While a single from Ducati isn’t a new concept, we do have to go back quite a long way to find the last machine to feature just a solitary cylinder - the fabled Supermono way back in the early 1990s. It’s a theme that the Italian marque is seemingly looking to revive though, and one of the first bikes to feature the new powerplant looks to be a completely revised Hypermotard.
The news comes from spyshots obtained by some European publications, showing a camouflaged machine that is definitely a Hypermotard, just without its characteristic L-twin engine. In its place is a traditional single-cylinder thumper, which is rumoured to be the 659cc item found in some type approval documents uncovered in the USA. Official stats and specs for this engine are as yet unknown and Ducati is obviously remaining tight-lipped on the project. That isn’t stopping the press from speculating though, and a rumoured 75 bhp is being spoken about, putting the new Hypermotard in a head-on fight with the Gas-Gas and KTM-powered single-cylinder machines.
It’s not just the bike that has been spotted on the road that makes this an interesting piece of news, but what could also come from the project further down the road. Like the other two brands mentioned above, Ducati could expand the range of singles to encompass big-bore off-road and enduro machines - and that’s not to mention the rumoured move into the motocross sector alongside British brand Triumph.
We might not have to wait long to find out more about the new model, as the Ducati World Première web series is now in full swing. With this bike looking pretty much like a fully finished machine, it could form part of that launch meaning we’ll likely get a first look at it in EICMA this November.
