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2021 Ducati Monster and Monster + first look

Dec 02, 2020

What’s the best-selling Ducati model of all time?

This article’s title and lead photo may have given the answer away. Ducati’s built over 350,000 Monsters since the line debuted in 1993. Monster is still a terrific name for a motorcycle, in my opinion.

The latest model focuses on shaving weight, adding power, and carrying the Monster legacy into its next generation. That means some radical changes for a recipe that has largely stayed true to its roots, even if the entire Monster concept came from a desire to break away from tradition.

Ducati Monster
The 2021 Monster, seen here with an optional graphic kit. Ducati photo.

“[It is] all the essence of Ducati, all the essence of the Monster, in the most compact, essential, and light form possible,” says Ducati’s Product Marketing Director, Giulio Malagoli. “Its name goes straight to the point: Monster. Nothing else.”

Engine

The 937 cc Testastretta engine sits at the heart of Ducati’s newest offering, producing 111 horsepower and 69 foot-pounds of torque. A lightened clutch reduces hand fatigue in urban riding. The big story with the engine, however, is its new desmo service interval. Ducati has focused heavily on extending service intervals over the last few years to combat consumer concerns about frequent and expensive servicing. The new Monster joins the ranks of Ducati’s lower-maintenance machines with its 18,600-mile desmo service interval. 

Ducati Monster +
The Monster + adds a seat cowl and a flyscreen. Ducati photo.

Frame and chassis

In a decision that’s almost as sacrilegious as a Multistrada without desmo valves, the 2021 Monster loses its trademark trellis frame in favor of an aluminum twin-spar design. The enduring battle between trellis frames and twin-spar alloy frames dates back even before the original Monster. Manufacturers have utilized both types of frames with success, and even swapped like Ducati just did, in pursuit of perfection. Ducati claims they pulled inspiration from the Panigale V4 for the ultra-compact “front frame” design that connects the headstock to the engine with a stubby, twin-spar frame design. Nearly 40 pounds have been shaved off the Monster when compared to the old Monster 821. The bike’s overall weight is 416 pounds wet.

Some of that comes from the front-frame design, but the frame under the seat was also redesigned. It now uses a glass-fiber-reinforced polymer subframe to shed additional weight over its predecessors. Expect more composite frame components in the future as manufacturers embrace the lightness and versatility of non-metallic materials.

Ducati spent a significant amount of time talking about seat height in their presentation. Many riders value the ability to get one or both feet fully flat when stopping, and Ducati’s response with the new Monster is a variety of seat height configurations. The bike starts out at 32.3 inches, then drops to 31.5 inches with an accessory seat, with a lowest configurable height of just 30.5 inches with an accessory lowering spring.

Ducati Monster DRL
The circular DRL surrounds a central LED. Ducati photo.

Design and technology

Change the engine if you must, or even the frame. The Monster’s stripped-back styling must remain. Ducati streamlined their naked model even further for 2021 but stopped well short of erasing the Monster’s identity. There’s a revised headlight with a circular DRL, new bodywork, and new wheels to shave off some more weight.

In the tech department, there’s a TFT display, auto-cancelling LED turn signals (check out the front flush-mounts), cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, launch control, an up/down quickshifter, and three ride modes. The new Monster is awfully tech-heavy for such an elemental model, but features like these are table stakes for the class now, and Ducati has proven that they can implement them unobtrusively. They’ve come a long way from building radios a hundred years ago, huh?

Ducati Monster +
The 2021 Monster, seen here with an optional graphic kit. Ducati photo.

The Ducati Monster ($11,895) and Monster + ($12,195) will be available in Ducati Red, Matte Black, and Aviator Grey. Plenty of adhesive graphic kits and plastics packages are available if you’d like to change the look up even further. 2021 Monsters will be available starting in April 2021.

2021 Ducati Monster
Price (MSRP)
$11,895 base, $12,195 Monster +
Engine
937 cc, liquid-cooled, four-valve, L-twin
Transmission,
final drive
Six-speed, chain
Claimed horsepower
111 @ 9,250 rpm
Claimed torque
69 foot-pounds @ 6,500 rpm
Frame
Aluminum front frame, GFRP subframe
Front suspension
43 mm USD fork; 5.1 inches of travel
Rear suspension
Monoshock, adjustable for preload; 5.5 inches of travel
Front brake
Dual Brembo M4.32 monobloc four-piston calipers, 320 mm discs, ABS
Rear brake
Brembo two-piston caliper, 245 mm disc, ABS
Rake, trail
24 degrees, 3.7 inches
Wheelbase
58.0 inches
Seat height
32.3 inches, lowering accessories available
Fuel capacity
3.7 gallons
Tires
Pirelli Diablo Rosso III, 120/70R17 front, 180/55R17 rear
Claimed weight
416 pounds (wet)
Available
April 2021
Warranty
24 months
More info