Hello, I am new to this site and just want to introduce myself. I live in LA and have been into motocross and dessert riding for years, so I consider myself a good rider in dirt that is. I really want to get a street bike and have been looking at the Hypermotard sp 939. I like it because it resembles the dirt bike as far as ergonomics and such. I do have some questions for those who own one. 1-I am 5 foot 8 and have read that the Hypermotard sits pretty high up. Will this be an issue for me at stops ? On my past dirt bikes, I normally would be on my toes, it never was a problem unless I stoped on uneven ground. I know on street the majority of times it will be even ground. 2-How are sales in Ducati as far as negotiating? Since there are few dealers in my area, does it make it harder to get a good deal? Basically, if the bike is going for $16200.00 or so new, what should I expect to get it for, how much of a discount should I be asking for if any ? 3-How different from dirt bikes are street bikes? I mean as far as handling and such. I am used to sliding out the rear, wheeling over obstacles and all kinds of crazy things on dirt. Obviously , I know I won't be doing any of this on the street, but are street bikes pretty easy to handle aside from weight consideration? Sorry if these are silly question but the street bike seen is really new to me. I really enjoy this site and love reading things on here. I would really appreciate your inputs since you guys are the experts on these bikes... Thank you for your time.
Hello Jose, I was in a similar situation to you. Very little experience on the road but had been racing motocross for some time. I went for the Hyper for the same reason: it resembles a dirtbike in terms of riding position and bike structure. 1- I´m 5ft 10 and I reach with both feet on my tiptoes, or one foot flat by leaning the bike slightly. If you are used to dirtbikes (typically seat heights of >900mm), the hyper's 870mm seat should be fine. As you've mentioned, road surfaces are even so it's no big deal. 2- Can't really help you on this one as I live in the UK, so not sure how it'll work in the States. I would assume that dealers will go by the fixed price, unless there's a special promotion or they're selling an old model. 3- Hypermotards are considerably different from a supermoto (road dirtbike). I'm very comfortable riding 250´s and 450´s around a dirt track. It took me a few weeks to get comfortable riding what I´d consider fast on the hyper. Firstly, this bike has more than double the HP and Torque of a 450r. The power delivery is very different due to the nature of the engine. Additionally, it is quite a heavy bike (approx. 200kg wet weight) in comparison to a dirtbike. All this means is that it´s not as easy to wheelie (properly) or slide out the rear in corners. It´s very possible, it just requires more skill. All in all, it´s a great bike that will not disappoint you. It´s not the most practical bike, nor the most comfortable for the highway, but it´s extremely fun to ride.
Thank you for the info. From the videos I have watched , it looks like once you hit the power band, the front end seems to lift pretty easy, at least that's what it looks like. It definitely looks like a lot of fun to ride.
Riding is no problem, hitting the deck is harder. Dirtbike back ground 9 times out of 10 equals quick and competent on road. Buy something, ride and enjoy ; ) You will adapt quicker to a flat bar bike than a sportbike. Otherwise, just go choose something that fits.
What is service like, as far as doing things yourself, Oil changes and such. I did the small stuff on the dirt bikes but left the big stuff to the shops. How often do you do oil changes?
What is the mileage range per tank on the 2017/2018 ? I drive about 60 miles one way to work, will I be able to make it back home before refilling? At what mileage does the gas light go on and how many miles will it go once the light goes on?
I've heard stories of as low as 80 miles but never owned one myself... 150 to 200 with an 1100 and a CCW tank.
I just spoke to dealer that said it should do 120 to 140 with conservative highway ridding. I would love to hear from those who have one to see what they are getting.
Top it up yourself, have a ride, top it up exactly the same and see how much it has used for the miles you did - and yes, some dealers here in the UK will let you have a bike for a good couple of hours...
Never really checked the range. On my road trips, the fuel light came on at approx. 100 miles. By the time I got to a petrol station, +10 miles. And if I recall right, the bike drank 12/13 litres, meaning it still had 3 litres left approx. The numbers above, along with some simple maths, give me an average of 8.5 miles per litre. Multiply this by the bike's 16L capacity and you get 136 miles range. Mind you, this calculation is based on B road non-conservative driving. Similar to the range figures given online and to what the dealer told you.
