How do you summarise a bike in a handful of words that you have always admired from afar, and after an afternoon of ‘divertimento supremo’ riding (ultimate fun in Italian, says Google Translate) the Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono RVE lived up to every expectation and more, and I am just as in love as I thought I would be.

I only had a few hours atop this in the afternoon and was simply wanting more, that distinct feeling of simply needing more supermoto in my life persists. Sure, it’s a bike built purely for excitement, but what makes this new Mono incarnation just so good?

Not only is it one of the most lightweight and agile-feeling bikes I’ve ridden at 151kg (no fuel), but the tech & engine packed into this supermoto package is mind-blowingly fun. The impeccable style - in my opinion - certainly helps.

I promise I’ll try to make this review as objective as possible.

Available in dealerships now, the base model is ready in Ducati Red for £11,295, and as standard you'll get a 24-month unlimited mileage warranty.

Moving to the RVE Edition, as ridden, you’ll get a quick-shifter and lovely graffiti livery for £12,195 of your hard-earned pounds. Worth it for the slick quick-shifter alone in my mind.

Naturally, styling is subjective, so I won’t go on about the looks too much. But this Hypermotard looks like an angry Daffy Duck with that beak, and I’m all here for it. I do particularly enjoy the dual exhausts, though that’s always an interesting sight from a single-cylinder machine.

Rivals? Consider the obvious duo (very similar) KTM 690 SMC R at £10,399, and the Husqvarna 701 SM also at £10,399, perhaps even the bigger Hypermotard with L-twin at £12,795 – though that does offer a slightly different prospect and not a direct comparison in my eyes.

I've also reviewed the Ducati Monster SP if you fancy an alternative red machine from Italy...

Perhaps the star here is the short-stroke, high-revving and Desmodromic timed mono engine – self-declared as the most sophisticated and high-performance single-cylinder road engine ever built, with the highest engine speed in its category.

Derived from the 1285cc Superquadro of the 1299 Panigale (effectively the V-Twin chopped in half) peak power is an astonishing 77.5 bhp at 9,750 rpm, can be de-powered for A2 licence-holding Supermoto riding fans, redlines at 10,250 rpm, and provides a peak torque figure of 63 Nm at 8000 rpm.

That means with all of the peak power right at the end of the rev limit you find yourself hanging onto gears and pushing at every opportunity - though plenty of fun is to be had at lower revs, considering the lightweight agile nature of the angry supermoto, tipping the scales at just 151kg (listed wet weight, but no fuel in the 12-Litre tank). The mono is seriously responsive to your inputs via the ride-by-wire throttle and new hydraulic slipper clutch, making it all light work and set up for unadulterated joy on the road – whether happily sitting at high speeds, or providing that torque and energetic sumo-style on twisting back roads.

That 659cc 4-valved Desmo high-revving engine you also get the benefit of longing out each and every gear, with the motor responding to half-to-full throttle superbly well. I did find that it does get a tad vibration-heavy at the top end, despite having two balance counter-shafts in use, but you’d expect some vibes when you’re deep into the revs on a single-cylinder motor. It’s nothing that spoils the party, anyway, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face whilst riding.

A slight potential negative here, should you call it that, is the notoriously pricey Desmo valve clearance check is due after 30,000 km or 18,640 miles, with oil changes every 15,000 km or 9320 miles – and should you land 18,000 miles on this that’ll be a hit on the wallet. But you’d expect to pay Ducati prices for Ducati performance, so long-term owners should plan ahead here.

On that, the internals of the motor includes a 116mm racing piston, 62.4 mm stroke, titanium intake valves (with the Desmo system), and a gear ratio modelled on the Panigale V4 – noting a particularly long first gear for powering through (and out of) low speed corners, which certainly felt the case on the road, boosted further with the quickshifter on this RVE as you seamlessly click into each gear going up. The acceleration here, a result of the symbiosis of the light weight and tall gearing, is astounding in this supermoto framework.

When cruising at 70 mph you’re barely using the revs, sitting at about 4 to 5k, so twisting on from there you have plenty of revs left to play with… supremely impressive for a single-cylinder. It’s energetic at all times, and eggs you on to push the bike and enjoy the engine. That’s great, naturally, but I’m not sure you’ll ever be able to go for a chill ride on this when you’re revving out every gear to find peak power.

