Ducati Monster 1200 S preview

Ducati hasn’t had the best of time in India so far. Deliveries of motorcycles have been an issue and brand dealerships seem to keep sprouting up and disappearing with equal alacrity. And as a brand that’s the last thing you need. What people expect – and no matter how small the number – is stability; confidence that the brand is here to stay; to support a customer’s purchase. Soon though, Ducati will have that stability because like Porsche, Ducati is going to be present in India officially and move away from the importer based model it currently has. Some existing dealerships will stay while some might not. But, there will be new ones; ones that will be here to stay.

And, Ducati will mark its official entry into India with a brand new motorcycle – the new Monster 1200 S. When one thinks of a naked streetbike, chances are the first motorcycle that comes to mind is the Ducati Monster. The Monster, which made its debut in 1993, is now one of most recognised shapes in the motorcycling world and has been Ducati’s bread and butter model ever since. 

The new 1200 S might sport new styling but its silhouette remains unmistakably Monster-ish; as has been the case with all Monsters even before the 1200 S. Originally designed by Miguel Angel Galluzzi, the Monster has evolved in terms of design over the years without losing its design ethos - narrow, naked, and simple. The current designers haven’t fiddled with this ethos and the new offering still has the roundish headlamp, which is housed neatly between the meaty front forks and bulbous tank with a subtle knee recess. The headlight employs LED lights, and the S variant gets LED turn indicators as well. The trademark trellis frame is still present albeit in a more compact dimension and sits sandwiched between the chunky radiator and tank. 

Like in almost all modern streetbikes, visually it seems the mass has been focused towards the front. The tail of the bike is narrower than its predecessor and it employs a single-sided wheel hugger inspired from the Diavel along with LED taillamps. It gets a fully customisable TFT instrument display with three different background graphics for each of its riding modes. Riders can further customise the display by choosing three different layouts of information – Core, Full and Track.

The engine for the new Monster 1200 S is the 11-degree Testastretta 1198 unit. It is similar to the one found on the Multistrada and the Diavel but it has been fiddled with to better adapt to the street bike character of the Monster 1200 S. The compression ratio has been hiked to 12.5:1 and the valve-overlap has been reduced from close to 41° down to 11°, to improve low and mid-range performance. 

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Talking about numbers, the 1198cc, liquid-cooled engine pumps out 147PS of power and 124Nm of torque, which is 47PS and 21Nm more compared to the bike’s predecessor, the 1100 Evo. To keep all this power in check, the 1200 S comes with Ducati Traction Control system which eight levels to interference to choose from. It has three Riding Modes - Sport, Touring and Urban - but it can be individually customised and saved according to rider preference as well. For the brave, there’s also the option to completely turn off traction control. And for crisper and more progressive throttle response, and not just for the expert and brave, but for the public in general, the Monster 1200 S also gets ride-by-wire throttle as standard.  

Apart from the new liquid-cooled mill, another major change in the new Monster is its chassis. The Testastretta engine is now a fully-stressed member of the chassis and is mounted - in Panigale-style - on the iconic tubular steel trellis frame. This combination has endowed the Monster 1200 S with high torsional rigidity, says Ducati, which is almost double compared to the older Monster. It gets fully adjustable Ohlins front forks and rear monoshock and Panigale-sourced Brembo disc brakes at both ends with ABS. In terms of dimensions, the new Monster 1200 S is bigger and has better sorted ergonomics courtesy a higher handlebar and for the first time on a Ducati, adjustable rider seat height.

The new Monster 1200 S, as a product, goes up against the likes of the Kawasaki Z1000, Honda CB1000R and the Triumph Speed Triple, which cost around Rs 13 lakh. But, the Ducati Monster 1200 S would cost a lot more. Ducati doesn’t believe in doing affordable motorcycles and it will stick to that for the new Monster 1200 S which we expect will carry a price tag of close to Rs 20 lakh.