VOL. 54 ISSUE 44 NOVEMBER 7, 2017 P91
And for 2018, the 821 is more a
case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
That means refining what is already
there versus cranking out an entirely
new machine, with a few thoughtful
add-ons to keep it up to date with
the latest competition from Japan,
Britain and at home in Italy.
There's a direct link with the 821
and the original 900 due to the
new yellow paint job. That yellow
was first seen on Miguel Galuzzi's
masterpiece at the Cologne Motor
Show in 1992 and has been used
on various models like the 916, 748
and 749 before gradually fading into
the past. Ducati has thus bought
the color back and made it exclu-
sive to the 821, and they wanted the
press to know about it, as the only
bikes available for us to ride were
yellow ones.
The new color brings attention
to the new tank design, which is
slightly reduced from 4.6 gallon to
4.36 gallon with a ski-boot-style
buckle just behind the key for
quick access to the airbox.
"The tank is the essential
element of the Monster," says
Stefano Tarabusi, Project Manager
for the Monster lineup. "From the
tank, you can see the design lines
that helps draw a very muscu-
lar profile, one that makes the
Monster shape unmistakable. The
Monster is our most iconic motor-
cycle, so it was extremely impor-
tant to keep the look of the bike
and make it instantly recognizable,
regardless of the engine size."
In doing so, the 821 also gets
the same rectangular muffler
found on the 1200 range, replac-
ing the smaller circular muffler of
the 2015-'17 model, as well as new
passenger footpegs that sit on a
separate bracket from the rider's.
The biggest addition to the new
821 is the TFT display digital dash
which has allowed the mid-size
Monster access to the Ducati
Multimedia system, so you can
pair your phone to the bike and
receive calls, messages, play
music, etc via your connected
Bluetooth headset and the Ducati
Multimedia app. The dash itself
is one of the easier digital units
out there and a massive step up
from the 2015-17 version, which
had graphics that looked like they
were swiped from the first-gen-
eration Nintendo Gameboy. The
indicator switch doubles as the
access link to the various modes
within the ECU, allowing on-the-fly
(Right) The
back end has
been tidied
up with a new
seat cover
and an LED
light. You can
also buy sleek
LED indicators
as part of
the Ducati
accessory
range. This
ski-boot-style
buckle is a
feature unique
to the 821, as
is the color
scheme.
