Words: Matthew Shields

Ducati’s Monster captivated me the moment I saw it in the black and white print of Revs magazine over 23 years ago. Like everyone else, I too have gotten older but that nostalgia still remains for what was a revolutionary motorcycle in its day. And I’m not alone – no less than 300,000 Ducati Monsters have rolled off production lines since the early 90s and it is by far Ducati’s most successful machine.

I’d go as far to call the new Monster 821 a retro machine. The moment I set eyes on it I felt young again as this machine carries the same level of simplicity and elegance of the original, and many different styling cues just like the first Monster 900 too. Yep, this new 821 is a lot more modern of course, but still many of the lines and proportions of the original Monster exist just with a whole lot more technology from front wheel to tailpipe.

It’s no secret the original Monster was designed as a back-to-basics machine. It’s designer, Miguel Galluzi famously stated that “all you need for a motorcycle is a seat, tank, engine, two wheels and handlebars” in a day and age where fairings had started to cover everything from sportsbikes to cruisers. The Monster wasn’t too far removed from many other nakedbikes, but its light weight, torquey engine and superb handling set it apart.

Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).

Those underlying aspects of the Monster’s design still exist in the 821 today. While the Monster 1200 is more powerful and brimming with technology, the smaller capacity, but better performing 821 carries modern electronics but goes back to the Monster’s origins and delivers all the power that is essential for a fantastic machine on the road. Chassis adjustment is minimal, but the balance is superb and the same has to be said about the baby eight-valve V-twin.

The Testastretta 11° 821, as the 11° valve overlap in the name infers, is a less racy version of Ducati eight-valve V-twin. Ducati also has the DVT Testastretta in the Multistradas, Superquadro in the Panigales, Testastretta DVT 1262 in the XDiavel and Desmodue in the Scramblers. No one of those Ducati eight-valvers is similar in character, and each is designed for different applications.

Torque is plentiful from right down low, the midrange is strong and there’s plenty of power at high-speed. If the track is somewhere you ride, apart from a long straight you have plenty of performance on tap. On the road is where the bike’s engine characetrstics are best. From fumbling through traffic, whicking it up your favourite backroad or getting through long highway miles, there’s no situation where the 821 isn’t a pleasure to ride.

It’s testament to the evolution of the Testastretta 11°. While it isn’t racy like the Panigale, or refined like the Multistrada, it is an easy powerplant to use and an exciting one to have beneath you. It’s all that without feeling like you need the traction control to come in or electronics to clean up the bottom-end. The combustion efficiency of this machine is superb and, much like Yamaha’s MT-09, it is so good it could easily live without electronic intervention.

Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).

As far as electronics go, the 821 has all the essentials: traction control, ABS, and engine mode selection – Urban, Touring and Sport. Those modes each deliver a noticeably different style of aggression from the engine and intervention of the traction control. It doesn’t make the 821 an entirely different motorcycle but, especially in Urban mode, tailors each of these aspects to suit the conditions they are named for.

The handling is a delight on the 821. There’s a bias towards the front and it makes it rock-solid in corners. The front 43mm KYB fork has no adjustment but the wizards from Bologna and Tokyo have got its control spot on. Same has to be said of the rear end’s Sachs shock that is on the firm side of supple and with rebound and preload adjustment you aren’t going to want for anything more.

The sure-footedness of the 821 chassis makes corner speeds fast and the Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres are well up to the task. The massive twin Brembo Monobloc brakes on 320mm discs are plenty of brakes for the 821 and are a level of equipment you don’t get on many machines in this class. Combine it with the quality of finish and superb design detail and you have a level of quality that is hard to surpass on any nakedbike, no matter the price.

The 821 is a great all-rounder. As a day-to-day machine it is comfortable, economical and easy to use. The ergos and engine modes make it so. You can tour or fang on it with equal ease and it would be a bucketload of fun on the racetrack, as you’d only run out of puff at the end of a long straight. It’s priced at the top-end of the market, but you are going to be hard pressed finding a machine that delivers the quality of build, engine performance, technology, handling and style that the 821 does.

Specifications

Capacity: 821cc
Power: 82kW @ 9250rpm
Torque: 92Nm @ 7750rpm
Wet weight: 206kg
Seat height: 785-810mm
Price: $16,990 plus ORC
Detailed specs: www.ducati.com.au