Ducati has announced the new Monster 821 (pictured), powered by its superb Testastretta 11° 821 cc liquid cooled engine. The new Monster will offer 112 hp and 66 foot/pounds of torque in a 396 pound package (claimed dry weight).
Adjustable seat height, traction control, ABS and ignition are standard. The Monster 821 should be in U.S. dealers this August in both a standard (red or white color options) and a “Dark” version. Ducati has updated its web site to indicate U.S. pricing of $10,995 for the Dark and $11,495 for the standard versions. Here is Ducati’s official announcement:
Ducati announces the brand new Monster 821
- Brand new Monster 821 powered by 112hp water-cooled 821cc Testastretta 11°
- Available also in Dark version, Monster 821 ready for delivery July 2014
- First images of the iconic new naked model underline Ducati’s Bologna roots
Borgo Panigale (Bologna), 28 May, 2014 – Ducati announces the brand new Monster 821, a mid-size entry for the third generation of the iconic naked model and the latest chapter in the Bologna-built motorcycle’s famous story. Underlining Ducati’s strong association to the Bologna region, the company has chosen to release the first images of the new model portrayed in typical Bolognese ambience.
Following the successful unveiling of the new generation Monster 1200 at the Milan International Motorcycle show in November, Ducati now introduces the Monster 821, a mid-size version of the exciting new model and the latest entry to the world of Monster.
Having delivered over 290,000 Monsters since the original concept more than 20 years ago, the essential new model maintains its stylish character using the new chassis and muscular styling of the Monster 1200, designed with premium components fully integrated with Ducati’s latest technologies.
Powered by the latest edition of Ducati’s highly successful 821 Testastretta 11° engine, the highly accessible new Monster combines 112hp and 65.9ft-lb of torque with an impressively lightweight 179.5kg – 395.7lb (dry weight) overall package. This stylish mix of minimalism and performance paves the way back to the original essence of the Monster concept, where less-is-more and made-in-Italy combine to create a motorcycle lifestyle.
High-spec brakes, excellent suspension and stylish componentry merge with Ducati’s best-yet ergonomics to offer the Italian manufacturer’s most attractive mid-range Monster ever. Super comfortable and with an innovative adjustable seat height, the model also combines 8-level traction control, 3-level ABS and 3-level Ride-by-Wire into Ducati’s user-friendly, press-button Riding Modes.
The Monster 821 uses next generation technologies to create an enhanced rider/motorcycle relationship, delivering a high-adrenaline experience while constantly reassuring with the feeling of complete control and ergonomic integration.
Available in Ducati Dealerships from July 2014 onwards, the Monster 821 Dark is presented in dark stealth with black frame and black wheels, while the Monster 821 is dressed in Ducati red with red frame and black wheels or star white silk with red frame and matte red wheels. Both red and white liveries are equipped with colour-matched single-seat covers. The brand new model is also made available to restricted license holders with the specially regulated power versions of 25kw for Switzerland and 35kw for other participating countries.
This bike really looks good. those bikes often appear in the film in countryside at sunset. feel goods.
I do appreciate the performance and fuel management provided in today’s motorcycles. However, when one talks about a Monster, then it has to be aircooled. The simple look of the 1st generation monsters is timeless. The plumbing on the exposed engines has never apealed to me.
People talk HP, but pay for torque. Have 3 different bikes with the 900 engine. Love the ease on maintenance and good balance of midrange torque. Ridden a friend’s massaged 1100 monster, and it is an outragous street bike. Too many engines need the top 1/4 of their operating range to generate 1/2 their usible power; not so on the 2V aircooled ducks.
compared to the right, the left side of the bike is surprisingly clean. if I could bin the entire exhaust and ride it like that…? I would, everyday of the week and 2x on sunday. 🙂
considering that they’ve returned to metal tanks, the uninitiated eye might suspect these for an original MKI monster (pop the seat off, do these tanks flip up…? dunno…?) think how the 1098 looked more like a 916 than a 999 ever did. if the rear routing can be figured out…? one of those Quat-D belly exhausts could sort those “crazy straw” headers but good.
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE…!
here’s another benefit to binning those headers (Ducatisti will be all over this). since this still has belt driven cams, with the short trellis and the “church pipes” out of the way, you can REALLY show off those fancy aftermarket belt covers. granted no open clutch, but gotta exterior decorate sumptin’.
I like the new Monsters, but doubt that I trade my current 1100EVO for one. I like the simplicity of the original 2 valve, air cooled motor, and its light weight. Down on power, mileage and service intervals requirements only add “character”. The new monsters all a plus in these areas. MSRP also good.
