Ducati Monster
Blackstock says ‘ciao bello’ to the all-new Ducati Monster
I FELT IT was interesting that the first section in the manual for the new Ducati Monster is ‘Infotainment’. I despise that term and never thought it would transfer to motorcycles, let alone the first chapter in the manual for a Ducati.
Still, we are where we are and while some hate the idea of this kind of technology, others love it and I was intrigued to see how this blend of information and emotion would work.
As it transpired, it was all about the emotion. The Monster was factory-fresh when it arrived at RIDE towers and it wasn’t long before I’d crossed the 600-mile threshold and the orange ‘Oil Service’ light popped up to tell me it needed its running-in service. However, I’d still managed to get a few miles on it and am still grinning…
Fire it up and it barks into life with a rattly, off-beat idle. Low-speed, small-throttle openings are pretty rough but once rolling, it smooths out and beckons you forward. The engine is a gem; it needs some revs to clear its throat but then it sings; the sound from on-board is stunning and it stomps forward and just keeps going (within the confines of the running-in rev limiter).
The two-way quickshifter is a bit lethargic at anything other than full-noise; then it’s slick and fast and the bike fires up through the gears smoothly and purposefully. The brakes are sharp and strong and there’s a sense that they will take whatever you can throw at them, though the rear, used in town and on slower corners, is a bit lazy. The suspension is on the sporty side; firm over bumpy tarmac but oh-so reactive and communicative on smoother, flowing roads.
It loves fast A and B-roads; of course it does. It’s perfectly acceptable on dual carriageways. While I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t want to head to the south of France on it, I reckon I could make it to Wales or Scotland at a push for a Big Ride. But in town? Urghh… not its thing. The heat from the V-twin cooks your butt and the fuelling doesn’t suit urban riding (even in Urban mode).
The riding position is farther forward than I’d imagined — a function of the 90° V-twin having a complete cylinder between you and the bars and one directly below you — you sit perched on it.
The tech appears inaccessible for the moment; perhaps that will change once it’s had its first service and it — as well as the rest of the rev range — is unlocked. But if it stays inaccessible, that’s fine; as long as I can get all the revs, I’ll be happy. This bike is about emotion, like any Italian sportsbike or sports car. It appeals to the heart, the soul; it’s like a little voice whispering in your ear “Faster, faster, faster…”
I’ll take that over the ability to make a phone call from the dash any day…