The updated Ducati Monster delivers an unexpected blend of everyday tractability and high-revving V2 performance, featuring an 890cc liquid-cooled engine producing 111 horsepower (81.6 kW) and 91 Nm of torque at 7,250 rpm. Weighing just 175 kilograms dry, this Italian naked bike combines a 312,375 CZK price tag with advanced electronics like cornering ABS and traction control.
Engineering the Unexpected: Beneath the 175-Kilogram Chassis
Nostalgia is a powerful filter. If your bedroom wall featured the iconic original Monster from 1993, today’s streamlined profile might initially look a bit subdued. Yet, the distinct front headlight assembly and the aggressively humped fuel tank ensure this naked machine still commands attention on asphalt. If Ducati chose to push the industrial design even further into radical territory, it would barely disrupt the mechanical execution. Once rolling, visual critiques fade instantly.
Transitioning from a massive, 168-horsepower XDiavel beast to an 890cc twin spitting out 111 horsepower naturally recalibrates a rider’s expectations downward. That assumption fails almost immediately. Cold-starting the V2 engine takes a few extra seconds, an intentional characteristic of this modern power unit. It simply takes its time before clearing its throat. The stock exhaust note avoids waking up city streets with brute noise, yet the mechanical whine and growl remain unmistakably Ducati, scaling in intensity as the rev counter climbs.
Urban Agility Meets Track-Derived Geometry
The prevailing sensation across miles of varied terrain is pure, unadulterated lightness and mechanical compactness. Strip away the visual anchor of that fuel tank, and a rider could easily mistake the sensation for floating mid-air. That structural minimalism translates directly into rapid direction changes through tight tarmac bends.
Conventional wisdom suggests that frame geometry derived from Ducati’s track lineage should yield a punishing, bone-rattling suspension setup over urban potholes. Reality proves otherwise. The chassis absorbs city degradation without forcing riders to meticulously dodge every imperfection in the road surface. Maneuvering through dense metropolitan traffic requires minimal effort, aided significantly by a clutch hand that never tires.
Ducati’s quickshifter system operates with exceptional mechanical precision. While automated gearboxes across the motorcycle industry occupy a polarizing space—rarely convincing riders outside of touring behemoths like the Honda Gold Wing—high-end quickshifters are different. The system on this naked bike executes clutchless upshifts smoothly even at low rev numbers, while downshifts blip the throttle automatically. The clutch lever remains strictly reserved for initial pullaways from a dead stop.
Mid-Range V2 Dynamics and Power Delivery
Uncorking the throttle outside city limits reveals why restricting this motorcycle exclusively to urban commuting would constitute a mechanical crime. The liquid-cooled V2 engine delivers roughly 80 percent of its total torque output by 4,000 rpm, culminating in a peak 91 Nm rating at 7,250 rpm. Sending the tachometer past that threshold unlocks an entirely different tier of aggressive character.
The exhaust note sharpens, the twin-cylinder powerplant surges forward with real authority, and the machine transforms entirely. Blasting past high revs yields acceleration dynamics that easily evoke comparisons to much larger displacement cruisers, despite the fundamental differences in engine architecture. Power delivery stays linear and manageable, largely thanks to a comprehensive electronics suite featuring cornering ABS, traction control, and selectable ride modes.
- Engine: Liquid-cooled V2, 890 cc
- Max Power: 81.6 kW (111 hp) at 9,000 rpm
- Max Torque: 91 Nm at 7,250 rpm
- Dry Weight: 175 kg
- Price: 312,375 CZK
Testing the various ride modes highlights distinct behavioral changes. The Road mode handles standard riding conditions with plenty of punch, while the Sport setting keeps throttle responses razor-sharp. Wet mode softens the V2’s temperament noticeably when the asphalt turns slick. Even in aggressive modes, the power delivery refuses to bite unexpectedly, making the performance accessible even to intermediate riders who have no desire to scrape knees on asphalt tracks.
Balancing high-tier agility, track-bred DNA, and an accessible price tag of 312,375 CZK, this Italian naked motorcycle proves that genuine performance engineering does not require intimidating ergonomics or an exhausting urban commute.
