Ducati Hypermotard 796 servicing

Name: Ducati Hypermotard 796 servicing
Brand: Ducati

2010 to 2012 · 803cc air-cooled two-valve Desmodue V-twin · Greenwich, London

Carbon fibre exhaust silencer on a Ducati

Ray Petty Meccanica services and repairs the Ducati Hypermotard 796 (2010 to 2012) at its independent Ducati workshop in Greenwich, London. The smaller Hypermotard pairs a belt-driven air-cooled twin with a wet slipper clutch, and RPM looks after its belts, valve clearances and electrics.

About the Hypermotard 796

The Hypermotard 796 arrived at the end of 2009 as a lighter, lower partner to the 1100 and was sold as a 2010 to 2012 model. Its 803cc air-cooled twin was developed from the Monster 696 engine, with an 88mm bore and 66mm stroke, two desmodromic valves per cylinder and a claimed 81hp. Unlike the 1100's dry clutch, it has a wet APTC clutch with a back-torque limiting function for downshifts. Chassis geometry, suspension travel and ground clearance match the 1100, but the 796 is about 12kg lighter, its seat sits roughly 20mm lower, and it uses a non-adjustable 43mm Marzocchi fork with a Sachs shock that adjusts for preload and rebound.

Servicing your Hypermotard 796

Like the 1100, the 796 has toothed rubber cam belts that are changed on age as well as mileage, and its scheduled services come every 12,000 km, with the valve clearances checked as part of the work. With two valves per cylinder there are fewer clearances to set than on the four-valve 821 and later Hypermotards, but each opening and closing shim still has to be measured and set correctly. The wet clutch runs in the engine oil, so changing the oil on time looks after the clutch as well as the engine. The fork has no adjustment, so if the front end feels soft, RPM can talk you through suspension upgrades. Every job starts with a call to agree the work before anything is done.