Ducati’s iconic Monster celebrates its 30th anniversary with a limited edition announced earlier today. With 500 units available worldwide (only 100 in North America), the special model gets plenty of up-market features.
You can see the special aesthetics in the photos. The bike also gets plenty of performance upgrades courtesy of high-spec components from Öhlins and Brembo, for instance, and a set of forged wheels.
We understand that the bike will be delivered to customers early next year at a U.S. MSRP of $18,595.
Here is the press release from Ducati:
- The Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer pays tribute to the motorcycle that changed the world of two wheels with a special model
- The Monster 30° Anniversario version features a tricolour livery celebrating Made in Italy and will be produced in a limited and numbered series of 500 units
- It is the lightest Monster ever thanks to benchmark components that enhance its sportiness and dynamic qualities
Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 27 July 2023 – Ducati celebrates 30 years of the Monster with a model in a numbered series limited to 500 units. The Monster 30° Anniversario version is the Bologna based manufacturer’s tribute to a motorcycle that revolutionized the world of two wheels and which since 1993 has won over the passion of more than 350,000 Monsteristi all over the world.
The Monster has always been this: a sporty engine, perfect for road use, chassis derived from the Superbike, wide handlebars and no fairing. An idea as simple as it is effective, which made it possible to create the motorcycle that reinvented the naked segment and which over the years has evolved several times while always remaining faithful to the original idea.
This special version also maintains the iconic features of the Monster models: an unmistakable style and maximum fun on the road. Its true nature emerges at the very first glance thanks to the Tricolour 30th Anniversary livery inspired by the sportiest Monsters of the past. This livery celebrates Made in Italy, of which Ducati is an ambassador, and is embellished by the gold colour of the rims, specially made for this model, and of the Öhlins NIX30 fork. Other distinctive elements of this model are a seat embellished with an embroidered 30-year logo and the dedicated animation of the dashboard that starts when the ignition is switched on. Finally, each motorcycle is made unique by a plate on the upper clamp with the model’s name and copy number, certificate of authenticity and dedicated motorcycle cover.
The Monster 30° Anniversario is equipped with components which, in addition to enhancing its appearance, also improve its dynamic qualities and allow it to arrive at a curb weight of 184 kg, or 4 kg less than the standard model, already the benchmark in the category for lightness. This milestone is even more important if we consider that components, and therefore weight, such as the steering damper and the windshield have been added compared to the standard model.
The Monster, a modern reinterpretation of the original recipe, is a light, easy-to-handle and fast motorcycle. It is powered by the Testastretta 11° engine, a liquid-cooled 4-valve twin-cylinder with desmodromic timing and 111 horsepower. An extremely reliable and undemanding engine from the point of view of maintenance, thanks to main intervals spread over time (15,000 km for oil changes and 30,000 km for valve clearance checks). It has a full power delivery curve at all revs, especially at medium-low ones, the most used on the road. This means a more responsive engine, which translates into greater riding pleasure.
Extremely functional and effective, the chassis of the new Monster transfers the inspiring principles of the Ducati Superbikes to a road bike. The engine is load-bearing, and a Front Frame is connected to it which conceptually recalls that of the Panigale V4.
The fully adjustable Öhlins suspension boasts a fork that is 0.6 kg lighter than the one used on the Monster and Monster+, and improves the feeling, as well as increasing ground clearance and consequently lean angle. The suspension setup is sporty, and this allows the Monster 30° Anniversario to give great fun when riding on mixed roads, but also between the curbs of a circuit. The Öhlins equipment is completed with an adjustable steering damper that increases precision and accuracy at the highest pace.
The braking system features Brembo Stylema® front calipers (-0.4 kg than the ones on the Monster) and aluminium flanges for the 320 mm front brake discs (0.5 kg lighter than standard on the Monster) and makes the Monster 30° Anniversario perform better in braking and nimbler thanks to a reduction of inertia at the front end. The bike’s nimble character is further improved thanks to the brand-new forged rims, which reduce unsprung weight by 1.86 kg, decreasing the moment of inertia of the front wheel by 21.8% and the rear by 26.9%.
