Ducati releases 30th anniversary Ducati Monster
Another entry in the ‘is it really that long ago?’ column: Ducati’s seminal Monster naked roadster is 30 this year. It was back in 1993 that maverick designer Miguel Angel Galluzzi – an employee of Ducati’s parent firm Cagiva at the time – penned his masterpiece.
Although when it was first unveiled, it seemed a bit underwhelming: it was a so-called ‘parts-bin special’, because it used several main components from other bikes in the Ducati line-up: a two-valve air-cooled desmodromic V-twin engine from the 900 SS, and a steel tube trellis frame borrowed from the old 851 Superbike.
Add in some sharp styling and sensible pricing though, and you had a big hit for the Bologna firm, and a bike which generated a lot of sales – plus a lot of cash – to help Ducati through some tough times in the 1990s.
Fast forward to today, and Ducati is owned by the Volkswagen-Audi Group, not Cagiva, and its bikes are designed in a rather less ad-hoc fashion. It still shares parts mind: its wide range of models all share three or four basic engine designs; including the 937cc Testastretta V-twin motor used in this 30th anniversary edition of the Monster. That engine – also used in the DesertX, Supersport 950, Hypermotard and Multistrada V2 – makes around 110bhp, and is spot-on in the Monster role.
The anniversary bike is based on the SP version of the Ducati Monster, but with some added trick parts and a lower all-up weight of just 184kg, a claimed 4kg less than a standard bike. It comes with Öhlins NIX30 front forks and Öhlins steering damper as well as the Öhlins rear shock off the SP, plus forged aluminium Marchesini wheels which weigh nearly 2kg less than stock.
Brembo Stylema front brake calipers and disc with alloy carriers further cut mass, and a lithium ion battery completed the mass reduction headlines. Tyres are also upgraded to sportier Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV rubber.
There’s a posh Italian Tricolore paint job, as you’d expect, and both the front and rear mudguards are carbon fibre, for another little bit of weight saving and extra style points. The electronic package is the same full-featured suite as on the SP, but with the addition of a Wet riding mode on top of the cornering ABS and traction, wheelie control, launch control and up/down quickshifter. Styling is further enhanced with a neat embroidered seat and pillion cover, headlight cowl, and a road-legal Termignoni twin-can silencer setup.
Just 500 of the special Ducati Monster 30th Anniversary models will be produced, and each comes with a numbered plaque on the top yoke, a nice certificate of authenticity, and a bespoke bike cover to keep the dust off between mad hooning sessions.
It’s not cheap – what is nowadays – at £16,095. And the 30th Anniversary Monster is available to order now from your local Ducati dealer. More info: www.ducati.com.