Cycle News

2014 DUCATI MONSTER 1200/1200S FIRST RIDE P64 Even though the new 1198 Testastretta 11 DS motor revs out quite well you will have much more fun running around at 5000 to 7500 rpm - right in the heart of the power. The new circular style Mikuni Ride-by-Wire throttle bodies are positioned in such a way to tar- get fuel spray at the rear of the hot intake valves. Thus a better vaporization of the fuel occurs as it hits the hot valve resulting in a fully atomized incoming charge. With the dual-spark-plug-de- signed cylinder head providing a more complete burn of the inlet charge, combustion efficiency has been optimized to the fullest. Another important piece of the puzzle is the valve-timing over- lap. The 1198 Panigale motor has an over-lap of around 41 degrees at high revs like most Superbikes, whereas the 11-degree over-lap of the new Monster 1200 motor creates a much smoother power delivery with better midrange and only a slight reduction in outright horsepower. The new 1200 Testastretta 11-degree DS motor is now ca- pable going 18,000 miles before recommended service intervals. Not bad for a Desmodrive valve train - considering the 748 RS I raced back in the day had to have new valves after two full race weekends unless you were feel- ing very lucky and could afford to risk it. As we began to head back our path led us to the tightest yet most beautiful part of the ride: Descending down a steep and lush canyon back towards the coast, the road was of the one- lane switchback variety (i.e. goat trail). One would think, "for sure this is going to be a problem on the long Monster." But, again, it was a case of no worries as it ne- gotiated the tight road as well as most bikes would. I used all three different ride modes and switched back and forth between the ABS on/off settings. There was plenty of hard braking sections and the new Brembo four-piston, Monob- loc M50 calipers - in conjunction with a new 330mm Superbike- style disc - featured on the Mon- ster 1200 S did the job. Brake control was precise and very ef- fective. Even with the ABS doing its job perfectly, I preferred the unit turned off to really feel the brakes. I'm old school, but the ABS will save your butt at times because it is easy to grab too much and lockup the front. I did just that in some gravelly spots, but luckily I avoided disaster. The standard Monster 1200 comes fitted with a slightly lower spec Brembo four-piston, Mono- bloc M4-32 caliper, with 320mm discs. One thing you will notice is how the bike falls over in ex- tremely slow tight corners. I didn't know what to make of it at first, but I bet the longer wheelbase has some sort of effect when cornering at such slow speeds. Other than that it was very well sorted with the Urban and Tour- ing power modes really help- ing out in the tighter sections. 1 2 3 4

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