You lot seen today's MCN? Ducati has a new Monster in the pipe with the 1198 engine. I guess this is their response to that new KTM beast and the rumored naked beema S1000R. For me I'm a little disappointed, I was holding out for an 1199 Streetfighter to replace the current Streetfigher S. Hopefully this new Monster will be savage enough in the vein of the S4R otherwise it could be a bit of a pansy in the big super naked race.
I saw it this evening!:smile: please PLEASE PLEASE Mr Ducati! give it a dry clutch; make the petrol tank a good 20 litres; nice big white, round analogue clocks and a round chromed headlight!...if you take my simple and obvious style winning ideas and wrap them around a 150bhp Testastretta, I will put a deposit down right now.....:biggrin:
I bet the new Monster will be great fun, bit more relaxed than the Streetfighter, but I just get the feeling that Ducati are putting too many of their bikes into the same market space. The new Hyper, Streetfighter and now this new Monster could all be classed as super nakeds, which could affect sales, but what do I know? (dont answer that) The new Monster will have the nice new super light clutch found on the Hyper thou, which can only be a good thing
Add in the Diavel and i can't quite see where the 1198 Multi fits in but maybe its not aimed at the UK market?
I was holding out for a new (1199) Streetfighter but will take a look at the new Monster, I hope that they sharpen it up mind. Im thinking about a Panigale... or that new KTM <shudder>
I do nit quite get Ducati thinking. Entire secret behind S4r success was that it looked like monster, in name did not give anything away and Ducati had nothing else like that. It meant average rice burner got a shock when that thing was keeping up in straights. That surprise value has been murdered when S4r range was executed and replaced with SF. Now I do not see point of same bike as SF with slightly different look yet again. Is it just me? Saying that bet it will be great bike to have fun like SF is. Come to think of it unless Ducati makes all new monsters look the same, the new one with new water cooled hyper engine looking identical to 1198 based one. On bike only small barely visible sign that one of them is big baby. I would even have great idea for add campaign for Ducati if they done that. Few seconds of new Monster range riding around, then 4 bikes (different locations) stop at lights next to 4 different bikes. Light goes amber 2s clip of how they set off then New Monster range, who do you want to be underdog or WTF....?
As it happens Spareparts, that's exactly the conclusion I have come to and I'm looking for one now. But you go on in your next post to say "Fun motor. Strangely not missed!" why don't you miss it, prey tell?!?! I haven't ridden one yet, but the only thing I can think of, in my very limited experience of them (I come from a 998), which is putting me off a bit, is their crippling short range due to their stupid sized fuel tank. What were their designers thinking?!
Always felt the 998 motor in the S4RS was too high strung. Although it was basically a naked 998 with renthals, somehow the chassis/position wasn't quite right. In a naked, you want brute force (torque), not just higher-revving compression derived HP, and the fun is not necessarily at high speed/high revs. On paper the S4RS is perfect - looks too. But the riding experience is not there and it was why it left me cold. Amongst Monsters, I think the regular S4 is a more enjoyable and better balanced naked over the S4RS. As a comparison point, my Aprilia Tuono is exactly how you'd expect a supernaked to perform. Utter hooligan, and the V-twin Rotax is a superior motor for the road (not necessarily track) compared to the S4RS Testastretta. Although looks wise Il Mostro still looks the part.
