Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

1IIIIIRMt;:J Comparison EJ: { { ~ u p sid e -d o w n fo rks a nd a 3 .5 " X 17" r im f i tted wi t h a 12 0j7 0 Z R 17 ti r e . Ducati 900 Monster B rakin g is handled b y a pa i r o f B remb o four-p iston ca lipers , sq ueez ing 3 20m m rotors. The re a r b ra k e is a 2 45mm d i s c w ith a two -p i st on c a liper. T he M onst er , l i k e m o s t Du c atis , puts the rid er in a sport ing r i d i n g p o s it i on , w ith fa irl y low an d forw ard b a rs, b ut now h ere n e ar as t ax in g on y o u r wrists and k nees as th e ir su perbi k es . Love at f irs t si g ht? It all depends on y o ur t aste. Everyone h ere agre es that th e M onst er i s as much a work of art as it is a moto rc ycl e . It is t he epitom e o f th e na ked b ik e , a si mp l e , ba ck - to -bas i cs m ot or c y cl e d e s i g n co m bi n e d w i t h tou ch e s o f engine, t he X l ' s ele ctron ic fue l -inj ec t ion sys tem w o r k s ve ry w ell , with easy col d starts and co n si stent throt- sin gle d isc provides ample stopping p owe r , and has g ood f e el a t t h e lever. 2000 DUCATI SOO MONSTER T h e 9 00 M onst er i s p er haps the epi tome o f the nak ed b ik e , as i t c o u ld be argued t hat th e M onster was th e bike tha t bucked th e system an d made n a k ed b ik es c ool a ga i n . The 904cc ai r/oil -coo led motor has been around fo r a lo ng t ime, in on e form o r anothe r. It' s w hat D u c ati l ik es to call a 90 -degree L -t w in , but y ou ca n call it a V -tw in if y o u lik e. It ha s Ducati's famous desmodromic v alve t rai n, w ith two val ves per c y li n der. The 900 Monster has Ma relli 's excellent Electronic Fuel Inj ection sy stem a n d elec t r o n i c ignition . Th ere is a new 900 Mon ster t h at will be a va il - Is that too mu ch to ask for? Th e bike is o n the r ight tra ck as f ar as h and ling is concerne d, b ut it c o u ld u se so me fin e -t u n ing . It ha s a ab le in 2 0 0 1 called t h e M onster S4 (see side bar) , but t he current gene ration will be ava ilabl e as we ll. Th e c ha ssis is b as ed o n th e o ld t o p - h e a v y fe e l to it, w hi c h m a y b e furth er in hi b ite d b y th e m otor's posi t ion in th e cha ssis. The m oto r 's con sid erabl e re cipro c ating m a ss is t o o hi gh up in the c hassis. T urn - in on the b ik e is q u ic k, but o nce lea ne d ove r , th e f ron t fe e ls v ag ue. Th e bike c a n be r idd en qui c k ly , but it is a t iring 851 Supe rb ik e ' s stee l t rellis f ra me . Th e a lum inum monosh o c k rea r-en d has a fully adju stabl e shock with a p rogressive linkag e. T h e rea r tire is a 170/60ZR 17 mounted o n a 5 .5" X 17" r i m . T h e fr ont e n d co nsis ts o f full y adju st abl e Sh o w a m otor . The styling of the new Monster 54 is true to the bik e's heritage. Ducati was careful not to change th e overall feel and imag e of a prov en formu la. The bike will be available in four tank color s: Red, Yellow, Black , and Grey, with the fram e and wheels available in either Racing Grey or Red. 4 3mm Bore & Stro ke: Compression Ratio: . , Carburetion: Ignit ion: , Transmi ssion: Clutch: Fuel Capacity: . . , Wheelbase: , Rake: Seat Height : , Front TIre: Rear Tire: , Front-Wheel Travel: Rear-Wheel Travel: Front Brake: Rear Brake: Final Drive: Claimed Dry Weight: cue is to look at. It's n ot just a p retty face - it performs . It 's light an d flicka b le in the ca nyons , and yet h as t hat plante d sta b le feel that a ll Ducatis seem to exh ibit. T h e harder you r ide it . the more i t impr es s e s. Th e Brembo bra kes are t h e bes t of the bu n c h , offering amazing stoppi ng power . The Ducati Monster has been around, virt ually unchanged , since 1992 - there have been a few cosmetic changes in that time period , but nothing really dramatic from a mechanical standpoi nt. With naked bikes becom ing more popular every year, Ducat i wanted to m ake sure that the