fit up/down quickshifter. The same quickshifter can be optionally added to the base version if you prefer the classic red and black of the base model but want the convenience of clutchless changes. If you’re dipping into the options, you might also be tempted by the Termignoni exhaust that hikes power even further, to 84.5hp, although it’s officially for track use only.
Ducati has truly shaken off its ‘V-twins only’ reputation now, with multiple V4 bikes in a variety of specs and capacities accounting for nearly half the company’s range. With the Hypermotard 698 Mono it brings another option to the table in the form of the first mass-production Ducati single since the bevel singles fell out of production in 1974.
In more recent memory, Ducati has only returned to the one-cylinder format once, creating the race-only Supermono – 67 examples were built between 1993 and 1997 – using a 549cc single derived from the 888’s V-twin, and featuring an unusual balancer system with a dummy conrod in the foreshortened, sliced-off front cylinder.
Ducati’s new Superquadro Mono engine doesn’t use the same innovative balancer, instead featuring a pair of balancer shafts – one front, one rear – driven by gears inside the crankcase. But like the Supermono of old, it’s an engine that revs much harder than the ‘thumper’ preconceptions of big singles might suggest.
Sharing the whopping 116mm bore of the 1299 Panigale and combining it with a short, 62.4mm stroke creates a hugely over-square (Superquadro means ‘super-square’) single with a 659cc capacity. And no, we’re not sure why it’s called the ‘698’ Mono either, given that capacity. Ducati’s relationship between exact engine capacity and model numbers has always been a little elastic.
The engine’s design, along with exotic materials, low-friction internal coatings and a high 13.1:1 compression ratio, contribute to the impressive 77.5hp peak at 9,750rpm, with a rev limiter that doesn’t interrupt proceedings until 10,250rpm. For comparison, KTM’s 690 SMC-R – surely the new Hypermotard’s closest rival – has a bigger 693cc engine and peaks at 73.8hp and a much lower 8,000rpm.
The Ducati’s torque is 46.3lb-ft at 8,000rpm, reflecting the downside of such a high-revving engine. For comparison, the KTM makes 52.4lb-ft at 6,750rpm thanks to its larger capacity.
As we’ve come to expect from Ducati, there’s a vast array of rider aids: three power modes, four riding modes, wheelie control, engine brake control, IMU-controlled cornering traction control, cornering ABS, engine brake control, and launch control are all standard. What’s more, the ABS has a ‘slide by brake’ function in two of its modes, allowing the rear wheel to be ‘backed-in’ to corners in true supermoto style while preventing the slide from getting out of control. And while the wheelie control generally aims to maximise performance by keeping the nose on the ground, it also has a ‘Wheelie Assist’ setting to help keep it aloft when you’re showing off. For use away from public roads, of course.
Keeping weight to a minimum has been Ducati’s goal with the Hypermotard 698 Mono and by using a trellis frame that weighs just 7.2kg, allied to lightweight Marzocchi 45mm forks coming in at 8.1kg and cast alloy wheels instead of wires, saving another 0.5kg, the company has managed to create a machine that weighs just 151kg ready-to-ride, albeit measured without any fuel in the tank rather than in the brimmed state that an increasing number of rivals use for their measurements. A full tank would add around 10kg to the total.
A dual-sided swingarm with a Sachs rising-rate monoshock deals with the rear suspension, and both ends are fully adjustable.
Braking duties are dealt with by a single Brembo M4.32 front caliper and a 330mm disc, aided by a single-pot Brembo and 240mm rear disc and the aforementioned cornering ABS with multiple modes.
At the time of writing, Ducati has yet to confirm the precise height of the seat but the tall, long-travel suspension (215mm of movement at the front, 240mm at the rear) and the supermoto styling means it’s not going to be low. KTM’s 690 SMC R, with a similar stance and silhouette, has an 890mm seat and the Ducati isn’t likely to be a long way from that number. The Hypermotard 950’s seat is 870mm tall, for example, but Ducati has put work into keeping it narrow to reduce the stretch to the ground, and the 698 Mono’s seat is similarly slim at the front.
There’s a dash of adjustability to the riding position, with eccentric handlebar risers that allow some fore and aft movement.
