Ducati Ducati Monster

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!

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!

Ducati Press Release:

Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 15 September 2022 – In the second episode of the Ducati World Première web series 2023, Ducati presented the new Monster SP: a version designed to enhance the fun, thanks to a perfect package of technical equipment for those who love sporty riding.

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?

Today’s lone remaining, radiator-equipped 937 cc Testastretta Monster motor puts out 111 hp, but flipping over to the Scrambler pages can still transport you back to the thrilling air-cooled days of yore. No carburetors anymore, but you can’t have everything can you?

Ducati’s first Monster, the 900, was born in 1993 and sired by the Argentinean Miguel Angel Galuzzi. Two years later, Ducati begat another Monster — the M600. Now, in 1997, with the advent of the M750, their family is complete.

If you don’t know anything about the eccentric Monster family it will be very difficult for you, at first sight, to distinguish differences between the nearly identical looking 900, 600 and 750. Thanks to my local Ducati dealer here in Barcelona, Spain, I can now offer assistance in distinguishing the differences between members of this strange family, all dressed in curious designs and surprisingly easy for anybody to 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…

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.

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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. 

Nevertheless, there is an end-of-year tradition that continues – despite the gloomy introduction forecast. By now, we know, either by manufacturers’ announcements or Dennis’ sleuthing, many of the upcoming 2021 motorcycles. Sure, there will be a surprise or two, but we’re reasonably sure that we know what most of the new and/or improved models will be. So, the natural thing for us to do is tell you which motorcycles we’re most excited about throwing a leg over in the upcoming year. Additionally, we’d love to hear which bikes you’re most excited about in the comments below.

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.

The new model will simply be called the “Monster” with no displacement numbering, and it replaces both the air-cooled Monster 797 and liquid-cooled Monster 821 in Ducati’s lineup. The Monster 1200 and 1200 S will return for 2021 as the only holdover from the previous generation. Like the 1200, the new Monster is liquid-cooled, meaning there will no longer be any air-cooled Monsters in Ducati’s lineup.

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. 

The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, even made what has to be one of MO’s earliest videos (150k views!). The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. Etc, etc, amen.

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.

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.

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.

This is the end of the line for the liquid-cooled eight-valve Ducati 90-degree V-Twin that appeared on the motorcycle scene at just about the same time I did. Not the end of the line, but the apogee, the height of development that magnificent motor is going to see – the 1285cc, 4.566-inch pistoned, 215-claimed horsepower Superbike nadir. I tried to get Redpath to strap it to they dyno, but he wouldn’t do it. Number 47 (of 500) has zero miles.

But it got my brain strolling down memory lane, reminiscing on all the fantastic liquid-cooled 8-valve Ducatis I’ve had the honor of riding over the years. Do you remember them as well as I do?

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.

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.

The 2017 Monster 12 appears slightly tidier than previous, with a slimmer tailsection and a narrower fuel tank that has been restyled to look like the original Monster’s. A fresh face is presented by a new headlight. Horsepower has been uprated to 150 crankshaft ponies, and Bosch’s Cornering ABS has been added to the Ducati Safety Pack. A new swingarm yields a slightly shorter wheelbase for quicker steering, and the color TFT instrumentation now includes a fuel gauge and gear-position indicator. The Monster 1200 retails for $14,695, while the up-spec 1200S starts at $16,995.

2017 Ducati Monster 1200S First Ride Review

Full details of the Monster 1200 can be found at the link above, including how Ducati fixed the confined foot-space that was a genuine annoyance on the previous edition. And now we bring you sights and sounds of the latest Monster being thrashed in the mountains around Monaco in the video you can see below.

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.

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.

Whereas the base model Monster is suspended by a Kayaba fork and Sachs shock, the S is outfitted with fully adjustable Öhlins equipment. The S model also rolls on Y-spoke wheels compared to the standard’s 10-spoke hoops.

