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It was only a matter of time. Last year, Ducati released a beautiful update to the Monster line with the liquid-cooled Monster 1200 and 1200S. Today, we get the Ducati Monster 821.
The new Monster gets the same 821cc Testastretta engine as the Hypermotard and Hyperstrada, which makes 112 horsepower and 65.9 foot-pounds of torque. Ducati says dry weight is 397.5 pounds, making it just five pounds less than the Monster 1200.
Ducati says the Monster 821 will be available next month in red, white, and a “dark” option. No word on price yet, but the internet rumor mill has speculation in the $11,000 range.
Ducati didn’t skimp on the 821's electronics package. The Monster 821 will have eight-way adjustable traction control, three riding modes, and a three-level antilock braking system. But corners were cut elsewhere. Ducati continues its trend of using double-sided swing arms on lower-spec offerings. From the pictures available, I’m sad to see that it doesn’t look like the Monster 821 will get the same, full-color TFT screen that the Monster 1200 got last year. This is most likely due to Ducati’s silly attempts to differentiate its models and make the buyers who spent the extra dough feel better, but I’d like to see that technology find its way onto all of their bikes.
The Hypermotard SP is my favorite motorcycle in the world right now, but its engine feels quite different from anything in the Monster line. While this Monster keeps its aesthetic DNA (it looks nearly identical, save for the exhaust, which is beautiful) the move to the 821cc liquid-cooled engine will certainly change the feel and sound from earlier Monsters.
Do you like the updates? Or do you fancy yourself a purist and think these updates will lose too much of that Monster character we’ve all come to love?
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