What? After we’d adjusted to the Desmodromic Variable Timing in the new Multistrada we rode last month, which greatly broadens this engine’s powerband, the Monster’s 11-degree Testastretta without it suddenly feels a little peaky. Thumb it over to Touring mode, and my only other complaint is that the Monster’s too powerful. The one annoying thing about the Monster in town is its monstrous turning radius. Duke reckons its popping on overrun is “the most deliciously wicked cackle I’ve heard from a production exhaust.” There’s also a reasonably good passenger seat under the plastic cover. The seat is really quite cush also, the ergos not quite so upright as the BMW’s but close – and the thing makes just about enough racket to save your life without being obnoxious. You can soften up compression and rebound out back with your hands (you need a 3mm hex to diddle the fork), and make it the plushest Monster ever. Our “S” doesn’t have electronic suspension, but it does have fully adjustable Öhlins pieces at both ends, with nearly six inches of rear-wheel travel (5.1 in. The Beatles did play a lot in Hamburg when they were getting started, so why not?Īs a matter of fact, bombing around L.A., the Monster is a ridiculously sweet ride. fine red wines! It was on like WWII, with the exception that Germany and Italy were allies in that affair, up to a point.ĮiC Duke tasked us with coming up with a couple of waypoints to honor the respective engineering heritages of the two storied brands without breaking the MO bank by leaving SoCal: As always, we rose to the occasion. All we need now is a hook to hang this thing on! A theme! How about Germany vs Italy!? Why not, since it’s the most obvious? Tubular meats vs. Roderick and yours truly to compare it to BMW’s new R1200R, an awesome do-it-all “big Twin” motorcycle we’ve been looking for an excuse to spend more time upon. So we decided the Monster S is less of a streetfighter and more of a hot-rod roadster, and therefore the perfect excuse for T. Yeah, well, the Super Duke R made 96 pound-feet and 156 hp. The 132 horses up top are like having your burrito wet. Back on the street, il Mostro was a highly pleasant thing to ride – as nearly all motorcycles are that deliver 84 pound-feet of torque. The Monster suffered more in the track portion of that test than on the street, though, mainly let down by a lack of ground clearance when leaned into Chuckwalla’s endless high speed turns – a non-issue on the road. The Ducati Monster 1200S didn’t do so great against most of the other players in last year’s Super Naked Street Brawl, but mostly because two of the other four were our Motorcycle of the Year KTM Super Duke R and the BMW S1000R, which came within a whisker of overcoming the incredible SDR.
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