A Monster love affair
Ali’s admiration of Ducati middleweight is a 20-year saga
IT WAS LOVE at first sight, and still is. Opening the garage door to see my Ducati Monster 695 tucked away in the corner never ceases to bring a grin to my face.
It all started in 2004 and World Ducati Week, riding two-up on husband Mark’s 998S. An amazing trip, but Ducati ran a ladies-only event for novices at Misano – and I’d booked a spot.
I’d been around bikes for a long time – Mark was bike-mad and I was three years into my job as an MCN’S editorial assistant, but this was my first time riding a proper, geared bike. I’d been a bit crafty and a few weeks earlier was taught basic machine control by my best mate, so it wasn’t quite so daunting to have my first ever experience on the new Monster. I needn’t have worried; it was low, light and easy to ride. They still are – that’s why my 695 has a permanent place in my garage.
Introduced in 2006, the Monster 695 was designed to be Ducati’s entry-level bike and offered decent advantages over the outgoing 620. With 73bhp (10bhp up on the 620) and improved midrange, it offered brisk performance, sweet handling and lots of nice touches that help new riders, like a lightweight hydraulic clutch. We were a Ducati household and this was my perfect bike.
Fast-forward three years and I’m back in Misano, this time having ridden over on my own 695, which I was running as part of MCN’S fleet for 2007. It was one of my first overseas adventures and was fantastic – riding through the Alps to Lake Como before stopping at the Ducati factory in Bologna, en route to the Adriatic coast. By the end of the trip I was buying the Monster – and it’s been part of my life since.
I had a fantastic year, riding all over the UK, commuting to work and even the odd track day. On a very wet day riding round Cadwell, I was photographed and Shoei used the picture in the
following year’s advertising campaign. Still makes me laugh when I think about it. I’d regularly use the Monster for short trips and commutes until life took an unexpected turn for the worst – and ‘Daisy’ was mothballed for a couple of years.
In 2013 she received an overhaul and was converted from a traditional gear shift to a hand shift. My other half had been in an accident and was unable to change gear due to an injury to his foot. Kliktronic fitted an electrical actuator, operated by a button on the left switchgear, to change gear. It got Mark back on the road – he rode over to Assen for the GP the following year.
He’s now had the Kliktronic added to the 998S (the same one we rode to Misano 20 years ago) and I’ve got Daisy back. I don’t use her so much these days but the plan is to keep her in good nick to pass on to the next generation of lady rider in my family in a few years, when she comes of age.
With 20,000 miles on the clock, Daisy shows the scars of the road trips and pleasure I’ve had. Every mark tells a story, but it is still gorgeous, useful and fun. If you’re after a light and enjoyable middleweight, you could still do a lot worse.
‘It’s light, easy to ride and full of fun’