Ducati Ducati Monster

Church of MO: 2003 Ducati Monster 1000

If one were a slightly more casual Ducati fan, who wanted a classic to blip around in the post-pandemic on more than one to tear up the track with, one could do much worse than this 20-year old 2003 Ducati Monster 1000. Ten years after the original Monster, they’d already begun sticking liquid-cooled L-twins into everybody’s favorite naked bike. But the new 1000 Dual Spark air-cooled engine in the ’03 Monster 1000 was just as torquey, less pricey and complicated – plus the new air-cooled bike was much easier on the body and the occhi. Take it away, Yossef!

Read more
The 2023 Ducati Monster SP Will Be Here in January

Has it really been 30 years since the OG Ducati Monster? Why, yes. Yes it has. Ducati is celebrating the birth of Miguel Galluzzi’s naked baby by introducing a special, SP version for ’23, with: Öhlins suspension, Brembo Stylema front calipers, Termignoni approved silencer, Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires, steering damper, and a lithium-ion battery. Buon compleanno, bambino Monstro!

Read more
Church of MO: 1997 Ducati M750 Monster First Impression

A few years after the original M900 Monster attacked America circa 1993, Ducati expanded the repertoire with the 1997 M750 Monster – a simple, air-cooled, four-valve V-twin putting out a massive 68 horsepower. What I learned today: “In cold weather conditions you can turn on a petcock found on the oil cooling system and warm up the carburetors quickly using engine oil.” For reals?

Read more
2021 Ducati Monster Review – First Ride

Ok, I’m old, so what? When I was young, the first Monster M900 (1994) spoke to me. A basic, naked, standard Ducati that was perfect for rumbling round the urban maze back when we all had a downtown office to go to… a svelte Italian Sportster that bounced its mating call off the concrete canyons all the way to 9000 rpm. It really was a radical departure since, before then, Ducati had only built fully-faired assume-the-position sportbikes, and not many of them. They were great on the Futa Pass and Angeles Crest but not so much anywhere else. Later, when we grew power-hungry in the ’oughts, there came the 996-powered S4R, then the Monster 1200s…

Read more
Church of MO: 2011 Ducati Monster 1100 EVO Review

If it’s 2021, it must be time for a new Ducati Monster. In fact, it’s nearly always time for a new Ducati Monster. Since the original M900 of 1993, naked Monsters in probably 40 iterations both great and small have been a huge part of Ducati’s success. The beauty of that is, if you don’t like the new, non-trellis framed Monster that’s scheduled to appear for 2021, there are tons of pre-owned Monsters out there looking for a good home. Pete rode this one in Sicily ten years and six days ago.

Read more
Most Anticipated 2021 Motorcycles

In a typical year, your friendly Motorcycle.com staff would have already attended several new bike introductions with others under embargo and secretly waiting on our calendar deep within the bowels of the MO Tower’s security center. (Look to the east of the Nakatomi Plaza, and there we are.) Unfortunately, the end of 2020 is pretty dry, and the beginning of 2021 isn’t looking any better for travel to test out new machinery. What this means for you, our readers, is that you’ll likely learn about how the 2021 motorcycle models perform a little later than usual because we’ll have to wait for the production models to arrive Stateside. This is a huge bummer all around. Our staff of MOrons live for this time of year. 

Read more
2021 Ducati Monster First Look

Ducati revealed a new Monster with a 937cc engine, modern electronics and, in a departure from the line’s history, replaced the traditional steel trellis frame with an aluminum alloy frame.

Read more
Church of MO: Ducati Monster 1100 Vs Harley-Davidson XR1200

One decade and four months ago, our fathers Duke, Pete and Fonzie, brought forth upon MO this comparison test to see if Italian and American V-twin sportbikes were created equal. The answer is no. We have come today to dedicate this Church of MO as a final resting place for those who gave up an entire Tuesday and most of a Wednesday to produce this comparo, I mean, it’s the least we could do really. 

Read more
Church of MO: 2009 Ducati Monster 696

And at that time, the apostle Pete journeyed to the land of paella to ride the redesigned Monster, but arrived unfashionably late. And why was he anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For we’re going to eat and drink all of it, and then we’re going for a ride. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you, along with an APTC clutch. `Nuff said.

Read more
2018 Ducati Monster 821 Review - First Ride

In the fall of 1992 Ducati introduced its first ever Monster, the M900. It was a bike aimed outside of the company’s typical sportbike targets, a simple roadster that blended the frame from an 851 superbike with the air-cooled 904cc motor from the Super Sport series.

Read more
End of the Line Quiz: Ducati Desmoquattro Superbike

I popped into Chris Redpath’s shop (MotoGP Werks) yesterday just as he was rolling a customer’s brand-spanking Ducati Superleggera down from the Sprinter van. I may have grown a tad jaded over the years, but what an eyeball-popping motorcycle. This latest Superleggera, as you’ll recall, uses carbon fiber for its not-really-a-frame. All the bodywork is c-f, the wheels are c-f… basically I think everything’s that’s not metal is c-f, and everything that’s metal is titanium or magnesium or something exotic, all in an effort to keep it as superleggera as possible – superlight. Official MO scales say they only lied a little – 370 pounds, but that’s with the 4.5-gallon tank only half full and the full Akrapovic race system, which came in a separate box, bolted up. It’s frighteningly loud, it barks like an underfed Cerberus guarding the gates of Hell. It’s a beautiful, stupid-expensive thing nobody needs but everybody wants. Heck, it scared Don Canet when he rode one around Mugello.

Read more
2017 Ducati Monster 797 Review: First Ride

Hemlines and exhausts go up and down, radiators come and go, but the Monster hasn’t really ever gone out of fashion since it hit the runway, dang, has it really been 23 years ago? 1994 brought us Miguel Galluzzi’s original naked bike, and there’s been a veritable plethora of Monsters over the years ever since. Also Monsterinos, as Ducati likes to call the smaller-displacement ones.