Overall I think it looks superb. Modern, balanced, clean, aggressive, fun. I agree, it would be nice to see the motor, but I like the exhaust, gives the bike a little flair. And if these sell in huge numbers I’m sure some alternate headers will be offered from the group of aftermarket geniuses out there. Maybe I’ll trade it the Speed Triple for one… But then the question is – do I go for this one or the true beast of a 1200 Monster? Decisions…
Naked anything is good. With 112hp, under 400lbs, and 11,000 dollars for the “Dark,” yes give me one. Can I ride it off road?
I have owned an M900 since new -15 years – and I think this new 821 looks great. In general I find that vehicles look very different on the road than they do in pictures taken 2 feet off the ground, so I suggest reserving judgment till the bike is available. That said, I do like the big round headlight of the classic Monster, but I really like the pipes of this 821. It’s never going to be 100% perfect.
Seems like displacements keep creeping up a few cc’s at a time in middle weight bikes. Hey, I’ve got an idea, instead of making “cheater” displacements how about you give us back 750cc 4’s and 1000cc twins! 851 at 112 hp is great and a 1200 at 150 is all well and good but how about something in the middle say… a 1000 at 130hp? You morons/geniuses that make these bikes use to do that, can I have it again with some modern suspension and breaks?… PLEASE!!!
re: “a 1200 at 150 is all well and good but how about something in the middle say… a 1000 at 130hp?”
flip the mode button on the V12 to rain. BAM…!!! instant 130hp.
Those numbers have nothing to do with a bike’s worth. Only the experience it delivers matters.
part of the appeal of a naked is to show a nice looking motor , this has all the horrible plastic molding covering it errrrm .i’ii take the better looking and less expensive mt09
Wayne, I totally agree.
+1. Heavier and less power than the Yamaha too. Now if Yamaha would bring an “R” version with higher end suspension and a little injection re-mapping for about $1K more it would really be a deal over this Monster.
…eye of the beholder I guess.
To this, and a comment later about the Speed Triple I say – ride them & they start to look a lot better. As for suspension, can’t be mentioned in the same breath as the Yamaha.
This, and the previous water-cooled iterations of the Monster, make me hold on my ’97 M900 even more tightly.
Probably one of the toughest looking motorcycles ever. All trellis and engine, I’m slightly jealous.
I like it
Maybe I’m too “Old School” but I would NEVER refer to this thing as “Beautiful” or “Pretty”.
I think it’s a shame that such a technically wonderful machine, looks so bad.
I don’t see one section of the bike that flows and shows any design thought. It’s a “hodge-podge” of unnecessary Bends and bad bulges and angles.
Can you tell, I don’t care for this design?
This makes the original Triumph Street Triple look “Pretty”.
It looks like it’s supposed to. Mechanical and a little rough around the edges. This has always been their biggest selling series. Their customers are after some amount of “anti-design” with these. Ducati know what they were doing.
hey Aprillia, we are waiting for your naked…
Duc is making it easy for ya
Compared to my ’93 900 Monster, I bet this is somewhat of an improvement. 20ish more horsepower (even more if mine was still stock),and hopefully better ergonomics. My Monster doesn’t handle all that well either so it’s probably an improvement there. All these improvements should make up for the melted headlight look on these new bikes.
In fact, most people think my 21 year old Monster is brand new. It’s not like the styling has had much chance to get old yet.
Claimed Dry Weight. Perhaps the most useless motorcycle phrase ever coined. Next to BHP that is
Not nearly as useless as FT-LB. Heck, any half decent bicycle rider can crank out nearly twice as much torque as this Ducati. That doesn’t mean he’s going to out accelerate it!
Nah…I would stick with the simpler, lighter 696
Joe the Plumber would really appreciate this bike, especially the right side.
Hmmm. I used to like the Monsters and I know my wife would like one but the bigger version already released got really heavy, expensive, and has a nearly sixty inch wheelbase. What is the wheelbase on this model? Also, 396 dry isn’t exactly light weight. I’ll bet that’s over 450 wet. Manufacturer dry weights used to be sans gas, oil, coolant, brake fluid, and sometimes without battery.
112 HP on a 393 lb frame! It’s GO TIME.
I believe that’s dry weight. Strange that they’re reporting dry weight when few manufacturers do that anymore.
Still, she’s gonna Fly!
