Confession time folks. I don't like Ducati's. Cue gasps of horror throughout the biking world and hate mail from devoted Duke lovers, but I've always found their big vee twins lumpy, intractable and too uncompromising for serious road use. A spell aboard an ST4S last year left me with neck cramps and an aversion to the knife edge throttle that would leave the engine either bogging down in traffic or leaping uncontrollably away from the lights, front wheel wagging in the air. And this was from a "sports tourer". The Monster range is supposed to have re-packaged the big vee twin lump into a more user friendly bike with rather more sensible handlebars and riding stance and, lets face it, has proved a major success; shifting more units in the showroom than a struggling Italian industry could once have only dreamed of.

There's no disputing the fact that Ducatis do have a legendary staus in the biking world. For many they're the equivalent of a two wheeled Ferrari and when Ducati launched their first 900 Monster back in '93 it offered the kind of performance once reserved only for the likes of Mike Hailwood in a radical street package. The Monster led the way for the newly invented "retro" market, and the departure from Ducati's traditional racing crouch made several styling nods towards homebuilt streetfighters. At under seven grand this is your entry level big vee twin, and should offer the basics of exotic performance, handling and street cred.

And I have to doff my cap at the engineering on show. The trellis frame is a work of art. There's no arguing with the performance either; when it's on song this 904cc vee twin engine develops more poke than a very pokey thing indeed. Open the taps and the Duke takes off like a scalded cat with a deep, throaty roar. The suspension is firm and taut and the whole plot steers with precision, though the short wheelbase can make the bike turn in a little quicker than expected. But despite the fuel injection that low speed lumpiness will keep you on your toes in heavy traffic. And the thing still rattles like a bag of spanners at tickover. Just dipping the clutch lever with the engine idling makes such a radical difference to the variety of rattles and clunks from the engine that our cameraman was convinced this bike was on the point of self destruction. There's an old cliche about bike salesmen saying "they all sound like that Sir" but in this case it's true. Ducati owners seem content to live with this degree of mechanical noise, but to me it makes the whole bike seem fragile as though impending engine catastrophe is just around the next corner.

This impression isn't helped by the standard of finish. Our test bike had been re-sprayed but the original paint on the frame was looking tatty, and I was distinctly underwhelmed by the bits of wiring harness left dangling under the rear mudguard. Looks like a 1am tail-light failure waiting to happen. Coupled with that the right hand footrest hanger was loose on our bike, leaving the silencer and footrest to flap around until they presumably either received the attentions of a spanner or fell off completely shortly after we gave the bike back. OK this could simply be poor preparation by the dealer who lent us the bike, but it all adds to a feeling of fragility that suggests to me that Italian quality control isn't out of the woods yet. The same day we rode the Duke we had a Kawasaki ZXR1100 to test, and each time I swapped over to the Kwak it was with a sense of relief that I was back aboard something which didn't feel like it was going to fall to bits under me.

In fact if you can compare this bike directly to anything else on the road it has to be the Harley 1200 Sportster. It has quite a similar feel to it, and at the risk of stoking controversy I suspect the Harley is the better built bike these days. It's in the same price range, and it comes with belt drive too. The choice between the two comes down to image, pure and simple. And what an interesting comparison it would make to pitch a Ducati 900SS against, say, a Buell Firebolt.

For those like me who simply couldn't live with the riding position of a sports bike the Monster represents a much more rideable option. Though I have to say that, for my money, Ducati have still erred on the side of style over comfort and the Monster feels cramped for anyone over the average height. But I can understand the appeal of this bike. There's a certain purity of design that makes the Ducati so much more than a motorcycle, and perhaps it's unfair to judge it by the standards of hum-drum practicality. If you want one, you want one. Me? I'll stand aside and respect your choice.

Dr.Rod.