2015 DUCATI MONSTER 821
FIRST RIDE
P98
kind I thought was gone forever on a
Euro 3 compliant street-legal motorcy-
cle, because this has to be one of the
best-sounding production bikes in the
marketplace today. It's not excessively
loud, just sufficiently so to be soul-
ful and sensuous, with an old-school
rumble at low rpm that transforms into
a trademark twin-cylinder bark as revs
mount. Magic.
And that engine is also quick to gain
revs, thanks to its muscular grunt from
down low that is more than you expect
from a middleweight motorcycle. It is
one thing that makes the new Monster
so ideal for use in town – that, and the
25 extra horsepower over its air-cooled
predecessor.
Another is the light action of the oil-
bath slipper clutch, far removed from
the ultra-stiff Ducati dry clutches of
yore, which left your hand frozen in pain
after a 60-minute rush hour workout.
Not here – for the new Monster is a
superb traffic tool, with only three criti-
cisms. One is that neutral was invari-
ably hard to find at rest (though that
could be because the bike I was riding
was so new, with less than 320 miles
on the clock when I started the day),
plus there should be a gear selected
readout on the rather plain looking but
readable dash. The 1200 Monster's
Technicolor display has not been car-
ried over on grounds of cost, says
Ducati.
Most concerning was the third point
– the amount of heat radiating off the
engine at rest, especially on the right
side, if you sit stationary waiting for the
lights to change for more than a few
seconds. This was noticeable even
riding in leathers, and it's sufficiently
intense to make riding it in jeans or a
business suit potentially uncomfort-
able. That needs attention.
The 821 Testastretta engine's meaty
torque and linear power delivery make
this a very easy and forgiving bike to
ride. It pulls smoothly and cleanly away
(Left) We sample
the new bike in
the hills above
Bologna… in
both wet and dry
conditions.
(Right) Will the 821
prove to be the
most important
model in Ducati's
lineup?