Read more
2017 Ducati Monster 1200S Video Review

Ducati’s Monster is the O.G. of naked sportbikes, first bursting on the moto scene back in 1993 with an air-cooled 904cc V-Twin engine. The liquid-cooled 1200 Monster debuted in 2014, and already it has received several worthy updates to make it more appealing to riders looking for svelter Italian style mixed in with extra power and state-of-the-art technology.

Read more
2017 Ducati Monster 1200S First Ride Review

The principality of Monaco is an imbecilic location for a motorcycle ride. After all, the independent microstate on the French Riviera isn’t even twice as big as the Dodger Stadium grounds, and its teeny little streets are crammed almost solid with a cornucopia of vehicles from two-stroke scooters to the apparently riotously amusing Renault Twizys to exotic McLarens to horrifyingly huge Rollers.

Read more
2017 Ducati Monster 1200 Preview

A newish Monster 1200 was launched at EICMA today, boasting a sleeker fuel tank, a redesigned tail section, and an all-new headlight. Oh, and also revised footpegs that will allow feet to better fit active riding positions. The new 1200 Monster and Monster S feature the latest Testastretta 11° DS engine, and, due to new throttle bodies and exhaust, the base model Monster enjoys 15 ponies more than the previous Monster 1200 (150 hp at 9,250 rpm), while the already more powerful S model enjoys a more modest 5-horsepower bump.

Read more
2017 Ducati Monster 797 Preview

With a pocketful of spy shots as proof, we sleuthy MOrons proudly scooped the news a few months ago that Ducati was planning to produce a new air-cooled Monster ( 2017 Ducati Monster 800 Spy Shots). Today at EICMA, Ducati presented the production version. The 2017 Monster 797 borrows the air-cooled 803cc L-Twin from Ducati’s Scrambler models and repackages it for use in its newest naked.

Read more
2017 Ducati Monster 939 Spied

Ducati’s Monster 821 has been overshadowed by the more recent introductions of the ultra-successful Scrambler lineup and the range-topping Monster 1200. New spy photos shot in Italy suggest that the 821 may be on its way out.

Read more
2017 Ducati Monster 800 Spy Shots

Many a Ducatisti bid a sad farewell to the air-cooled Monster when Ducati introduced the liquid-cooled 1200 and 821. Those same traditionalists might be happy to learn Ducati is developing a new Monster using an air-cooled engine.

Read more
Naked Sports Six-Way Shootout + Video

Once upon a time, OEM streetfighters weren’t a thing. Instead, streetfighter motorcycles were solely the province of riders who were forced by finances to become customizers, with many getting their start after plastic-grinding slides down the pavement. The cost of replacement factory bodywork being what it was (and still is), many young riders were challenged when it came time to fix their damaged rides. So, the bodywork came off, and their sportbike’s industrial underbelly was exposed for the world to see – the rougher the better – with the scars from tangles with the laws of physics displayed with pride. Eventually, streetfighters became something other than a repair option. Instead, riders began taking new bikes and stripping perfectly good components off of them. Custom parts geared towards this market mushroomed, and much like cafe racers, a grass-roots-inspired motorcycle class was born.

Read more
Kulture Klash: BMW R1200R Vs. Ducati Monster 1200S

The Ducati Monster 1200S didn’t do so great against most of the other players in last year’s Super Naked Street Brawl, but mostly because two of the other four were our Motorcycle of the Year KTM Super Duke R and the BMW S1000R, which came within a whisker of overcoming the incredible SDR. The Monster suffered more in the track portion of that test than on the street, though, mainly let down by a lack of ground clearance when leaned into Chuckwalla’s endless high speed turns – a non-issue on the road. Back on the street, il Mostro was a highly pleasant thing to ride – as nearly all motorcycles are that deliver 84 pound-feet of torque. The 132 horses up top are like having your burrito wet.

Read more
2015 Ducati Monster 821 Review - First Ride

Since the launch of Ducati’s Monster 1200 S ($15,995) earlier this year, we’ve extensively tested the bike on both the track and the street. What we found is that while the 1200 S is not the best choice for a naked track-day weapon, it is a consummate roadster when set between the yellow and white lines. Now comes the Monster 821 with an MSRP of $11,495. Is the smaller-displacement Ducati Monster a better choice than the base-model Monster 1200 at $13,495?

Read more
2014 Super Streetfighter Smackdown + Video

What we have in these five bikes: BMW S1000R, Ducati Monster 1200S, Kawasaki Z1000 ABS, KTM Super Duke R, MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR, is an assemblage of pretenders to the throne. What throne? The literbike streetfighter throne upon which Aprilia’s Tuono V4R APRC ABS has comfortably resided since its introduction in 2012. Truth is, two of these five have a real chance of dethroning  the reigning champ on-track, so once we’ve identified the most worthy contenders in this shootout, first and second place will get a chance to meet the Tuono on the field of battle. 

Read more
Church Of MO – 2001 Ducati Monster S4 First Ride

Ducati’s venerable Monster was lauded for its simplicity. A major contributing factor to this praise comes from being equipped with relatively simple air-cooled engines. Later, the decision was made to deliver even more power from Ducati’s popular seller, and the boys in Bologna wedged liquid-cooled L-Twins into the Monster.

Read more
2014 Ducati Monster 1200 S – First Ride Review

Ah, the Monster S4R, what an immaculate motorcycle it was. The collective gasp of discovering its disappearance from Ducati’s model lineup in 2009 still echoes. For those who continue lamenting the loss of the S4R (like me), its phoenix has arisen in the 2014 Monster 1200 and Monster 1200 S.

Read more