Ducati Monster 2022 — Specifications

Thirty years of reign, and Bologna decides to put everything back on the table. The Ducati Monster has no number. No trellis frame. Nothing of what made purists cringe and others salivate. What Ducati offers in 2022 is a clear, assumed, almost provocative break. It will be called 937, to keep the thread, to maintain a link with the 900 Monster of origins. But in fact, this machine has little in common with the steel ancestor.

The first criticism will come from the style, inevitably. The aluminum monocoque frame replaces the welded tubes that defined the visual identity of each Ducati Monster from the 696 to the Ducati Monster 821. The result is a more angular, more taut silhouette, with a front headlight that borrows from Asian productions more than from Alpine workshops. Some will see this as a betrayal. Others, a necessary evolution. What is undeniable is that the bike gains 18 kilograms on the scale. The total full weight falls to 188 kg, against 208 for its predecessor. 166 kg dry weight, exactly the same figure as the Triumph Street Triple RS, the undisputed benchmark in the segment. Ducati hasn't simply shaved off a few grams here and there; every component has been redesigned, from the rear frame, which is 1.9 kg lighter, to the wheels, which lose 1.7 kg, and a 2.4 kg lighter engine. This kind of overhaul is not improvised.

This engine, precisely. The Ducati Monster 937 abandons the 821 cm3 block to transplant the 90° L-twin from the SuperSport 950. The displacement increases, but the gain in power remains measured: 111 horsepower at 9,250 rpm, two more than before. It is on the torque that the difference is truly felt; 93.2 Nm available from 6,500 rpm, with a peak accessible 1,250 revolutions earlier than before. For a versatile motorcycle, that's exactly what's needed. The desmodromic system is still there, a mechanical signature that Ducati still defends, and braking entrusted to four-piston Brembo calipers biting 320 mm discs is part of the arguments that hit the mark against an MT-07 or a Z 650.

The electronics follow the general trend of the range. Bidirectional shifter now standard, cornering ABS, launch control, three riding modes, traction control and wheelie control, all configurable from the 4.3-inch TFT screen with graphics borrowed from the Panigale V4. The list is long and welcome. In the saddle, the height rises to 820 mm, which will close the door to the smallest builds. The Ducati Monster 2022 straightens the riding position, moves the footpegs forward and down, widens the steering angle to 36 degrees. It's no longer quite the attack bike that the Ducati Monster 1200 or the SP was, it's a machine designed to convince beyond the circle of the convinced. The target profile is clearly that of the demanding urban rider, sensitive to design and performance, but who also wants to be able to swallow 300 kilometers without suffering.

Whether we like it or not, the Ducati Monster 2022 follows the same logic as all the big names who have had to expand their customer base without losing their soul. The result is not perfect on an emotional level, and the Ducati Monster price of €11,590 at the entry level places it in a dense competition where the Japanese are hitting hard. But the recipe used here recalls the beginnings of 1993, when Ducati had taken the frame from the 888 and the engine from the 900 SS to invent something new. Today, the same method, the same homemade ingredients, a different result. For those looking for an opportunity to enter the family, the Ducati Monster used remains a solid alternative. For others, this 937 represents the best compromise ever offered under this badge, provided you accept that the monster has aged, and that aging, sometimes, is about improving.