2014 DUCATI MONSTER 1200/1200S
FIRST RIDE
P56
Africa. As with most volcanoes
the surface is covered with lava
flows and crazy rock formations
of days gone by. The Monster,
like Tenerife, was full of pleasant
surprises that I was able and will-
ing to exploit.
With a host of different cli-
mates and road conditions,
Tenerife would be an excellent
proving ground to showcase the
adaptive and high-performance
nature of the newest Monster. I'm
guessing that's why Ducati chose
the island for the world launch of
its all-new Monster 1200.
The first Monster came out
back in 1993 and it was received
quite well then – as it is now. It's
always been a major contender
in the naked sportbike class or
whatever you would like to call
it, and that remains the same
today. Over the years there has
been plenty of variations on the
Monster brand, with all sorts of
different powerplants and chas-
sis stylings.
While the new 2014 version
follows the traditional Monster
styling and core elements, it has
been fitted with the latest in elec-
tronic aids and numerous other
