Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/897778
2018 DUCATI MONSTER 821 FULL TEST P96 (L-R) New muffler ensures Euro4 emissions targets are met. Pirelli Diablo Rossi III rubber ensures brilliant cornering grip. The TFT display dash is a vast improvement over the 2015-17 design in both form and function. 2018 DUCATI MONSTER 821 ($11,995) ENGINE: ..........Testastretta 11°, L-Twin, 4 Desmodromically-actuated valves per cylinder, water-cooled DISPLACEMENT: .......................... 821cc BORE X STROKE: ............ 80 x 67.5mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ................. 12.8:1 CLUTCH: ....................... Wet multi-plate TRANSMISSION: ....................... 6-speed CHASSIS: .... Tubular steel trellis frame linked to cylinder heads FRONT SUSPENSION: ... 43mm Kayaba inverted fork, non-adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: ......Single Kayaba shock absorber, preload adjustable FRONT BRAKE: .......320mm dual semi- floating discs, radially-mounted dual monobloc Brembo M4-32 4-piston calipers, Bosch ABS as standard REAR BRAKE: ....245mm disc, 2-piston caliper with Bosch ABS as standard FRONT TIRE: .........120/70 ZR 17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso III REAR TIRE: ....................... 180/55 ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso III RAKE: ............................................. 24.3° WHEELBASE: ........................... 58.27 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ...............30.91-31.89 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ...................... 4.36 gal WEIGHT: .........398 lbs. (dry, claimed). COLOR: .................. Ducati Yellow, Red, Matte Black S P E C I F I C A T I O N S taller riders out there. Regardless of that little issue, the 821 is still plenty of fun when things get twisty, the un-adjust- able 43mm Kayaba forks offering better handling character than their spec would lead you to be- lieve. The ride is smooth for the most part, but you will begin to find the outer limits of the Kaya- bas if you really start pushing on rough roads. There's only preload adjustment on the rear, carried out by the old-school ring-and- collar adjustment system, but it, too, is up to the task of providing good damping and ride quality for most of the ride conditions you'll encounter. One area that I would have liked better performance is the front brake, which consists of dual Brembo M4.32 four-piston calipers and a conventional Brembo master-cylinder. My per- sonal preference is for the brak- ing power to be immediate—I've never been a fan of setups that require a long lever pull before braking power is applied—but the 821 is lacking in this regard. There's too much lever pull before power comes in, some- thing that could be fixed with a higher-grade master-cylinder because I have ridden bikes with the M4.32 calipers and better master-cylinders that have far superior braking power. Around town this problem is not as in- your-face as it is when riding hard through canyons and you want all the braking power you can get, and is surely a matter of price point over performance for a bike sitting square in the middle of the Monster family's performance range. Brake issues aside, the Mon- ster 821 is one of those bread- and-butter bikes Ducati relies selling tons of to keep the Borgo Panigale concern cruising along. It's a bike anyone of any skill level will be able to enjoy, and will be an especially good steed for riders under the six-foot height barrier. The Monster's importance to Ducati cannot be understated, and this 821 is as true to the original design ethos as that first Monster 900 of 1993, which is a very good thing indeed. CN