DUCATI HYPERMOTARD 698 MONO

Can one cylinder truly deliver Ducati-level madness? The Hyper- motard 698 Mono thinks so; light, loud and unapologetically wild, it challenges the idea that fun needs more than one piston

- STORY: ABHINAV JAKHAR

Ducati isn't known for subtlety. The Hypermotard 698 Mono doesn't even pretend to try. It's the Italians saying, “We can build a single-cylinder bike that'll still scare twins.” At a time when the motorcycle world is obsessed with smoothness, refinement and compliance, the Italians have gone and built something beautifully unnecessary. The ‘Mono’ in its name is quite literal. A single cylinder, 659cc motor, derived from half of a Panigale 1299's Superquadro engine. And while the idea of a single-cylinder Ducati sounds like a retro experiment, it’s actually one of the most advanced thumpers on sale today. It revs to a dizzying 10,250rpm, puts out 77.5bhp, weighs just 151 kilos dry, and sounds like an angry superbike with a sore throat.

In the past, I've had the privilege of reviewing the Monster, SuperSport and the Multistrada and all of them have distinct memories in my head. This, though, is different, and if I can be honest, this is one Ducati I've always wanted to get my hands on. Previously, we had the 950, which is still available as the Hypermotard 950 RVE, powered by the same motor as the SuperSport and Monster. As the name suggests, the Hypermotard has always been about unfiltered fun. It looks like a bike that was built by someone who rides to work through a skate park. So what do you get when Ducati builds the world’s most advanced single? A motorcycle that doesn't try to please everyone. It’s not polite. It’s not practical. But it is guaranteed to make every ride feel like a short film directed by chaos. To be honest, it can scare the pants off the most advanced of riders and novices like yours truly.