New Ducati Monster Stirs

Ducati superbikes come and go. Released to big and usually fully deserved fanfare, they tend to make their mark, then sell out and win a bunch of races until their inevitable replacement calls time. The Monster line, meanwhile, has never stopped trucking since that first iteration made us sit up and take notice way back in 1993.

And now in 2021 we have a brand new one already in the process of being en route to our greedy mitts. And really, we cannot wait, because Ducati are turning back time on this one. And not as far as you may think, not all the way back to 1993, but more a decade or so in fact, although the philosophy is identical – lightweight fun.

And this is a good thing, a very good thing, because around a decade ago Ducati took the Monster range away from the sporty side of life, and focussed on road excellence. They did succeed in making it a far superior roadster than the range it replaced, but those two-valve engined Monsters were a huge amount of fun, and in many ways that fun had been engineered out unless you splurged on a rampant R model.

Now though, fun is back on the menu – and about time too. Ducati are well covered on the sports front with the Streetfighter, and the larger capacity incumbent Monster is still on sale, but if one wanted a mid-ranged giggle-inducer you would tend to look elsewhere. No longer, Ducati now have you covered with a claimed 111 gee gees, a thumping 93Nm of torque, but pushing just 166 dry kilos. The same engine that drives the Hypermotard and Supersport is in residence, adjusted for the Monster vibe of course, and it’s a giddy, revvy little bringer of pleasure.

Even just the new look of this Monster shouts out a new purpose – it not only is genuinely light (and probably flickable), it looks like it is too. Visual comparisons have been made with some other Japanese middleweights, and maybe there’s half a point in those musings, but look closer and it’s unmistakably a Ducati.

A fully loaded one obviously, Ducati never skimp on the toys these days, so a complete suite including traction-control, riding modes, up/down gear shifter, cornering ABS, launch control and wheelie control are in situ. And given the new bike’s remit, the latter is one rider aid a fair few may be turning off!

Other points of interest include an adjustable seat height of 775mm (via a low-saddle accessory) up to the standard 820mm. The ergonomics themselves are rather different from those of the outgoing 821, and the steering angle is 7-degrees up (to 36) which will only increase rapid turning accuracy. The biggest difference though is in weight, with the new bike almost twenty kilos less than the 821, and that’s a whopping decrease.

So that’s the smaller Monster taken care of, but the bigger sister is now getting a little long in the tooth. Whether Ducati will apply the same style of thinking to whatever ends up replacing that line remains to be seen, but do they really need to? Big Monster is, as previously said, an exceptional roadster and if you want more bang to go with the extra cubes, push the boat out for a higher spec’ version and you’re golden.

In the meantime, check out Ducati’s website for more info on the new Monster – this could be the perfect naked middleweight you’ve been looking for…