Ducati Monster 2021 — Specifications

Thirty years. That's how long it took Ducati to realize that its most famous roadster couldn't remain eternally captive to its own legend. The 2021 Ducati Monster breaks free with a splash, and purists will suffer. The trellis tube frame, that steel backbone that gave the Monster its visible soul, is gone. In its place is an aluminum structure inherited from the Panigale V4, angular and muscular, which defines a silhouette closer to Japanese productions than the sensual curves one would expect from Bologna. Some will cry betrayal. Others will simply see a motorcycle that finally decides to play with the big boys.

Because the numbers tell a different story than the aesthetic scandal. The Ducati Monster 937 loses 18 kilograms on the scale compared to its predecessor, falling to 188 kg fully fueled, or 166 kg dry. That's exactly the weight of a Triumph Street Triple RS, the undisputed benchmark in the naked segment. This result didn't fall from the sky: 4.5 kilograms were stripped from the frame, 2.4 from the engine, 1.9 from the rear subframe, and 1.7 from the wheels. Every gram was tracked with method. The engine itself changes passport, as it now comes from the 950 SuperSport rather than the old 821 cm3. The transplant offers 111 horsepower at 9250 rpm and, above all, 93 Nm at 6500 rpm, with a peak torque available 1250 rpm earlier than before. That's where the gain is really felt, in mid-range acceleration out of corners, not in the horsepower figures. The recipe recalls the origins: in 1993, the 900 Mostro borrowed its engine from the 900 SS. Almost thirty years later, the same model grafting logic.

The shortened 6 mm wheelbase chassis promises increased agility, and the Brembo M4.32 four-piston calipers on 320 mm discs have everything it takes to lock up the front in late braking. The 43 mm non-adjustable fork on the compression axis is surprising on a €11,290 motorcycle, compared to a Z900 or MT-09 that offer more sophisticated travel. The compromise is accepted because the rest of the electronic equipment is impressive: bidirectional shifter standard, cornering ABS, adjustable traction control and anti-wheelie, hill-hold control. The 4.3-inch TFT screen displays the graphics from the Panigale V4. It's consistent, it's modern, it's what customers buy today.

On board, the break is as physical as it is aesthetic. The seat height is 775 mm in the low position with the optional spring kit, against 785 mm for the old 821 in the low position. The handlebar is 70 mm closer, the footpegs lower and more forward. The 2021 Ducati Monster sits up straighter, abandoning the characteristic aggressive riding position for something more neutral, more accessible. The steering rake angle goes to 36 degrees. On a Monster. One can smile or rejoice depending on the prism in which one places oneself, but the conclusion is inescapable: Ducati is now targeting the urban rider, the thirty-something who wants an engaging motorcycle without spending his life fighting it. The comparison with the Ducati Monster 821, the 797 or even the 696 is inevitable, and this new generation deliberately turns its back on them in terms of raw character to better surpass them in terms of versatility.

Remains the fundamental question. A Monster that steers like a city car, weighs like a Japanese motorcycle and handles like a premium European roadster is it still a Monster in the way that fans of the Ducati Monster 900 understand it? Probably not. But the Ducati Monster 2022 and beyond will continue to carry this name because Ducati has bet on efficiency against purity, on market share against the cult of initiates. The bet is not stupid. The motorcycle, however, is not a disappointment. It is a different machine.