Ducati Monster 1200

The Ducati Monster 1200 features the same simple and classic design as the other smaller versions of the Monster, which have evolved beautifully ever since the arrival of the first-ever Monster model. 

At the front, the Ducati Monster 1200 has got the trademark round headlamps, which here is large and comes with a sleek daytime running LED in the middle of it. Surrounded by a silver cowl, the headlamp gets nice pair of LED turn indicators attached to its upper edges. The satin golden finish for the front forks and compact fender above the front wheel complete the front look of the Ducati Monster 1200.

The majority of the visual mass of the Ducati Monster 1200 can be felt when the motorcycle is viewed from sideways, with the main highlight of the motorcycle being the large fuel tank with curved out knee recesses.

Just below the fuel tank and above the engine, you can see the large trellis frame in all its glory. The motorcycle misses out on proper side body panels, which further expose the engine and rear suspension bits even more. The side profile is further spiced up by the presence of double-barrel exhaust pipe, single-sided swing-arm, triple-Y themed alloy wheels and a small and unique-looking engine cowl.

At the back too, the Ducati Monster 1200 has the same simplistic appeal as it has at the front. The curved-out single-piece long seat gets a cowl for the pillion perch. The tailpiece ends up with a small high-mounted LED tail lamp and a long rear fender attached to it.

The Ducati Monster 1200 shares its full TFT instrument console encased in an octagonal housing with the Hypermotard 950. This panel is quite informative with a speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, gear indicator and selected ride modes, and other electronic riding aids. The wide handlebar further makes the vision ahead very clear, however, the absence of even a small visor makes the wind blasts prominent at higher speeds.

Despite all the bulk and visual mass, the Ducati Monster 1200 is an easy-to-handle motorcycle, in both urban and long-distance touring conditions. The motorcycle is armed with 43mm Kayaba upside-down telescopic forks at the front and a fully adjustable Sachs mono-shock with a single-sided swingarm at the back (the S variant gets Ohlins setup at both front and rear). The motorcycle gets dual 320mm discs at the front (330mm discs in the S variant) and a single 245mm disc brake at the back.

The Ducati Monster 1200 is fitted with a four-stroke, liquid-cooled, Testastretta 11-degree, 1198cc engine, which happens to be the largest engine to date for a model in the Monster lineup. It is the most powerful engine in the Monster lineup to date as well, with its maximum power and torque outputs of 147 bhp and 124 Nm respectively. The engine has been paired to a 6-speed gearbox.

The Ducati Monster 1200 might not be having a top-class suite of electronics as the flagship naked roadster from Ducati, the Streetfighter. However, for a liter-class roadster, the Ducati Monster 1200 packs in enough equipment in the form of cornering ABS, Ducati Traction Control, Ducati Wheelie Control, power modes, and ride modes, with optional up and down quickshifter available as well.

It is the simplicity and timeless appeal of the Ducati Monster 1200 which makes it look cool amidst the much more aggressive and sharper-looking naked roadsters. The performance from the 1198cc engine is very usable too, with the overall ergonomics very friendly for the new riders as well.