The single-cylinder is going to make its comeback at Ducati. A new Hypermotard has been spotted on Ducati’s test track in Italy, which is powered by a single-cylinder. According to rumors, the engine will be launched on the market as early as 2024.
The time when Ducati was synonymous with a 90° V-twin (always called the 90° L-twin by Ducatists) and vice versa seems to be a thing of the past now that Ducati is expanding the range at the bottom after the V4 with a single-cylinder.
The motorcycle that has now been spotted in the wild during test work has the looks of the Hypermotard, but powered by a single-cylinder, which could possibly be intended as a counterpart to the KTM 690 SMC (and Husqvarna 701 / GASGAS SM 700), although the engine seems smaller than the stuff from Austria seems to be.
Anyone who – like us – had hoped that the day would come again when Ducati would breathe new life into the Supermono single-cylinder, will undoubtedly – just like us – be disappointed, but at the same time we understand it. Although the Supermono was brilliant in design, it was expensive to produce and the whole idea of a single cylinder is that it is cheap to produce.
The photos also show that the single-cylinder Hypermotard is richly equipped, with a 320 mm disc with Brembo M4.32 monobloc brake caliper and an up/down quickshifter, while the double rear silencers suggest that the engine is indeed at the level of the KTM could be, which is powered by a 693 cc single-cylinder with an output of 74 hp.
Photography: SB Media
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.