Similarly, there’s no official fuel economy number yet, and even the tank size has yet to be disclosed, making it impossible to even guess at fuel range. It’s generally not a priority for supermotos, though, as they’re the epitome of short-trip fun bikes and the antithesis of long-distance tourers.
While the Hypermotard 698 Mono is packed with electrickery when it comes to rider-assists it doesn’t pamper you with luxuries – this is a stripped-back machine aimed at maximising rider enjoyment, not cossetting you with distracting tech.
There’s a simple LCD dashboard display tucked behind the numberboard-style front cowl, without any of the colour TFT frippery that’s common elsewhere, but it is ‘Ducati Link Ready’ to allow phone connectivity for infotainment. The RVE gets a quickshifter as standard, optional on the base model, and the options list also includes the Termignoni race exhaust, a race seat, ‘motard’ footrests, various protective parts and an array of carbon-fibre and billet aluminium cosmetic bolt-ons.
All the key rivals to the Hypermotard 698 Mono are from the KTM empire – with the closely-related 690 SMC R, Husqvarna 701 Supermoto and GasGas SM 700 offering the most direct competition to the Ducati in terms of style, performance and price.
KTM 690 SMC R | Price: £9,799
Power/Torque: 73.8bhp/54lb-ft | Weight: 147kg (without fuel)
Husqvarna 701 Supermoto | Price: £9,799
Power/Torque: 73.8bhp/54lb-ft | Weight: 148kg (without fuel)
GasGas SM 700 | Price: £9,349
Power/Torque: 73.8bhp/54lb-ft | Weight: 148.5kg (without fuel)
We’ll let you know once we’ve ridden it.
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New price
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From £10,995
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Capacity
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659cc
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Bore x Stroke
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116mm x 62.4mm
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Engine layout
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Single-cylinder
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Engine details
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4-valve, desmo, liquid cooled
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Power
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77.5bhp (57kW) @ 9,750rpm
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Torque
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46.4lb-ft (63Nm) @ 8,050rpm
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Transmission
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6 speed, chain drive, optional quickshifter (standard on RVE)
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Average fuel consumption
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TBA
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Tank size
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TBA
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Max range to empty
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TBA
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Rider aids
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3 power modes, 4 riding modes, Ducati Wheelie Control, Ducati Traction Control, Ducati Power Launch, Engine Brake Control, Wheelie Assist, Slide by Brake
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Frame
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Steel trellis
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Front suspension
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Marzocchi 45mm USD forks
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Front suspension adjustment
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Fully adjustable
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Rear suspension
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Sachs monoshock
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Rear suspension adjustment
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Fully adjustable
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Front brake
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330mm disc, four-piston Brembo M4.32 caliper
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Rear brake
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240mm disc, one-piston Brembo caliper
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Front wheel / tyre
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Cast alloy wheel, 120/70-17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV
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Rear wheel / tyre
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Cast alloy wheel, 160/60-17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV
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Dimensions (LxWxH)
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TBA
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Wheelbase
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TBA
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Seat height
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TBA
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Weight
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151kg (ready to ride, without fuel)
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Warranty
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24 months, unlimited miles
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Servicing
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9,000 miles (15,000km) oil changes, 18,000 miles (30,000km) valve adjustments
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MCIA Secured Rating
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Not yet rated
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Website
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www.ducati.com
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What is MCIA Secured?
MCIA Secured gives bike buyers the chance to see just how much work a manufacturer has put into making their new investment as resistant to theft as possible.
As we all know, the more security you use, the less chance there is of your bike being stolen. In fact, based on research by Bennetts, using a disc lock makes your machine three times less likely to be stolen, while heavy duty kit can make it less likely to be stolen than a car. For reviews of the best security products, click here.
MCIA Secured gives motorcycles a rating out of five stars (three stars for bikes of 125cc or less), based on the following being fitted to a new bike as standard:
- A steering lock that meets the UNECE 62 standard
- An ignition immobiliser system
- A vehicle marking system
- An alarm system
- A vehicle tracking system with subscription
The higher the star rating, the better the security, so always ask your dealer what rating your bike has and compare it to other machines on your shortlist.