Pretty nice looking bike if you ask me, except for the curly-fry header pipe. Ergos don’t look too bad but you have to sit on one to really know for sure. I think they may have a winner here!
re: “except for the curly-fry header pipe”
can’t digest it. see what I did there…?
You rock Norm ++
Now that I see the image again I understand.
The reason for the messy pipe routing is precisely that is easier and probably cheaper to route it that way, the other way they would have to route it trough the swingarm.
While I like the new bikes. I still have a thing for an air cooled Duc, I really liked the l000 and 1100 cc bikes. I goal is to get a motard or a strada. Oh by the way then my GF talks about a strada it’s some kind of a egg dish made with leftovers. I love the lady but we live in two different worlds.
It’s a gorgeous bike, and 396 lbs is about right for a good canyon carving bike, this has plenty of power too. Unfortunately a naked bike in the Northwet is limited to about 3 months of use, so it won’t be in my garage, but if I lived elsewhere…. It’s hard to tell if these have the odd geometry of the rider triangle that the old Monster’s have, I know you can get used to it, but getting off a more standard triangle and onto those old Monsters was tough.
I had a M900 for a short time. On a trip from CA to New Mexico my knees and hands hurt so much from the folded up riding position, to keep my mind off the pain, I spent most of the time thinking about what I would replace it with. It was great fun to ride… for about an hour.
Agreed. I had an S2R for a little while. Strangest riding position I have ever encountered, and I could never come to terms with the peculiar (for me) front end geometry. The clutch lever was a complete gym workout in peak hour traffic.
re: “The clutch lever was a complete gym workout in peak hour traffic.”
that’s also why the small displacement stuff had long gotten revised with wet clutches. hell, even the big bore stuff has it now. what S2R were you riding…? 800…? or the 1000…?
It was the S2R 1000 dual spark with the old fashioned clutch
Ducati revised the ergonomics of the monster to make it more comfortable.
re:”Ducati revised the ergonomics of the monster to make it more comfortable.”
Judging from the Italian bikes that I’ve owned and ridden, I’d say that the Italians have a different definition of comfort than we do here in the USA.
the design is just alright. if these were the first ever 4v water cooled monsters I suppose they’d be great…! (tony the tiger voice). sadly, this would only be because I hadn’t been around long enough, and I’d have no reference of comparison. as it stands, they DO have a design/execution history with 4v naked. 2 generations in fact. foggy S4 (desmo), monster S4R (testa), monster S4RS (testa) anyone…?
however, I can see at this point, I’m definitely not (never not ever) going to warm up to that exhaust routing. can’t do it. again, the ROUTING, not the canister (ps: critiquing canisters is DUMB when you know damn well that’s the FIRST thing you’re going to run to the internet and change). I hated it when they started making it an option on the last generation monsters calling them Evos, and I still hate it now, and “hate” is not a word I typically use.
it’s really the Diavel’s exhaust and I guess it makes me think “cruiser”. while that’s fine for the D, admittedly I’m old school and i’ll never see monsters as cruisers or even muscle cruisers, which deliberately seems to be what they’re going for. again, it’s not like the factory has never built and sold good looking 4v water cooled monsters.
Agree. The exhaust routing just doesn’t work with the lines of the bike at all. It gives a sloppy, chunky appearance to an otherwise lithe design.
Disagree completely.I think the header pipesare one of the coolest features of the new Monsters, and the 1100 Evo before them.
I think the Streetfighter 848 is a much better looking liquid cooled naked bike. How did they make that bike look so much cleaner? I acknowledge that the lower cost of the 821 Monster is its draw. I will miss the simplistic beauty of the air cooled model. The original Monster had a visual hook that drew you in that seemed to pleasantly evolve as the years progressed. It was a balance between classic lines and modern performance improvements. Keeping that classic look with the modern water cooled power plant was lost. I don’t find the same visual hook on the 1200 or 821. It is probably a better bike than the previous generation but it lost something along the way. The new Monsters profile draws the eye to clutter and confusion where before it soaked in a concept of the original designer. Simplicity.
Monster designer Miguel Galluzzi said of the philosophy behind his creation: “All you need is: a saddle, tank, engine, two wheels, and handlebars.”
Put a Streetfighter profile photo next to the new 1200 or 821 Monster and tell me what you think.
Glad to see that an ignition is standard in addition to adjustable seat height, trction control and ABS (2nd paragraph).
That being said, while it retains the classic Monster styling, I really prefer the cleaner, simpler look of the early air cooled Monsters. while I am sure the new engine is superior in almost every way, I feel that the liquid cooled Ducati engines are best hidden behind a fairing.
