Ducati Monster

It’s that angry intake noise that makes the hair at the back of your neck stand on end. The new 890cc V2 engine is aggressive and playful, and can propel this 188kg (kerb) Ducati Monster to eye-popping speeds in a jiffy. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to have so much fun astride this bike, but it’s safe to say that Ducati is on to something with the new Monster. And it ought to be, because the previous generation of the Ducati Monster was just not ‘Monster enough’. Allow me to explain.

For time immemorial, the Ducati Monster has stood for raw, street-naked appeal, evident in the muscular fuel tank with its big haunches, the exposed steel trellis frame, and minimal bodywork at the rear to make the chunky tyre more visible. The Ducati Monster 797 and 821 were a testament to that, but the outgoing Monster was relatively slimmer in appearance and had lost the trellis. While several Ducati Monster fans were up in arms about this, Ducati has ensured it doesn’t mess it up this time. The new Ducati Monster V2 is a looker!

The big haunches on the fuel tank are back, the headlight’s design looks cohesive with the rest of the bike, and the blacked-out radiator shrouds add some much-needed contrast. Adding to the visual drama are the twin-barrel exhausts that shoot noise and fumes towards those behind you.

And they sound so good! More on that later, but the way the engine has been left exposed adds to the visual character of the new Monster. With the single-piece seat and the tiny tail section completing the design, I have to say that the new Monster befits the name it carries, at least visually. In fact, I loved the bike’s appearance in the white colour, with its red wheels adding some nice contrast to the looks.

As far as fit and finish are concerned, there is nothing to complain about. All the panel gaps were tight, while the switchgear operated with a tactile feel. That said, the only gripe I have is with the toggle button on the left switch cube, which is used to run through the menus. It feels a touch too plasticky.

Under the lovely bodywork is a monocoque frame that uses the engine as a stressed member. The bike is suspended by a non-adjustable Showa USD fork and a preload-adjustable monoshock. The lack of adjustability may be a spot of bother for those comparing the Monster with competitors like the Kawasaki Z900 and the Triumph Street Triple. But we will get to this later.

Moving to the heart of the matter, the new 890cc, liquid-cooled V-twin (or L-twin, if you please) makes 111bhp and 91Nm. These figures are similar to those of the outgoing Testastretta L-twin but, crucially, the new V2 produces a fat chunk of its torque lower down the rev range. That translates to stronger acceleration out of corners or on-tap performance, say, when you want to squeeze through a gap in traffic.

There’s a laundry list of features on the bike, including a crisp quickshifter, traction control and ride modes such as Wet, Urban, Sport and more. These alter the throttle map and adjust the alertness of the traction control and ABS to suit the riding conditions. The best part is that, besides the preset settings, one can also individually customise each mode.

As a package, then, the Monster is festooned with almost all the bells and whistles you’d expect.

Accessibility seems to have been one of the primary concerns of the folks at Ducati while locking in the rider’s triangle on the bike. This particular test bike has a seat height of 795mm, and that’ll make it easier for short riders to place their feet down. I love the placement of the lightweight handlebar and how it puts you in that “attack” position. Some tall riders, say around 6ft, might find the rider’s perch to be too cramped. We’d advise getting a proper test ride before deciding. Or you could just put up with it in favour of the entertaining performance of the new engine.

Wet and Urban ride modes temper the power delivery to very friendly levels. It is not lumpy-grumpy like the Testastretta at low speeds, so riding it in city traffic won’t make it grumble. There is, however, some amount of warm air to contend with in crawling traffic.

What’s more important, though, is that one could be inexperienced with a big bike, but the electronics hold your hand every step of the way. There are no sudden surges of power; the traction control intervened seamlessly over Mumbai’s stupidly slippery mastic asphalt, and you could be as ham-fisted as you’d dare and the Monster handles everything well.

Sport and Race modes really livened up the throttle response, to the point that I was having a great time on the highway, revelling in the bike’s performance. The sound from the exhaust and the feeling of banging up the gears while keeping the throttle pinned are great reminders of why the Ducati Monster has been a fan favourite for decades.

The non-adjustable suspension that some people may have scoffed at by now is actually remarkably well tuned. The initial stroke of the suspension, especially, is on the softer side, and that allows it to iron out bumps and undulations easily. I was quite surprised by the ride and how liveable it was over Mumbai and Navi Mumbai’s roads.

The handling, however, is astonishingly good. Given how well one is seated on the bike, you establish a beautiful sense of connection with it. The Monster is light on its feet, changes direction effortlessly, and darting my way through traffic had become my favourite part of the day for as long as I was commuting on it. Out on the highway, the Monster is planted at high speeds and while riding around sweeping corners. Not to mention the sticky Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres that add that layer of confidence.

Speaking of which, the Brembo M4.32 calipers on this bike offer good stopping power, and there are no complaints, but I do feel Ducati could have offered stronger brakes considering how quickly this bike gets to unmentionable speeds.

The Ducati Monster V2 retains the very formula that made the initial lot of Monsters such grand successes. Let’s not forget that the bike resurrected Ducati from the shambles at one point in its history. To say that there is a lot of emotion attached to the Monster would be an understatement. And I’m happy that the new bike is a thoroughly entertaining package. If only one can cough up the Rs 14 lakh (ex-showroom) that Ducati is asking for this street-naked motorcycle.

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi