Ducati Monster 1200 2019 — Specifications

When Bologna misses the mark, Bologna knows it. The first generation of the Ducati Monster 1200 had disappointed a portion of its historical clientele: too heavy, too serious, too bourgeois for a motorcycle whose DNA rests on lightness and provocation. The air-cooled twin had disappeared, the silhouette had swelled, and raw pleasure had been diluted in a sophistication that no one had really asked for. Ducati didn's take long to learn from its own mistakes.

This 2019 vintage therefore represents a frank correction, not just a facelift. The rear section clearly draws inspiration from the Ducati Monster 1200 R, the silencers gain presence, and the passenger seat regains a more taut line. The 16.5-liter tank is redesigned, narrower, with this aluminum loop at the front to flip it open without tools, a detail that recalls the brand's old habits and hits the mark. The headlight, too, loses unnecessary aggression. Nothing visually revolutionary, but every touch goes in the same direction: lightening the lines, giving back some nervousness to the look before even turning the key.

Under the tubular steel trellis frame, the Testastretta 1198 cm3 now produces 147 hp at 9250 rpm according to the new measurement standards in force since 2018, with a torque of 126.2 Nm at 7750 rpm. That's more than before, and it's enough to erase the 213 kg on the scale, a figure that remains the main reproach that can be formulated against a Kawasaki Z1000 or a BMW S 1000 R better suited in this register. This excess weight, inherited from Euro4 compliance, is compensated by serious work on geometry. The wheelbase goes to 1485 mm, reduced by 26 mm thanks to the new swingarm, and the steering head angle is tightened by one degree. On a Ducati, these adjustments are not insignificant: they frankly transform the behavior, make the steering more incisive, the motorcycle more responsive to cornering.

The suspensions remain in place, inverted Kayaba 43 mm fork fully adjustable at the front, and a Sachs mono-shock adjustable for preload and rebound at the rear. The S version of the Ducati Monster 1200, with its Öhlins components, will suit riders who want to push the adjustment further. The Brembo braking system remains sovereign, with radial four-piston calipers on 320 mm floating discs, and the arrival of cornering ABS coupled with an IMU inertial sensor constitutes the real electronic novelty of the vintage. Three riding modes, traction control on eight levels, wheelie control on eight levels, bidirectional quickshifter optional: the digital arsenal rivals what superbikes offered five years ago.

For those riding a used Ducati Monster 1200 or looking to acquire this new model for around 14,390 euros, the question of positioning clearly arises. This is not a motorcycle for beginners, despite a contained seat height of 795 mm. It is a roadster for experienced riders, comfortable with a substantial build and an engine that does not forgive negligence. The announced consumption of 5.2 liters per hundred and the 16.5 liters of tank limit autonomy to just over 300 km, which corresponds to the profile of the beast: it is made to be ridden with intention, not to swallow kilometers in autopilot. Ducati has succeeded in correcting the course without betraying what has defined the Monster for thirty years.