Still in love with the Monster’s. But I do have to agree with some of the others that have commented, I prefer the old, simple round headlight. No need to mess with success in my mind. Beautiful machine non the less.
Like all liquid-cooled Ducatis, the plumbing on the left is ghastly. Miguel Galluzzi is probably puking blood right now.
How did they manage to make a Monster where you can barely even see the cylinders? Just a token vestige of the trellis frame and no more simple, iconic round headlight? Its a shame that Ducati has whittled away most of the things that made the Monster such an iconic bike. On a positive note, at least they got rid of the mesh-covered intake thingy on the fake plastic gas tank cover.
re: “On a positive note, at least they got rid of the mesh-covered intake thingy on the fake plastic gas tank cover.”
“I know this book, your conclusions are all wrong Ryan, Halsey acted stupidly…” (Sean Connery voice)
no, if it helps try looking look at this with an eye for Engineering and Design. that was actually (imo) one of the COOLEST features of the last gen monsters.
#1, (unlike Yamaha) those “mesh covered intake thingys” were actually functional and provided inlets to the airbox. kinda like ram-air for the monsters same as full-on superbikes. with that addition, Monsters “butched up” and got some of their manliness back instead of slowly being seen as a “chick bike”. if you have any passing awareness of carworld, you might’ve seen that’s what was happening with VW’s beetle (ie. chick car like the Cabrio) before they gave it a refresh. that new silhouette isn’t something the Germans just pulled out of their ass…? that’s Porsche 356.
#2, those plastic covers were interchangeable and offered a quick way of repainting your bike in line with the whole “hey look at me, i’m the world’s best exterior decorator” idea the kids are into these days. naturally, Ducati themselves promoted this with the Monster challenge. unfortunately, the consequence of this “culture of customization” is the plot’s gotten lost that we’re actually supposed to be RIDING these friggin’ things. provisions for ram-air do fukk all when an ECU sees key off…? ignition off…? crank position = 0.
#3, if you ever owned or ridden a 916/996, you know ALL TOO WELL the “trapped thumbs” condition when steering lock to lock. those cut outs were strategically positioned for double duty. not only did they provide air to the engine, they also provided a pocket for the controls (and your thumbs) to sit into at lock, thus increasing turning radius at slow speed. bloody brilliant I tell you.
+1 on the appearance of the new beetle, first thing I thought when see it
about your thumbs get tuck between control and tank, you know it because you suffered it
so it’s safe to assume there’s an engine underneath all that plastic somewhere?
+1
Maybe there is a trend: beautiful, power source, cylinders are not sexy anymore
On the Ducati USA Site:
The New Monster 821 will be available starting from August with a retail price of $10,995 MSRP. The bike will also be available in the learner legal version with a 35kw output reduction. Contact your dealer here for more details.
$11,495 for the standard version.
The white/red version is beautiful! The 821 will be a great engine is it’s tuned like the Hypermotard/strada. I have to wonder what will replace the “entry level” 696. The scrambler………..?
Why did they do away with the single sided swingarm as used on the previous 796??
I really think that added some style. I don’t think this one looks as nice because of this.
Cheaper!
same as the P9 (899 panigale).
maybe also position of the product, you want the racy (single sided) one, go the 1199 route
Maybe they are still shooting for a similar price point as the outgoing monster 800?
It’s okay I guess, but the demise of the air-cooled Monster is making me really, really sad.
Did they fix the passenger footpeg hanger that interferes with the rider’s heel? Every review of the Monster 1200 that I’ve seen has busted Ducati’s chops for that oversight.
I like the looks and the features but I can see the price tag reflecting the improvements.Wish they still took photos of the cockpit though.
Italians sure have a thing for design. I like this one as much as any naked bike. The white tank sets off the trellis nicely. Red wheels are…interesting.
Beautiful bike. Even more beautiful courtyard.
Italy kinda rules.
photoshopped grass even!
This is named right, ugly…
Looks classic and modern at the same time. Nice.
How is the seat height adjusted?
This is a really pretty bike. It is the very essence of a naked machine. Proportions are perfect.
Agreed. They could’ve done better at hiding some of the mechanics (radiator plumbing- see Japanese cruisers) and it seems that there are lots of plastic pieces hiding things that could’ve had the same treatment. I do understand that this series of bike is their cash-flow and it has to be built to a price. None of that would prevent me from choosing it if it fit/rode the way I hoped.
Interested to hear what this will cost in the US.