2014 Ducati Monster 1200 S – First Ride Review

Other highlights of the S model include upgraded M50 Brembo calipers over the base model’s M432 calipers, the Ducati Quick Shift (up/down) system, and a carbon fiber front fender. Both models share electronics including: riding modes, power modes, Ducati Safety Pack (Bosch Cornering ABS+ DTC + DWC), RbW, passenger seat cover, anti-theft system ready, DMS ready, DDA, LED position light and tail light, USB power socket, and full-color TFT display.

What the Monster S lacks of its R counterpart is the higher-spec engine (160 hp at 9,250 rpm and 97 lb.-ft. of torque at 7,750 rpm), forged wheels, and about 10 pounds less curb weight.

Pricing and colors for the Monsters are as follows: $14,695 for the base model Red Monster 1200, $16,995 – red, and $17,195 – gray for the S model. The R models retail for $19,095 for the Red color, $19,295 for the Black.

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.

With a bore and stroke of 88mm x 66mm, and using a single 50mm throttle body with two sub-butterfly injectors, Ducati claims 75 hp at 8,250 rpm and 50.9 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,750 rpm from the Monster’s engine. When we last dyno’d a Scrambler Icon model ( Scrambler Slam: Ducati Vs Triumph) with the same engine, the results were a respectably similar 69.6 hp at 8,500 rpm and 46.5 lb.-ft. at 7,000 rpm.

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.

Earlier we reported on the addition of an air-cooled 803cc Monster to Ducati’s line, which will fill the bottom-end of the Monster range. We’ve heard rumors that it’s been difficult tuning the liquid-cooled 821 motor to meet the required Euro 4 regulations, and cramming in the 937cc lump from the Hypermotard 939 would be a simple swap and solution (since the Hyper 939 was preceded by a Hyper 821, this may have been the plan all along). This will allow Ducati to move the middle Monster further upmarket, resulting in what we believe is the Monster 939 seen in these spy photos.

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.

2015 Ducati Monster 821 Review – First Ride

Spy photographers spotted a couple of test mules in Italy that show what looks to be the Scrambler engine in a new-design trellis frame. The new model appears to use the same engine and swingarm as the Scrambler as we can see from the animated overlay below:

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.

Yeah, well, the Super Duke R made 96 pound-feet and 156 hp. So we decided the Monster S is less of a streetfighter and more of a hot-rod roadster, and therefore the perfect excuse for T. Roderick and yours truly to compare it to BMW’s new R1200R, an awesome do-it-all “big Twin” motorcycle we’ve been looking for an excuse to spend more time upon. All we need now is a hook to hang this thing on! A theme! How about Germany vs Italy!? Why not, since it’s the most obvious? Tubular meats vs. fine red wines! It was on like WWII, with the exception that Germany and Italy were allies in that affair, up to a point.

2015 BMW R1200R First Ride

EiC Duke tasked us with coming up with a couple of waypoints to honor the respective engineering heritages of the two storied brands without breaking the MO bank by leaving SoCal: As always, we rose to the occasion. And then some…

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?

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. 

2012 Literbike Streetfighter Shootout – Video

To separate the wheat from the chaff we spent a day at Chuckwalla Raceway scraping pegs and destroying tires. It was a good day that clearly distinguished the performance hierarchy of these motorcycles.

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.

Eventually, Ducati decided to experiment, separating its air-cooled and liquid-cooled naked bike lines, returning the Monster to its simple roots of air-cooling. Meanwhile, the engines with radiators were stuffed into a new model, dubbed “Streetfighter,” and given a completely fresh facelift. Reaction to the Streetfighter, from both the press and consumers, was mediocre at best and with the introduction of the new Monster 1200, Ducati has seemingly righted the wrong it committed by splitting the two engines into separate models, once again equipping a Monster with a liquid-cooled superbike engine.

In this week’s Church of MO feature, we take a trip to 2001 and recount Yossef Schvetz’s experience sampling  Ducati’s first liquid-cooled Monster, the S4. The idea behind the S4 was simple: stuff the all-conquering superbike engine from the 916 into a Monster chassis and create a Ducati that lives up to the name stamped on the gas tank. Thanks to retrospect we know now the bike has become a cult classic, but what was the bike like when new? Let Schvetz give you his first-hand account.

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.