Has it really been 30 years since the OG Ducati Monster? Why yes. Yes, it has. Ducati celebrates the birth of Miguel Galluzzi’s naked baby by launching a special SP version for ’23 featuring: Öhlins suspension, Brembo Stylema front brake calipers, Termignoni approved muffler, Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres, steering damper and a lithium-ion -Battery . Buon compleanno, bambino monster!
Press release from Ducati:
Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), September 15, 2022 – In the second installment of the Ducati World Première Web series 2023, Ducati presented the new Monster SP: a version designed to increase the fun thanks to a perfect package technical equipment for those who love sporty driving.
Presented in 2021, the Monster represents all the essence of Ducati in the most compact, essential and lightest form possible. The recipe is the original from 1993: a sporty engine but perfect for road use, combined with a superbike-derived frame. Everything you need to have fun every day.
engine
The Monster SP is powered by the 937cc Testastretta 11° desmodromic twin-cylinder engine, which is lighter, refined, improved and of course used as an emphasized element of the chassis. This Euro 5-approved engine has a maximum power of 111 hp (81.6 kW) at 9,250 rpm and a maximum torque of 9.5 kgm (93 Nm) at 6,500 rpm. All this with a full and friendly delivery curve at all engine speeds, with particular attention to the mid-low range, which is most commonly used on the road.
Despite its outstanding performance, the Testastretta 937 is an extremely reliable and low-maintenance engine. The oil change service has an expiration date of 15,000 km (9300 miles) while the valve clearances must be checked every 30,000 (18,600 miles) and adjusted if necessary.
The use of the ride-by-wire system allows the adoption of the different riding modes, updated and recalibrated specifically for the SP version to offer the possibility of changing the character of the engine according to taste or need. The slipper clutch that the Monster SP is equipped with works in an oil bath and is extremely easy to use and modular, but at the same time more powerful in terms of power transmission. In fact, the system works bi-directionally, ‘pushing’ the discs against each other under acceleration and relieving the compression of the springs when opposing torque is applied, avoiding rear wheel lockup under the most sudden braking. The transmission comes standard with the bidirectional Ducati Quick Shift to better assist the rider in sporty driving while reducing fatigue when touring or in the city.
Looks
The sporty character of the Monster SP is immediately recognizable thanks to the livery that includes the 2022 colors of the Ducati Lenovo Team Desmosedici GP, the gold anodizing of the Öhlins NIX30 fork and the standard presence of a Termignoni-approved silencer. Particularly high quality details are the red saddle integrated into the rear in side view, the Monster SP logo on the passenger seat cover and the Ducati logo on the fuel tank, larger and inspired by the Panigale V4 graphics.
The SP livery gives the Monster a more attractive and aggressive image, with graphics inspired by the factory team’s Desmosedici MotoGP bikes. Characterized by a play of the three shades of red of the different tags – Ducati Red, Racing Red, Amaranth Red – in contrast to the glossy black, the graphics underline the dynamism of the Monster SP. The red fabric saddle evokes racing images and helps to lighten the rear, creating visual continuity with the side panels in the same color. The latter features the Italian flag along with the specific Monster SP logo. Also on the tank, the Ducati lettering is characterized by higher dimensions, with a clear reference to the graphics of the Panigale V4.
chassis
The functional and effective chassis of the Monster SP carries the inspirational principles of Ducati Superbikes on a road bike, as has always been the Monster philosophy. The load-bearing engine is mated to an aluminum front-frame chassis conceptually similar to that of the Panigale V4, which contributes to the bike’s overall lightness. The swingarm is also aluminum and has a similar structure to the Multistrada V4 unit.
Thanks to higher quality components, the Monster SP is even lighter and weighs 186 kg (410 lbs) when ready to drive. With a wheelbase of just 1,474 mm (58 inches), the chassis is also extremely compact, agile and user-friendly. The Monster SP’s lightweight, self-supporting GRP (glass fiber reinforced plastic) rear, which houses all electrical and electronic elements, contains a lithium-ion battery that weighs 1.5 kg and is even lighter than the one used on the Monster .
suspension
The new Ducati Monster SP is equipped with a 43 mm diameter Öhlins fork and an Öhlins shock absorber, both fully adjustable, which, compared to the standard Monster units, increases the rider’s feel and, above all, the lean angle, which in the sporty Driving can be achieved the ability to close the trajectory. The fork in particular contributes to the Monster SP’s overall weight, being 0.6 kg (1.3 lb) lighter than the standard Monster unit.
The use of a Sachs steering damper on the Monster SP further improves the precision of sporty driving in terms of distance and acceleration.
Tires (tyres) and wheels
The alloy wheels, identified by the red label that underlines their sportiness, measure 3.50 x 17″ and 5.50 x 17″ and are fitted with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires in size 120/70 at the front and 180/55 at the rear to achieve superior performance in sporty on-road driving.
brakes
The braking system improves performance, increasing power and modulation thanks to the use of Brembo Stylema radial calipers acting on 320 mm diameter discs with new aluminum flanges. At the rear, the 245mm single disc unit remains. With the modifications, the Monster SP expresses more braking power, but also improves agility by reducing the unsprung masses: the Stylema brake calipers enable a weight saving of 0.4 kg (0.9 lb), the aluminum flanges a further 0. 5kg (1.1lb).
The bike’s overall weight savings also comes with the addition of a lithium-ion battery pack, which brings the overall weight savings to about 4.4 pounds when ready to ride compared to the standard model (already a benchmark in the lightness category), despite the addition. of components such as the steering damper and the windshield.
electronics
The electronic section of the Monster is at the top of the segment. Standard equipment includes ABS Cornering, Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Wheelie Control, all of which are adjustable to different levels of intervention. The launch control, which ensures lightning-fast starts, also underlines the sporty character of the new Monster SP. With this top-class motorcycle equipment, the Monster SP can safely develop its full performance.
Sport, Touring and Wet Riding modes allow the rider to shape the monster’s character to taste and need. Everything is easily controlled via the handlebar controls and the 4.3″ color TFT dashboard with racing graphics reminiscent of those of the Panigale V4, with a large tachometer and a full set of information on the left, including details of the gear engaged.
The Ducati Monster SP will be available from dealers from January 2023, also in a depowered version for driving with an A2 driving license*.
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