We’re always happy when a concept motorcycle comes to life. The genesis of the limited edtion 2020 Ducati Hypermotard 950 RVE is a concept motorcycle present at the 2019 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Italy’s famed Lake Como.
The Ducati Design Center came up with what, at the time, was a one-off graphic design for the Hypermotard 950 Concept. Later, Ducati held a drawing for Ducati owners for the motorcycle, and the winner was Jose Carlos Sagarminaga in California. For a while, at least, Sagarminaga had the only Hypermotard in existence with these graphics with a street-art origin.
Ducati ended up liking the look so much that it has created the 2020 Ducati Hypermotard 950 RVE. Based on the standard Hypermotard 950, it gets the Graffiti graphics, which are painstakingly produced.
According to a Ducati spokesman, “Wanting to transfer the same manufacturing quality of the concept bike from which it derives to the production motorcycle, it was necessary in the painting phases, to employ highly skilled labor, use very low thickness decals, and adopt a particularly long and complex process. The result is comparable to that of an airbrushed bodywork.”
Performance-oriented Ducati fans will be happy to know, that the 2020 Ducati Hypermotard 950 RVE also gets a technical upgrade from the standard Hypermotard 950–Ducati’s up/down quickshifter. That’s a natural feature for the Hypermotard, which comes with Bosch Cornering ABS with Slide by Brake, traction control, and wheelie control.
The motor is the same Testastretta 11° we know and love, putting out gobs of torque, including 80 percent of its maximum output as early as 3000 rpm. Its 114-horsepower peak comes at 9000 rpm, so the powerband is extremely wide. This makes the Hypermotard 950 incredibly fun to ride. Sadly, if you want all the highest-end goodies, such as Öhlins suspension, you have to get the Hypermotard 950 SP, which does not come with the Graffiti livery. Life can present us with hard choices.
The 2020 Ducati Hypermotard 950 RVE hits American dealers in July, with an MSRP of $14,195. There will be 100 badge-numbered examples of the RVE.
Photography by Giovanni De Sandre (studio) and Marco Campelli (action)
2020 Ducati Hypermotard 950 RVE Photo Gallery