The electronics of the Monster are at the top of the segment. Standard equipment includes ABS Cornering, Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Wheelie Control, all of which can be adjusted to different levels of intervention. The sporty character of the new Monster 30° Anniversario is also highlighted by the Launch Control which ensures lightning-fast starts. This top-of-the-range motorcycle equipment, which also includes the adoption of a lithium battery that contributes to the reduction of the total weight of the motorcycle, allows the Monster 30° Anniversario to safely express its performance.
The three Riding Modes – Sport, Road and Wet – allow the Monster’s character to be shaped according to the rider’s tastes and needs. Everything is easily managed through the handlebar controls and the 4.3″ colour TFT dashboard, featuring racing graphics that recall those of the Panigale V4, with a large rev counter and a complete set of information on the left, including that of the gear engaged.
Main model equipment
- “30° Anniversario” celebrative livery with Tricolore style*
- Plate with bike name and number (XXX/500)*
- Dedicated dashboard animation at the key-on*
- Sport rider seat shape with logo*
- 937 cm3 Testastretta 11° engine
- Max Power: 111 CV @ 9.250 rpm
- Max torque: 9,5 kgm @ 6.500 rpm
- Street-legal Termignoni slip-on*
- Kerb weight: 184 kg *
- Aluminium front frame
- Lightened, GFRP subframe
- Aluminium swingarm
- Öhlins steering damper*
- Öhlins NIX30 fork *
- Öhlins rear shock *
- Forged Aluminium wheels (-1.86 kg/- 4 lb vs Monster cast wheels) *
- Front and rear mudguards in carbon fibre*
- Full-LED lighting system with sweeping indicators
- Color, 4.3” TFT cockpit with fuel level and gear indicator
- Riding Modes (3 configurations) recalibrated according to the new chassis. New Wet Riding Mode *
- Cornering ABS on 3 levels, with front-only mode
- DTC (8 levels) and DWC (4 levels)
- Launch Control (3 levels)
- Brembo front brake setup; 320 mm discs with aluminium inner flanges, Stylema® monobloc calipers, radial master cylinder and synthered pads*
- Hydraulic clutch command, radial master cylinder
- Seat height: 840 mm
- DQS up/down
- Li-Ion battery*
- Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires*
- Front cowl*
- Passenger seat cover*
- Dedicated bike cover*
- Certificate of authenticity*
*Exclusive equipment for Monster 30° Anniversario
So I guess all modern naked bikes are Monsters now?
Sadly, the motor in the current range of Monsters (this one included) is about as ugly as the average Yamaha. Naked Ducati motors used to be really beautiful. Then they turned ugly in the larger Monsters with all their associated pipework and industrial styling, improved again to the elegance of that in the testastretta Hyper series (I have an 821 ‘Strada) and have now deteriotated again. Perhaps they should be covered up!
The engine is no longer interesting to look at now that it’s covered up. I like earlier monster but these not so much.
Sadly, the motor in the current range of Monsters (this one included) is about as ugly as the average Yamaha. Naked Ducati motors used to be really beautiful. Then they turned ugly in the larger Monsters with all their associated pipework and industrial styling, improved again to the elegance of that in the testastretta Hyper series (I have an 821 ‘Strada) and have now deteriotated again. Perhaps they should be covered up!
I’m kind of stuck with the early generation monster range, currently I have an S2R and for deep fun a 748R.
Not sure how you managed to find the 900 ill-handling Todd, probably badly set up in some way as it isn’t a problem that I’ve had with any Ducati I’ve had. True the base moster range was a bit no frills on the suspension front but the 851 chassis is still a peachy thing and very race derived. Handling isn’t bad given the stock options, riding isn’t the same as a jap bike as you need to flow rather than sprint.
I think the real monster got lost along the way, though this looks fun it lacks the character of the original, Monster designer Miguel Galluzzi said of the philosophy behind his creation: “All you need is a saddle, tank, engine, two wheels, and handlebars.” These days the market demands more it seems.
Another Ducati special– these days the most rare Ducatis are probably the standard bikes lol
They should rebrand with this guy https://youtu.be/k_t7pTfdYts
Passenger pegs in that top down view are asymmetrical, with the right side peg hanging further outboard vs. the left side peg, due to the asymmetrical exhaust. Is that the cause with all / most bikes with single-sided exhaust?
I think it looks badass, and I’d love to own one if I could afford it. I’m not one of those people who thinks the first generation of something is always the best. Things improve as they go along, and this bike is better in every way than the first one. BTW, the 1st gen Monster did *not* have a single sided swingarm. So there’s that.
