The Hypermotard family expands for 2010 with the addition of the exciting new Hypermotard 796. Just as aggressively striking as the 1100, the new Hypermotard 796 features a lower seat height and brand new smooth and flexible engine to make it the perfect urban assault vehicle. Whether it's working the daily commute or attacking the open roads, the 796 rides the common ground between manners and madness by mixing Ducati’s unrivalled twin-cylinder power and sportbike heredity with the lightweight and minimalist supermotard concept.

Hours after its first showing at the 2005 Milan International Motorcycle show, the Hypermotard was awarded "Best of Show" and became an instant hit in Italy, where motorcycles are as much a lifestyle choice as they are transportation. Since then, its out-of-the-ordinary design went on to win converts around the world and the praise and admiration for this unique bike has never stopped - and neither has its development. The thrilling, street-wise Hypermotard range with L-Twin acceleration and pavement-attacking style is now extended with the hyper-agile 796 - the new way to go Hyper.

The introduction of the 1100^EVO further enhances the original Hypermotard concept of 'ruling the road'. The wide, tapered section handlebars continue to transfer control of the asphalt to the rider and the full length seat still eases the fore and aft movement for extreme riding. The difference now is that it does it all better than before.

A new super-light dry weight of 172kg (379lb) and an increase of power to 95hp is the result of an intense program of redesigns and refinements intended to be the 'evolution' of the Hypermotard.

Continued chassis development to the Hypermotard resulted in an improved frame layout which eliminated almost all of the heavier forged elements used on the previous model. The new rigidly triangulated Trellis frame and track-tested chassis geometry is matched by a state-of-the-art suspension. 50mm Marzocchi forks are gripped by a sturdy triple screw lower fork clamp for precise steering performance. These forks work as impressively as they look, with special high rigidity stainless steel sliders and external adjustability for compression and rebound damping, plus spring pre-load. The rear suspension performs with equal precision by using a fully adjustable ZF Sachs shock mounted to a robust single-sided swingarm.

Lightweight wheels mounted on large diameter axles are fitted with Pirelli Diablo Rosso tyres. Stopping power is controlled by two radially mounted Brembo 4-piston callipers gripping lightweight 305mm twin discs up front, and a 245mm disc at the rear. All of this combines to make stopping as thrilling as accelerating.

The Hypermotard 1100^EVO SP takes the whole Hypermotard concept to a new level of extreme. Higher ground clearance, higher spec suspension, higher bars and even less weight makes the 1100^EVO SP track-ready for action.

When Ducati first launched the Hypermotard project they knew that there would be extreme riders out there who wanted more - they just didn't realise there would be so many! With a racing heritage built on direct rider feed-back, and two years of a Hypermotard category in the Italian Ducati Desmo Challenge series, Ducati's reputation for listening to owners to improve their motorcycles has become legendary and the Hypermotard 1100 SP is no exception.

Extreme riders all wanted the same thing from the Hypermotard: More power, more ground clearance, more control in extreme situations, more detail and less weight. For 2010, Ducati engineers have ticked all the boxes.