all New 2011 Ducati 848 Evo: Perfomance test

soul-stirring sound and seductive, liquid-red styling inherent to a long bloodline of championship-winning Ducati sportbikes. Yesterday's triumph, however, is just that, and the bigger the trophy, the more dust it tends to attract. Ongoing product evolution is what maintains a competitive edge, and the Bologna boys aim to kill in the hotly contested middleweight supersport category with the new 848 EVO recently rolled out as an early-release 2011 model.

2011 Ducati 848 Evo Action

Torque builds quickly off idle before easing into a soft spot around 5000 rpm. While the mid-rpm lull is perceptible even at slight throttle settings, fueling remains good, allowing the bike to cruise dead-steady in the lull zone at freeway speeds. The sweet spot for smooth running spans from 4000 to 5000 rpm, yielding an indicated 70 to 87 mph in top gear with only modest engine vibration seeping through the handgrips. Strong power pulses quake the footpegs and frame while chugging along at basement revs or spinning the engine in its upper rpm range. There is little driveline lash, even when casually lugging along at 3500 rpm in a tall gear.2011 Ducati 848 Evo

2010-2011 new Ducati Hypermotard 1100 EVO SP stance.

2010 Ducati Hypermotard 1100 EVO SP Front Angle View

Remember the questions posed at the very beginning of our review? Their answers are a little bit of yes and a little bit of no. The Hyper is completely capable of fulfilling its role as a maniacal supersize supermoto, there's no doubt about that. But it can also function perfectly well as a method of getting you from point A to point B with reasonable comfort and refinement. Well, maybe not refinement, especially not with that Termognini exhaust -- it's not exactly good etiquette to roll into work setting off car alarms... but at least comfort. So, in closing, what we have here is a $14,995 motorcycle with multiple personality disorder. And we mean that in the best way possible.

2010 Ducati Hypermotard 1100 EVO SP Motorcycle