Monster didn 't become long in the too th . So they decid ed to completely redesign the bik e from the ground up. The new bik e, called the Monster S4, is really a melting pot of previous Ducati models. The chassis is borrowed from the ST range of bikes , which are torsionally stouter than the previous generation , which were based on the old 851 Superbik e. The 54 features 43mm Showa upside-down for k s, a full y adj ustable Sach s rear shock and an alu m inu m swingarm. The wheelbase is slightly longer, but only a little - less than half an inch. The S4 has new five-spoke wheels that are very similar to the 996 's, with the rear rim wearing a larger 180/55ZR 17 tire. The new powerplant is the real news though. The liq uid-cooled four-valves -per-cylinder 9 16cc m otor from the previous generation Superbik e has been drafted into use in the new 54 . Th ere are a couple differences between the motor in Superbike form and in the Monster. The S4 features a larger airbox , different exhaust m anifolds, and altered cam tim ing, in additio n to a new engine management system. The tried -and -true 916cc motor should prove to be a huge step forward in term s of performance in the new 54 - benefiti ng from the four-valve's power and the added reliability of liqu id cooling. Pundits will complain that the new chassis and water-p umper motor take away from the orig inal lightweight concept of the Monster_The 54 does, in fact. gain weight over the previo us generation - a combination of the heavier-duty chassis and the liquid-cooled mot o r. Th e bi k e ga in s 18 po unds of weight , but the new motor should easily provide enough additional performance to m ake tha t inconsequential. The S4 also features carbon-fiber goodies such as body side - pa nels, fende rs , and a front fairing, all in an effort to keep the weight in check, Oniy time will tell if Ducati was able to m aintain the personality of the original Monster, but we can't imagine that t oo m any ent husiasts wil l com pl ain abou t th e added power of th e new Ust Price: Displac ement: Engine Type: 2000 ' see n o n, it g e t s mo re l o oks pe r st o p li g h t t h an a n y b ike h er e . The sc ary thing about th e Monster (so rry ) is t ha t it's as f un to rid e as it fee ls pl anted in the turns . The fr ont brak e fun ctions v ery w ell , t he hug e hustl e . S ubs equentl y , th e e n g i ne overheats prematurel y and goes into some kind of self-preservation mod e, se lf -limiting p o w er until it's co ol again . Th e t ran sm is sion was designed for a c r uise r, and in th at ap plicat ion it work s fin e , but o n a bike t hat is asked to pe rform sporting dut ies , it simply doe sn 't c u t it. We ca n 't help but w ond e r what a VR 1OOO -powered Bu ell would be like . O CTOBER 25 . w ant t o see t h e D e sma po k ing o u t of th e s ex y tr ell i s fr ame ? It a l so w ins t h e ti t le for b e st b ike to b e a ff a i r, t h e front wheel nev e r r e a ll y tle response. Our b iggest c o m p lai nt is that t he X 1 has b een t uned m ore for top en d, and we keep ask ing oursel ves wh y . Buell 's own Cyclo ne proves tha t t he d ate d m otor ca n b e mad e to work we ll at w ha t it was d esign ed to do prov ide torq u e. The X 1 moto r simpl y ge ts o v er -taxed b y th e nece s sa ry revvi ng requ ired to mak e th e b i k e 38 p os t-modern sty l ing . It si mp ly lo oks r i g h t. T h e ex posed m ot or i s as mu ch a p a r t of th e styli n g a s any moto rcycle m ad e - wh o wouldn 't I e nevvs _. . _ , _ _ , $12,49 5 _ 916cc Liquid-coole d, gO-degree L-twin, four-stro ke, . four valves per cyli nder " ., ..94.0 X 68.0mm I 1.0:I Marell i EFI w/ 50mm throttle bodies , Electronic 6-speed Dry rnulti-plate .4.29 Gallons .57.6" 24 Degrees 32.12 " 120/70Z R17 180/ 55ZR17 .4.8" 5.76" Twin 32 0mm discs w/ four -piston calipers Single 245mm disc w/ twin-pisto n caliper , , Chain _ .424 .6 lbs,

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