Great Machines: Motorcycles: The Emperor’s New Clothes
June 1, 2008
Nearly 15 years ago, Ducati’s aptly named Monster was credited with introducing the "naked bike" look—frame and engine proudly on display—that other manufacturers would scramble to mimic. Unfazed, the fabled Bologna, Italy-based marque—whose flaming-red motorcycles recall a certain automotive legend located up the road in Maranello—rode the Monster to unprecedented sales and unmatched marketplace cache.
"We knew we needed to head the Monster in a modern direction, but it’s so iconic that we had to keep that shape, that behavior," says Ducati USA spokesman John Paolo Canton. "We took out a clean piece of paper, but in the back of our heads we were always thinking, ‘Don’t mess this up.’"
The new Monster 696 arrives at U.S. dealerships in June, boasting an improved "Hybrid Trellis" frame mated to an aluminum subframe that improves handling, while retaining that distinctive birdcage look. Also on-board are Brembo 4-piston brakes, an uprated L-Twin engine capable of 80 hp, and a multi-function digital instrument cluster replacing the old analog number.
One cosmetic change that seems pulled from the mobile-phone world is sure to initiate debate among the faithful: colored, plastic gas tank covers that can be swapped (feeling Dark today?) with a screwdriver. The changes and additions put the old Monster on a 15-pound diet, while increasing the price by almost 8 percent to $8,495.
The stats, however, don’t begin to explain why the Monster has had Godzilla-like success. Some answers are found in the low-slung seating position, the wide tank, beefy tires, and slit-eyed, side-view mirrors. Others erupt from the twin exhausts, rumbling blasts of Italian musica. If you know why Ferraris seduce the soul, you will understand this Ducati.
Ducati, www.ducatiusa.com
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