Ducati Monster 821
Ducati’s midd leweight Monster has always been cool – even more so now it’s water cooled…
It may not look like it, pretty as it is, but this is the most important bike in Ducati’s range. It's the bike that will pay Cal Crutchlow’s wages next year (or possibly not…) and the bike that coughs up the development costs of the next generation of superbikes to drool over. Ducati’s venerable Monster range has always been the firm’s cash cow, the bike that has allowed it almost free rein to compete in WSB and MotoGP, and in that regard with the new 821, nowt’s changed..
Tracing its history back to when it was a mere bitsa, the Monster’s then nominal R&D costs were more than handsomely repaid by stumbling upon a huge hit – its butch urban looks and a muscular engine working wonders in showrooms across the world – particularly in Italy. 20 years on and Miguel Galluzzi’s leftfield hit has had various makeovers, a stack of different engines and a variety of success – but it remains at the heart of the Ducati line-up, and significant renewed investment in the platform has kept it fresh and relevant – no more so than in this new 821cc guise.
The recent 1200 version paved the way for the new middleweight’s look, with the fresh Testastretta 11-degree motor that first featured in the Hypermotard making a far more logical appearance here (my hunch being that the Hyper' was knocked out first to bolster sales of the struggling supermotard). Sprinkle in a host of stylish design points, inherent light weight, natural agility and friendly ergonomics and you’d think that Ducati would be clearing somewhere in the Factory for all the money to be stashed – except this market is now one of the busiest in the business.
With the Triumph Street Triple leading the way, closely followed by a phalanx of adversaries (Yamaha MT-09, MV Brutale 675, Kawasaki Z800, to name the most prevalent of competitors) the new Monster 821 has a big
hill to climb to attract existing Monsteristi, let alone riders of rival machinery.
And the journey up that hill starts at home, with Ducati taking the JournoGP paddock to Bologna to sample the roads on which this Monster, and all other Ducatis, are born on. Mixing heavy town work, fast A-roads and then the wondrous Passo della Futa that laboriously works its way out of Bologna towards Mugello and Florence, these roads would provide a complete test of man and machine – especially in the midst of a summer morning downpour…
We were allowed a sneak preview of the bike the night we flew in, taking it for a spin around town before dinner. Dodging Bolognian traffic was a breeze, thanks to the new ergonomics of the bike offering easy control and near perfect balance at low speeds – although the turning circle isn’t overly generous. Power delivery at the bottom end was clean, yet meaty, and the sound from the new 2-1-2 exhaust system woke the locals up from the depression of going out of the World Cup that afternoon. We only rode for a few miles, but given its handsome looks, clean engineering and respectable spec' list all was looking good for the next day’s challenge. And then the weather intervened...
We left Bologna’s handsome piazzas behind in the dry and traversed through the foothills of the Apennines chasing ominously stormy clouds. Sure enough, as things took a turn for the interesting on the road side of things, they shot the fox meteorologically. But this is never a bad thing on a new bike as wet
roads expose nasty fuelling, poor tyre choices, grabby brakes and nervous damping. But on all these counts the Monster 821 passed with flying colours. True, the roads on the Passo are well surfaced and grippy, while the Pirelli Rosso IIs are a decent all round option, but the bike was sure footed in the wet – and impressively planted in the damp. As for the dry, we’d have to wait for the afternoon.
Possessing Ducati’s Safety Pack (consisting of ABS and traction control), all it took was a press of the button to knock it out of Stunt mode, sorry, I mean Sport mode, and into Touring mode. Both options offer the bike’s full 112bhp hit (that feels more like sub 100), but Touring mode offers a smoother throttle response and the default settings of more traction control and greater ABS intervention. However, the only way I could provoke either into employment was to deviantly taunt it with unnatural inputs. The Futo’s roads are all first, second and third gear turns, but all the Monster did was drive neatly out of each.
Getting in to them was a breeze, too. Revised ergonomics over the previous 796 Monster (that remains a current model, costing £1,000 less) sees the bars move 40mm closer to the rider, while they’re also set 40mm higher. The new frame and swingarm gives the bike a longer wheelbase, there’s a mild revision of the bike’s steering geometry and the new 821 possesses a new centre of gravity that’s 24mm towards the rear and 18mm lower. All of these elements combine to negate the additional 12 kilos that come with the use of the new water cooled engine.
The switch to the 11-degree Testastretta was always coming – and it was only a surprise that it wasn’t the first bike to receive the motor. Naturally, the new liquid cooled lump adds weight over the air cooled one, but there are big advantages to be gained using this configuration – not least the 25bhp power gain at peak, giving this new bike a good 30bhp on the original 900 version from 1993. We've come a long way, baby! There’s a handsome amount torque too, right across the range,
The 821 also gets a revised secondary air system to improve combustion efficiency and a new 53mm throttle body for increased torque and a touch more power than in Hypermotard guise. The new can, replicating the 1200 version through the headers, finishes with a neat two exhaust exit that sounds proper fruity and spits out a wicked over-run gurgle on the way into corners and traffic lights set on stop. The only downside to the cans is the necessity to stick the pillion pegs right in the way of where you’d plant your feet while riding aggressively. Both sides suffer, but it’s the right hand side where it feels most intrusive.
Faultless fuelling and a stoic bottom end ensure that newbies shouldn’t be too intimidated by this Monster. The midrange is frisky enough, but by 6,000 revs the thrust and noise generated implies that you’re nearing the rev limit. Not so. Unless you hold on to a gear you’d almost never know that the soft rev limiter kicks in at 10,500rpm. Power falls away at these levels, so it's best keeping it in the
fulsome midrange to fulfil almost all of your dynamic and aural desires.
Post lunch, we tackled a dry Futo, and now the bike really rocked. It genuinely feels designed for this road, such was its stance through every turn. Though the suspension is unadjustable, it suited the lumps and bumps of the road, blending an impressive level of comfort and purpose. The Pirellis offered impressive grip, thus covering wet and dry brilliantly. The brakes, using Brembo M4-32 calipers, suited the package to a tee, and the once town-friendly ergonomics still work with a more aggressive stance – although those footrest hangers remain intrusive…
That the bike should work so well in these surroundings should come as no surprise, but the relevance of the roads in and around Bologna mean that the Monster’s natural ability in its backyard should seamlessly make the switch to your local environment.
But what of its rivals? This Monster still lacks both the cylinders and/or the capacity to stand on equal footing against its inline triple rivals. While these options offers wheelies galore, the Monster needs a crest in second to conform to our norm. But with two wheels planted on the floor the new Monster’s road handling skills are more than a match – with very handsome looks to boot.
At a fiver short of nine grand, this will be the stumbling block for many, but thanks to Ducati’s Trioptions finance scheme, if you can find a 25 per cent deposit then you’ll 'only' have to find around £110 a month for the next three years which is a much more utilitarian prospect – something the Monster always was, and thanks to the 821's poise, purpose and PCP scheme, thankfully still is.