Thanks. I saw them too, seem to be reasonably priced. I’ve never actually ridden one. I’ve a 748 for 19 years and had an M900 for a while as well. The wife won’t ride pillion on the 748, can’t say I blame her, so I’m considering getting something else for general use which she would jump on. I love Monsters but I’ve had one before so fancy something different. Hence the questions.
I've not ridden one either but do like the look of them and they don't seem to come up for sale that often. Typically like buses, two come along at once. With that said I had a shot on my pals Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak and my head would tell me to get one of those (not necessarily a PP but for sure the 'S' spec) as that was in my opinion very good indeed. There's a big service looming for those two Hyperstrada which puts me off slightly.
But you pay more for one that’s had the service, it’s swings and roundabouts, Ducati’s need what they need service wise, Ducati is Ducati not Honda, just saying really not been clever but you buy a higher mileage Ducati you must expect to pay the running costs, I must admit to seeing far too many Ducati’s lately however it is still a special brand (just) in my opinion.
Enlighten me further please. What's involved? It turns out, now I have the time, there is much I can do myself. Basically have to as the nearest Ducati specialist is 350km away!
At the moment, I think I'm keeping it. Funnily enough, one of the lads on the trip was asking me to sell it all the time. It's good for a little weekend hoonary too when it's basically a Hypermotard with a screen, and It's really grown on me. If I sold it I'd have to use a sports bike and I'm not always in the mood. It coped with the trip, fully loaded and a tourer such as a BMW GS or Multistrada would have been a better option, but they are a lot more money that I don't want to spend right now. Basically the bike was a slight compromise, but a good one.
Brillant !! I prefer June or September - less traffic. Ferry to Bilbao or Santander is great - avoid the economy one - the Picos are relatively traffic free, fab secenery , reasonable prices. Your right with the Alps though - you take a chance with the passes. Glad you enjoyed it !!
So, the very fact you’re keeping it for the next long legged trip speaks volumes, positively. BTW how long are your legs? Just curious. Will it be too small for a 34 incher?
Well, I'll do a full write up soon, but I never suffered once with my legs. A couple of hours on a superbike and I'd have been uncomfortable.
As promised, I thought I'd put together a little summary of my Italian trip. Preparation. Packing - I used a Givi dry bag, both Hyperstrada soft panniers and a tank bag for items I may need at hand. Although it looked like I took a lot, I pretty much used all of it, apart from taking too many jeans, all of the clothing was used. I took some tools, which I didn't have to use and to be honest, these added the most weight to my luggage. Big cans of cleaning stuff and chain lube should have been substituted for smaller ones, looking back now. As there were 10 of us on the trip (2 in a car) it was inevitable that at some point we'd get split up, so I made a crib sheet with all of the accommodation and everyone's phone numbers on it. That way everyone could get to the accommodation and check in without the others. It had a checklist of items to take on the reverse. Enough cash in my wallet and in the bank. About a 50/50 split and a credit card too just in case. This came in handy when two automated fuel stations wouldn't accept my debit card. Updated Sat Nav, but maps in case we wanted to make detours. These were used a bit. The Trip. One of the lads on the trip planned this really well. The 1st 2 days were motorway munching through France really and the last day and a half were similar. The motorway days were close to 350 miles, the days in the twisties were about 200 miles, but we usually got to the overnight digs by 6pm at the latest. The channel tunnel was definitely worth doing and at £88 return for a bike, wasn't too bad. If you turn up early they just seem to put you on an earlier train. Tolls can add up, but this was the best way to get through France on time and the only time we used them apart from the route from Venice to Bologna / Maranello and back, to see Ducati & Ferrari. To take in the museums and not use the tolls would have made the day too long. Bikes are much cheaper than cars and as an example, a trip through France on tolls all day wasn't much more than €20, the trip from Venice to Bologna was €13. Fuel stations in all countries are abundant (less so on the French tolls) and we never struggled once to find fuel. Most rural ones are automated, so have a couple of cards handy. Most of the accommodation offered a breakfast option. We never struggled to find somewhere to eat or drink around the hotels or on route. Not everyone speaks English, but I prefer to give a little local lingo a shot anyway and you can always point. "Green" routes tend to be the toll roads. In France they are marked as peage. Never saw rain in 2 weeks, which was a god send. The countries France - As we had to get from Calais to Switzerland, the route through France was mostly mile munching. I'm sure it is a beautiful country, but I never saw much of this side of it. The people can be a bit errr.. "French" But it kind of adds to the charm. When you put your hand out to get your change from a bartender only for him to slam it on the counter and turn away in front of you, it takes a little getting used to. Switzerland - 9.9 / 10. An undeniably stunning place. The only ugly part was arriving through Basel, which was surprisingly industrial. From then on, the place was just picture perfect. The roads are well kept and I'm sure 50% of the population must be employed by "the ministry for keeping the countryside beautiful". My new favourite biking country. Italy - As soon as you cross the border you see the difference. The roads take a slight turn for the worse with the tarmac needing some repair. You can see the faded grandeur