All Tests – Ducati Monster 821 test: new blood at Ducati! – A good road-sportiness compromise

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Ducati Monster 821 test: new blood at Ducati !

All Tests - Ducati Monster 821 test: new blood at Ducati! - A good road-sportiness compromise

After the Monster 1200, Ducati continues the redesign of its roadster range with the Monster 821. It is in Bologna, where the Borgo Panigale factory is located, that MNC discovered this new little monster intended to replace the 796 and 696 in air cooling.

A good road / sportiness compromise

As soon as the horizon emerges, the Monster 821 can finally express itself fully and reveal its full potential. It actually offers two modes of use: quiet but nevertheless effective in Touring mode, more incisive and virulent in sport mode. In these two modes, the response to acceleration is clear enough to pass quickly on the road and have fun on small winding roads..

It all depends on the degree of assistance that you want to keep and the response to the desired acceleration. Touring mode is particularly suitable for users who prefer to adopt a "sunk" driving style, with progressive braking and not too sharp relaunches..

The Sport mode, for its part, requires a little finer handling, the ABS and DTC intervening less quickly, with an increased risk of locking the wheels during braking or of rear slipping when accelerating if you have too minimized the intervention levels of these assistances via personalized settings.

In the standard configuration – except for riding like a journalist’s pig … – it is rare to trigger the assistance on dry roads. The intervention of the DTC is anyway not brutal, the system intervening at the level of the injection to reduce the engine torque and allow the rear wheel to hang up..

On the other hand, it is easier to identify the limits of the inverted Kayaba fork (not adjustable) in this context of "sport" use: it perfectly absorbs small shocks and imperfections of the coating in town on cobblestones as on the road degraded, but it remains a little too flexible and lacks firmness during heavy braking and when passing a high stress.

The rigorous chassis and the efficient Sachs Cantilever-type shock absorber (adjustable in hydraulic rebound and spring preload), directly anchored to the rear cylinder head and the swingarm, fortunately compensate for this small weakness, allowing the Monster 821 to maintain its behavior. healthy and homogeneous in most cases. Especially since the ground clearance is excellent, as is the grip of the tires fitted as standard on this model. At the rear, the Monster 821 differs from the 796 by adopting a higher tire (180/60 instead of 180/55), the greater contact surface of which makes it possible to increase traction and improve online stability.

The braking system is identical to that of the standard Monster 1200: double 320 mm disc clamped by radial-mounted Brembo M4.32 monobloc calipers, associated with an axial brake master cylinder and an adjustable gauge lever. A two-finger pressure on the right lever is enough to plunge the fork sharply and obtain powerful braking with formidable bite..

The Bosch 9MP ABS system immediately detects the maneuver via its pressure sensor and then releases the front brake pressure to prevent the rear wheel from lifting. The rear brake for its part lacks progressiveness and quickly triggers the ABS if you press the pedal too suddenly. Properly dosed, however, it allows the bike to sit well when entering a curve and offers a good complement to the powerful front brake to avoid too much mass transfer to the front..

We were unable to take gasoline consumption readings during this short test (less than 150 km), but the average consumption indicator indicated 6 liters per 100 km at the end of our trip, which augurs well for a average range of around 290 km.

In terms of protection, the absence of an original fork crown will obviously prove to be more penalizing on expressways than on the road, where wind resistance at legal speeds is generally tolerable by most users. Pushed into these last entrenchments, the Monster 821 is however capable of reaching more than 200 km / h at top speed … with disconcerting ease. !

Assessment: a great development !

With the arrival of this new 2015 version of the Monster 821, the days of the Monster 796 are numbered … as well as those of the Monster 696, both aging and soon more compliant with the new antipollution standards.

In the continuity of the recent Monster 1200, this "small" Monster 821 therefore proudly takes up the torch of the "mid-size" roadster category, bringing a saving breath of fresh air with its water-cooled engine, its reassuring safety pack with ABS and DTC , its improved chassis geometry and increased comfort.

In short, it has everything to please, except perhaps a price increase of 1110 euros: the Monster 821 is offered at 10,760 € in red or white and 10,260 € in "Dark" version. The price of excellence? Yes … with better quality suspensions for the same price !

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