While the Monster never appealed to me, I feel that it was the second generation Monster is where it topped out. The first generation was a bit of an experiment. They took an old 851 frame and made a naked to see if it would sell. And boy did it ever. So the second generation got it’s own frame and a choice just about any engine that Ducati made. The bike was all but it’s own brand at that time.
Yet the Monster was basically the “entry level” Ducati. That’s not a bad thing. It was also simple and fairly easy to work on. It was even lighter that many of the other models. And it was still a Ducati. It had desmo valves, a dry clutch and a trellis frame.
Enter the Scrambler and Volkswagen. The Scrambler is now what serves as the entry level Ducati and Volkswagen is bent on making Ducati a luxury brand. Unfortunately to my eye it seems that Volkswagen’s idea of luxury is to make things larger and more complex. When I had to kill some time at a Ducati dealer the other day the only new Ducati that appealed to me was some special edition Scrambler with a decent looking seat and a flatter handle bar. The whole rest of the line had clearly been, well, “luxuriated”. What used to be simple things had been made larger and more complex. I’ve had at least one Ducati for thirty years and I didn’t see anything in the building that said Ducati on it that really interested me. What I did see was a used Sport Classic out front. Some guy had given it the minimalist treatment. There was nothing on that motorcycle that was not required. It was in rough shape. The paint on the gas tank was bubbling. It had clearly been flogged mercilessly by someone who loved it. It was the very essence of Ducati sitting just outside the front door of the Ducati shop. Unfortunately the bikes inside the building had been purged of that essance.
Don’t get me started on the half ton pickup. RIP
Moreover.
If it not was a Monster, Ducati had to be in big trouble
I tend to avoid Desmo valve trains. It is not fugly but neither is it as good looking as some of the previous versions. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but Desmo is in your wallet. 😉
ORT
I just did my old Multistrada valves. I figured that I would save the next guy the trouble or expense. The worst part of the job is taking the tank off, which you have to do to access the air filter. The gas tank on the old Multistrada also holds the seat that the rider sits on. It’s a pretty large part that is wedged firmly into the frame. The two valve desmo itself is really pretty easy to adjust. They are certainly less fussy than some of those ridiculous four stroke dirt bikes that I had. Good riddance to that shim under bucket rubbish. Never again. Team obsolete can have their Rube Goldberg racing engines. They’ll pry my two stroke out of my cold dead hands.
The single sided swingarm adds three pounds of mostly unsprung weight. I’ve never really been a fan. All my current Ducats, three of them, have single sided swingarms. But it’s not like I’m happy about it. Though they do make it very easy to adjust the chain.
I have to agree, hardly seem like a Monster any more.
I used to own a 1993/4 M900 since it was the most beautiful bike in the nineties. However it really turned me off to the ownership of Ducati. That was, by far, the most ill-handling bike I’ve ever ridden. I have ridden a number of other Ducatis since then and some where better but they still have all missed the mark, for me, compared to how easy and smoothly something like a simple yamaha can be so confident in hard corners. I understand most people buy bikes for the presence and the emotional value they get out of it and I wanted so hard to love the bike. I’m sure Ducati has come a long way in the last 30 years but even the 1098 Streetfighter “S” I tried was just… off.
Monsters should be air-cooled and lattice framed.
Also missing seems the single side swing arm.
I guess if you make it air cooled that will also remove the infinite amount of hoses that go around that engine.
I’m probably getting older but bikes like the CBR954RR still look so fresh and so up to date.
First generation Monster was monster.
I had to wait around at a Ducati dealer a couple of days ago. The one guy there who sells valve shims was on the dyno and I needed two openers and one closer shim for my old Multistrada. While there I had a good look at the bikes there that included Aprilia, Guzzi and Ducati. What really struck me was how physically large all the Ducatis, save the Scrambler, had become. Even the Monster was barely recognizable as such. I’ve had Ducatis for thirty years so I am familiar with their size and shape. But the ones I have and have had are much closer in size to the Scrambler.
The Ducatis dwarfed the Aprilias and made the Guzzis look tiny.
The single sided swingarm adds three pounds of mostly unsprung weight. I’ve never really been a fan. All my current Ducats, three of them, have single sided swingarms. But it’s not like I’m happy about it. Though they do make it very easy to adjust the chain.