Ducati has announced a wheelie-assist option on the Hypermotard 698 Mono which uses existing electronics to keep that front wheel in the air, rather than on the tarmac. Wheelie control systems aren’t new and the current generation make use of a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) which measures a bike’s roll, pitch and yaw, plus sensors for engine speed, wheel speeds and several other factors to detect when a wheelie is about to start, and limiting torque momentarily to keep the front wheel on the ground.

The standard Hypermoto has four levels of wheelie control, with level 1 allowing the front wheel up before intervening and level 4 keeping it on tarmac at all times. Now there’s a new option which uses the same software to make wheelies easier. Instead of limiting torque, it adds a bit more when a wheelie is detected.

Mindful that it might be accused of encouraging irresponsible riding on the road, Ducati is only offering the wheelie-assist option as a package along with a non-road legal Termignoni exhaust, at £2,093, the obvious suggestion being that this is a ‘track-only’ toy.

Jim Freeman, Chair of the BMF, said: “I hate to be a killjoy, but this package is ILLEGAL and Ducati, yet again, are encouraging law breaking. If this is supplied, by dealers, on new road registered bikes, they will be conniving at lawbreaking. This is not the first time that this manufacturer , amongst others, has done this. Loud pipes, lose rights. Wheelies are illegal on the public highway. ”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of Ducati