VOL. 51 ISSUE 9 MARCH 4, 2014 P61
the menu using the buttons lo-
cated above and below the turn
indicator switch to make all this
happen.
The Touring mode also incor-
porates many of the same fea-
tures, but it completely changes
the dash look. A concave-style
rpm bar graph from 1000 rpm to
11,000 rpm takes center stage on
the dash. MPH is displayed un-
der the tach readout while time
and coolant temp are displayed
on the lower left; the DTC and
ABS settings are displayed on
the right of the console.
The Sport Mode gets an even
racier style dash display. The
tach bar graph now comes up
from the left and levels off, count-
ing straight across the dash,
Superbike-style. Your speed is
prominently displayed in the cen-
ter of the screen with ABS, DTC
and engine temperature shown
across the bottom of the screen
from left to right.
Touring and Sport Modes also
feature the same menu access
through the left side handlebar
switches as in the Urban Mode
layout. All three display layouts
feature a memory option where
information and settings you have
customized will be stored for fu-
ture reference.
The system will return to the
last settings displayed when you
turn the bike back on. The three
different dash displays are a very
cool feature – it's like you're on
a new bike each time you switch
between riding modes.
I started off with the Ducati
Traction Control in the touring
mode. With eight levels of sen-
sitivity the DTC offers a suitable
level of control to match the
conditions at hand. Level 1 has
the least amount of interference
while level 8 offers the most.
Within the factory pre-set power
modes (Sport, Touring, Urban),
there are fixed DTC control lev-
els. These DTC levels can easily
be customized and stored for fu-
ture reference by accessing the
setup menu within each mode. A
default option is present and will
automatically return you to the
factory pre-sets.
As we headed down the road
I set the DTC to level three in the
Sport mode. You will find this a
good level to experience the
power of the 1200 Testastretta
and how it lays it down on the
road. The rear will step out ever
so slightly as you exit the corners
while driving you forward towards
the next corner.
In the higher levels you will
notice the interference of power
to the rear wheel as more sub-
stantial and limiting. The new
Bosch 3 level ABS system can
also be accessed through the
setup menu and personalized
in each ride mode. Up to this
point I was perfectly fine with
the standard ABS setting fea-
tured in each mode, but I had
to see what my options were.
I tried some alternate settings but
found the standard options of-
fered in the factory presets just
fine. To access the DTC, ABS
and RbW (Ride by Wire) setting
you have to stop the bike and use
the dash as a control panel to
personalize and save the appro-
priate settings you choose. Even
if you stop the bike and turn it off
the ABS will stay off unlike other
The author didn't find the added
length a negative. The Monster
1200 still carves its way through the
twisties with aplomb.
