Ducati Monster 797
Air-cooled entry-level Monster Same 74bhp engine as the Scrambler No engine modes, no traction control
RIDING A SMALL, light, very naked Ducati through torrential rain is bringing back a few memories. Right now I’m splashing up a twisty road in the south of France on the new Monster 797 – a light, sweetrevving, entry-level V-twin. In spring 2010, I was riding in similarly soaking conditions on the launch of the Monster 796 near Ducati’s Bologna HQ. That older small-bore Monster was a capable and reasonably successful bike, but two years ago it was dropped from the range (along with the Monster 696), as the arrival of the Scrambler seemed to signal the end of an air-cooled Monster line that stretched back to the original M900 of 1993.
But now Ducati has had second thoughts, having discovered that not everyone who likes the idea of a rider-friendly, relatively inexpensive Italian V-twin wants to take the Scrambler’s retro-styled route. Some, it seems, prefer the Ducati name on the tank and still admire the style and sporty image that helped make the entry-level Monster models popular for two decades.
So the mini-monster is back, considerably updated and with a new set of numbers to go with its name. Similarly misleading numbers because, like the 796, the 797 has an engine capacity of 803cc. Rather than the same engine as the old Monster, it’s the more softly tuned unit that powers the Scrambler, with a maximum output of 74bhp instead of 87bhp.
The sohc V-twin has modifications required by Euro 4, including plastic inserts between the cylinder fins to reduce resonance. The 797 also gets a revised injection system with different mapping and injectors, as well as a new, low-level exhaust system instead of the earlier Monster’s pair of underseat silencers.
Like the Scrambler, the 797 doesn’t offer anything in the way of adjustable riding modes or traction control. Its instrument panel is pretty basic too: there’s an LCD rev-counter bar above the digital speedo and a row of warning lights above that, but there’s no sign of the gear indicator or fuel-consumption info that even many entry-level Japanese bikes have these days.
Still, that simplicity helps make the Monster 797 very straightforward to ride. The seat is quite low (805mm) which – with the generous steering lock and light weight (193kg with fuel) – helps make it manoeuvrable. The one-piece handlebar is slightly raised and pulled back, giving a subtly more upright and roomy riding position than that of the Monster 821.
From the saddle you look out across a familiar Monster tank that is secured with the help of a ski-boot-style buckle, like that of the original M900 and new 1200S. The rider-friendly feel continues when you
“It’s capable of cruising fairly effortlessly at 80mph-plus”
get under way, aided by the Ducati’s sweet throttle response and the light-action slip-assist clutch (but the lever isn’t span-adjustable, as the old 696’s was). Fuelling is generally very crisp, the Desmodromic motor revving fairly enthusiastically through the range, staying smooth until the flashing red lights on the dash alert me to change up at 8500rpm.
The Ducati doesn’t seem short of power on wet and mostly twisty roads that are frequently scarred by lines of slippery overbanding. This is where I’m grateful for its generally controllable feel. But the slippery surface does make me think many of the riders this bike is aimed at would probably be glad of traction control.
Still, the 797’s level of performance should satisfy most people in the long term. After all, this little Monster is good for roughly 125mph and capable of cruising fairly smoothly and effortlessly at 80mphplus – more than enough to give your neck muscles a workout. Crack the Ducati’s throttle open at low revs and it’ll lift the front wheel; give it some revs and make use of the six-speed box, and it’ll put 100mph-plus on that digital display quickly enough to provide some entertainment. But I can’t help thinking that some riders choosing this Monster over the Scrambler would have preferred a bit more zip – and the dozen or so horses missing from the 796 model would have made gripping these reins more exciting. The only reason that the 797 feels sportier than a Scrambler, at least in a straight line, is its more aggressive riding position.
At least the softly tuned motor gets mostly high marks for refinement, though I do experience a sudden cough on opening the throttle from very low
revs. Perhaps the lack of an old-school V-twin judder at very low revs has encouraged me to get closer to 2000rpm than normal, so there’s less warning of the point at which the fuelling couldn’t cope.
Thankfully there are no surprises from the chassis, thanks to the typical small Monster attributes of light weight and sporty (but not extreme) geometry, and simple but capable suspension holding 17in wheels. The frame is a traditional steel trellis but different to the 796’s, having a steel rather than aluminium rear section. The aluminium swingarm is twin-sided rather than a single-sider like the old model’s. Handling remains very similar, though: light, accurate and entertaining, with the help of respectably firm and well-damped suspension.
The 43mm Kayaba forks aren’t adjustable but the diagonally mounted Sachs shock can be tweaked for preload and rebound damping. On standard settings it’s enjoyably responsive, flicking into turns with minimal pressure on the bars and generally giving good feedback, with the help of Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres (which grip well in both wet and dry). The Monster also slows impressively hard and reliably, thanks to Brembo’s powerful M4.32 radial monoblock calipers biting 320mm discs and backed-up by a Bosch ABS system. That’s seriously high-quality gear for an entry-level bike.
Overall, the Monster 797 impresses despite the conditions. It’s a neat-looking, light, sweet-handling and rider-friendly V-twin that seems well built. It should prove respectably practical, too, despite its narrow mirrors and lack of weather protection. The fuel capacity of 16.5 litres (a useful improvement on the 796’s) should give a range of more than 150 miles from a typical economy of around 50mpg.
This air-cooled Monster can’t match the refinement of the larger, liquid-cooled Ducatis, but Bluetooth connectivity is built in and there’s a USB socket under the seat. Still, the lack of features such as a gear indicator and traction control seems stingy given a price close to £8000. Ducati might argue that class rivals such as Yamaha’s MT-07 and Kawasaki’s Z650 also lack such features, but there’s no escaping the near-£2000 price difference (or that the much more powerful and sophisticated MT-09 triple costs less than the 797). Even so, the 797 is sufficiently stylish, capable and fun to justify the return of the smaller species of Monster – and to offer an appealing, similarly priced alternative to the Scrambler for riders who prefer their mid-sized Italian V-twins with a sporty look and character.
“It’s sweet-handling and rider-friendly”