DUCATI HYPERSTRADA 821 (2013 - on) Review

Was a pretty great bike for touring back roads, which is what I like to do. I’m 180cm have toured 2 -up no problems.

It’s far too hot for Asian cities like Bangkok. And even worse with a passenger.

One of the panniers fell off the bike when I was touring in Malaysia. We spent 2 hours looking for it but it was gone. Maybe skidded off the road and into a ditch. So I lost clothes, computer and some paperwork essential for crossing back into Thailand. Amazingly I was able to buy another second hand and I beefed up the bracket on the pannier with some additional plastic.

I went through a lot of tires on that bike. Worst was 4,500km on the rear.

It was a good all rounder apart from the heat. I found Mitas Sportforce tires to be really great for this bike.

The bike likes to go fast - the suspension smooths out and it all comes together. Slow city streets can be jarring and some deft clutch work helps keep things smooth. My riding is usually 3 - 5 day camping trips through the Northeast US mountains. The bike is an animal, quick with lots in reserve and unfazed by weather, frost heaves, dirt roads - it just goes. Need to pass that logging truck - twist and rip. It's agile, fast or slow, but not twitchy. Highways aren't its strongest point, but they're not mine either - it'll do the miles just fine, but in big winds you can take a beating. The brakes are good - at least the fronts. The tank is good for about 120 - 150 miles and I can do that in one go if the road is interesting. Boring road, and the seat starts to hurt a bit.

It's just great. The midrange is a monster. Lots of engine braking though so precise inputs are good. Keep the chain adjusted, use good gas, keep the revs up, and the engine/drivetrain is sweet - locomotive sweet. It's a big-ish twin - keep it above 3k.

After 30,000 + miles of fully loaded touring mostly on rough mountain back roads, I've had one problem: A shift return spring broke. Apart from Ducati's leisurely part distribution, this was minor. The clutch is a little grabby, but a properly adjusted cable goes a long way. There's a kit on the market now from the OEM, so, when the plates are worn, I'll pop it in. If you're buying one, make sure all the service bulletin work was done - a dealer will have to get your VIN - the website won't give you the right info. The TCU and canbus filter are important.

I put a good few miles on it, so most of my costs are tyres, oil, chain etc.. The usual suspects. I do all but the belts and valves myself and it's pretty straightforward. I'm on the second chain, with the third set of tyres going on and change the oil every year, sometimes twice. Nothing out of the ordinary. The belts and valves need doing every 18,000 miles: $600.00 USD.

There is nothing wrong with the blend of compactness, ergonomics and power this machine has, while also being a good tourer. It's also agile enough to be fun fast or slow - not quite small bike agile but close. That's why I got it, and there still isn't anything quite like it. The Strada bags are roomy, although the shape makes packing a little fiddly; they look good though. In fact, all the Strada bits make the bike work surprisingly well as a tourer: the screen blocks wind on the body, the bags are fine, the pillion grabs make strapping on a duffle easy, electrics, hand-guards etc. It's nicely thought out and surprisingly coherent. It's got ABS and TC, all adjustable and you can turn them off. The engine modes are good. I tend to stay in sport - it seems more direct and smoother. On dirt I'll go to urban if things get rough - and also turn down the TC and ABS.

i have used this bike to do 2 scotland trips at 1800 miles each, never been uncomfortable even after 350 mile +days. The panniers are easily removable and dead easy to fit . i have bought a cheap generic top box which i bolt onto the rear rack when needed. It is not great 2 up though and the front forks have no adjustment which is very poor for an £11,000 bike. I find it handles much better if you sit forward on the bike and throw it into corners than if you sit back and ride it as you would a tourer.

Cracking engine . I tried the 750 aprillia dorsoduro (that weaved at speed and the engine felt really slow compared to the ducati even though there is only a few horsepower difference) I also tried the mv agusta rivale which had terrible fuelling and you felt like you were perched on top of the bike . Then i tried the ducati multistrada as it had more power, but that bike is definately more of a tourer than a fun bike due to it steering much slower. The hyperstrada is fine for use on the uk roads but i take my fire blade to the isle of man as the ducati would be left for dead by my mates over the mountain.

it has been great apart from a cracked rear wheel spoke ,and i have had to use a rubber mallet to knock the front wheel rim back into shape a couple of times,but then again the bike has been airborne a few times.

It does around 120 miles to the tank on the twisties around the yorkshire dales and i ride it hard. The service intervals helped me decide to buy this bike, the old hypermotards needed services and belts twice as often as the new engine, which makes me more inclined to use the bike rather than worry about how much it is costing to run. I have done 13,000 miles in two summers, i don't commute on the bike, i just use it for fun. I get about 3000 miles from a rear tyre due to the torque and maybe 5000 from a front but that is because i wear the edges off the front tyre rather than the centre tread. The low 3 out of 5 rating is for the original r.r.p of the bike only.

I only use the pannier bags when i go touring they are very easy to fit and remove and i also remove the bracket that they mount onto as it is only a 2 minute job and it tidies the back end up.