Ducati is all about high performance and this Hypermotard doesn’t slouch whatsoever, and in the right hands will no doubt be an absolute weapon – with far more potential on the road than I can explore in an afternoon (or really, at all).

Spec-wise, fully adjustable suspension in 45mm Marzocchi suspension features up front and works with the Sachs rear shock absorber, you have a typical motard riding position with wide handlebars and tall 904mm seat, but a narrow width with a steel tube trellis frame and cast aluminium double-sided swingarm. Low accessory seats are available if you need them, going down to 889 mm with the low seat, or 849mm with a low seat and low suspension kit.

You have the tools at hand here to be a bit of a hooligan. Tweaking the suspension settings and rider modes (sport, urban, road, wet) and traction control/wheelie control, grants you the ability to refine the Mono precisely into what you need. In a hyper-extreme case, you could be backing this sumo into your favourite B-road corner and come out on one wheel before you know it – if that B-road happens to be on a track, obviously. It was only a few hours riding, but towards the end of the ride the character of the Mono really started to shine through as I got more comfortable with it.

Braking power is phenomenal, with a huge 330mm disc, developed by Brembo for the 698 Mono, and a Brembo M4.32 calliper with radial master cylinder, mounted to 17 inch wheels front and rear that are trod with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV hoops and 5-spoke light alloy rims. At the rear is a 245mm disc with single piston. With Bosch cornering ABS and 4 levels of assistance selected through the dash (the lower setting you go, the more you can push the bike and get the rear wheel out, too). No complaints about braking here at all, really sharp and direct feel.

Lastly, you have the basic 3.8” LCD display up top, which is clear and does the job – I’m not sure any rider will be desperately after a TFT here – and if the Ducati Multimedia System doesn’t appeal through an LCD like this, you can always mount your phone if you’re really needing to see texts control your music whilst you’re blasting around.

Other standard equipment includes the power launch, up/down quick shifter (on this RVE), Traction control, Wheelie Control, Engine Brake Control, all included in the top-notch electronics package. If you stick on the performance exhaust you even get a wheelie assist function – but that’s for track only…

Outside of the stellar electronics package, this supermoto is fairly light on the rider luxuries – though can you really say anything is missing when a bike like this is particularly happy to be a fun-loving weekend warrior, that almost dares you to give it a go during your weekly commute. I’d certainly take it everywhere and endure the lack of creature comfort just for the pure joy you’ll find on backroads.

Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono RVE Pros and Cons

Pros

• Most powerful mono!
• Agility is assured.
• It’s a supermoto from Ducati!

Cons

• Quite set for ‘form over function’
• Pricey Desmo service looms – may need to save a few quid each month…
• You might be tempted to become a pro supermoto rider (this will make you feel like one, and you're probably not).

Ducati is one of those brands that thrive in crafting bikes that move the soul – and if you’re a supermoto fan, you’ll be in luck here. The agility is astounding, the engine is simply mad, and as a package you’re looking at something that will never cease to amaze.

Any negatives? Well yes and no. It’s quite a ‘specialised’ bike, and firmly in the supermoto category, though you wouldn’t be considering this for an all-round tourer and commuter extraordinaire. Yeah it’ll do a ride to the office, but the focus on fun-factor and lack of screen to protect does create the prospect of not completing a 200-mile tour with any real comfort, and you may end up late everywhere as you'll be going the long way each and every time. But who am I kidding, I wouldn’t buy one of these in hopes of touring miles with a 12 Litre tank – I’d be heading off for the local twisties and country roads.

Other minor notes to balance out this ode of the Hypermotard... There’s no direct fuel gauge, it’s extremely tall with 904mm seat (yet narrow and light so not a huge concern), oil service is every 9000 miles with a Desmo valve clearance check at 18,000 miles, and may well be costly, but it’s a Ducati and no other engine has this power and poise… so you pay for it!

The more you push the new Hypermotard 698 Mono, and utilise the stellar electronics package and motor, the more you get back from it. It really is just about pure fun, and to me in a two-wheeled world where we have ever-increasing restrictions and limits placed on us, seeing a bike that is created for pure fun is perfect for me. I just wish I had more time on it – and there’s only one way to satisfy this, and it involves forking out £12,795.