It’s a moment that I wish we’d had a film crew for.  The Monster 696 is alongside the 848 and the Hypermotard on a vacant cul-de-sac by the airport.  Jets pass overhead as we take a breather, and it strikes me that with these three bikes, a little more budget, and a little more time we could have had an epic test here.

Despite these three rides having very similar ingredients, each has a unique personality, and after three days we didn’t get a chance to know them all.

The Hypermotard seemed to suit photographer Kevin just fine – threatening to transform him into a hooligan at every turn and traffic jam.  Provided he remembers to fold in the mirrors for lane splitting.

The 848, I’ll wager that new contributor Andre Tyne had a good laugh on it.  Mounted on this v-twin superbike for the budget conscious, Andre rode with an energy and enthusiasm that completely belied the weather.

My Monster 696, well it proved to be well-rounded, passionate, entertaining, and lightyears ahead of the outgoing 695 in every regard.  My biggest regret is that in reviewing one bike I didn’t have time to sample the other two and we didn’t have the budget to bring you a very unique maddest compo between three families in the house of Ducati.

Watch for our 696 Review.