Ducati Monster 1200 is all Italian muscle and you get top value for paying extra
THE Ducati Monster is the unsung hero of the Ducati fleet.
Back in the late 1980s Ducati was in trouble. Fledgling sales and an ageing model range did little to help new buyers across the threshold.
There wasn’t much money in the pot and most of it had been swallowed up by the 916 project.
Ducati needed a lifeline and the Monster was exactly that. The inspiration for it came from a fusion of drag racing and Ducati’s trademark trellis chassis.
Designer Miguel Galuzzi took the Bologna bull by the horns and served up a bike that saved the day and shaped the future of the company.
Like all classic Italian dishes, the Monster was the perfect combination of cheap and plentiful ingredients – borrowed parts from the rest of the Ducati line-up blended to perfection and boiled down to a price.
We’ve spent some time riding the 1200S model. A 150bhp stripped-back beast of a thing, painted in a classy shade of grey.
The L-twin motor might not have the contemporary appeal of the V4 engine in the Panigale, but you’ll be too busy fighting to keep the front wheel on the ground to care.
There are plenty of choices of riding modes and settings to play with if you don’t like wheelies, as well as a quickshifter that auto blips on the way down the box.
It’s a beautifully cantankerous thing, it needs a minute or two in the morning to clear its throat and stretch off before you can ride it properly.
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When it’s ready (and not before), the Monster 1200 offers a pure and exciting ride.
The S model sits two down from the top of the Monster line-up, costing £11,995. It’s fair to say that the price reflects the quality of the bike.
Yes it is expensive, but you really do get what you pay for. One ride is all you need to see that you’re buying a quality piece of Italian muscle.
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