of the past. And from the picture-perfect Switzerland, the sight of derelict buildings, peeling paint and poorer infrastructure is noticeable. This is in the more affluent north too, so I'd be interested in seeing the south of the country. But again, it's a beautiful country in places, especially as you come in through the Alps and lakes. Drivers are nuts and no rules seem to apply, apart from pushing the car in front down the road with your front bumper. Austria - Similar to Switzerland, but bloody cold. The only time I had to put my heated vest on and the grips were on max heat all the time. Again, very well kept and friendly people. Germany - Well it was ......... Germany. Everything worked and it seemed a lot like Austria, but flatter. UK - Straight back onto the M20 from Folkestone and we hit roads works and average speed cameras. The delight of the M25, Dartford Tunnel and M1, all with miles of roadworks and cameras. Why do we put restrictions on 20 miles of motorway when only 1 mile is being worked on? I never saw this once on the continent. It was all localised and disruption kept to a minimum. The Passes. Grimsel, Furka and Fluela (Switzerland). All excellent with good tarmac and onion bend type hairpins. Switzerland in the main was just one big blast with fantastic roads all the way through. Slelvio (Italy). A disapointment, being too busy and narrow. The hairpin bends were far too tight, being an almost 'V' shaped after the sweepers of Switzerland and took some getting around without clutching it on the RH corners. Gavia (Italy). Avoid!!! Terrible tarmac and no wider than country track in places. A chore to get over. Gross Glockner and Gerlos (Austria). The main reason for the trip was to take in the GG, but it was closed to bikes on the day we were there due to it snowing on top. Still, we have agreed it gives us a reason to go back. B500 (Germany). Not exactly a pass, but a famou run through The Black Forrest. Nice road. Probably some I've missed, but most of the roads in the Alps are worth riding as you rarely get a straight line of tarmac. Places of Interest Too many to list along the route, but tried to take in Lake Garda etc. 3 days in Venice, staying in Mestre. TBH, after a day I felt I had seen what I wanted to see in the city. It's not as overpriced as you may think off the beaten track, but in St Mark's Square it's ridiculous. €8 for a cup of coffee with a €6 cover charge on your 1st drink for the music (which wasn't playing btw) Needless to say, the group just got up after seeing the prices. Elsewhere €2 for an ice cream and €4 for a sandwich seemed standard. About 4 huge cruise ships in the harbour and the place was full of Americans. Loads of mozzies about the place too. Ferrari (Maranello & Modena museums) Well worth a trip to them if you have the time. The Maranello one is mostly a history of the cars and Enzo himself. It was busy and trying to get pics demands patience. The Modena museum is about 30km away and is his old family home converted into an engine museum. Ducati. As I've already said, my mates weren't allowed in the car park and made to park on the street because "they are with the enemy". All very Italian. Quite a small museum but the history is there with the early bikes through to the current day, plus the famous racing machines. Worth a visit. As I visited on a weekend, I never got to do the factory tour, which I would have liked. The Hyperstrada. Covered 3,100 miles on the trip and managed to carry myself and my luggage with no issues. I got no leg ache, which I usually get on a superbike, being 6'1". I got bum ache when on the motorways, but everyone did tbh and I don't think it was a Hyperdoodah thing. Issues - it's developed a flickering neutral light switch. I assume it's just dirty or had a dry connection. I'll take it out and have a look. It never caused me a problem exept having to pull the clutch in to start it and not being able to leave it on the side stand idling. It did need a new battery after all. It only just started one morning and I had to replace it. The bike is 5 years old and although it hasn't done many miles, I'm not sure the previous owner used a battery tender and it's given up. Top marks for the Suzuki dealer in Haguenau who didn't have a battery in but escorted me to another dealer in his car to get me one. The other dealer whipped me straight into the workshop to do the job. On the last 2 days, the bike developed chain slap. I never took my 'C' spanner to tighten it, but these days were mostly motorway miles, so it's wasn't much of an issue. I managed to cook the brakes on the decent down one of the passes. Nothing dramatic or scary, just a slight drop in performance and the smell of cooking friction material for a bit. I'll replace the pads as they have worn unevenly and the fluid after this trip. Tyres - Michelin Road Pilot 5s. I can't speak highly enough of these. A superb tyre with loads of life left in them after 3,000 miles. The centre has only just started to very slightly square off (slighty) I expect to use a set of tyres on this trip and am pleasantly surprised how well they lasted fully loaded.
I’m impressed with the military precision planning, the number of miles covered in a relatively short time, the fantastic photos and the great summary/write up at the end. Well done and you’ve wetted my appetite to do something like this again, it being 17 years since I did . Thanks a million.
PS The French leave their indicators on whilst overtaking to show that they know you are there, but they might still need to overtake someone else (actually very helpful)
Great write up Rob, well done and thanks for taking the trouble to enlighten us all. Lots of useful information. The Hyper always looked a small bike to me but if it fits a 6’ 1” bloke it can’t be. I love road trip write ups, it whets your appetite. I can feel at least two trips coming on next year. One being Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. Quite fancy southern France, the Pyrenees and into Spain as well. Price of the hotel in Venice made me laugh, compared to the others.
