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Ducati’s cult bike in the test

Test: Ducati Monster 1100 Evo

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Sunshine and empty streets. A dream ambience to indulge in a beautiful, naked Italian woman. A pleasure with no regrets? PS tested the Ducati Monster 1100 Evo.

Markus Jahn

Ducati Monster 1100 Evo: brutal sound and sporty ABS – without any tendency to rollover.

This hammering is incredibly cool! Again and again you have to pull up the gas on the Monster 1100 from 3500 rpm and enjoy the hard hammering of the fat Vau-Zwei to the fullest. Regardless of whether it is second, third, fourth or fifth gear, the Ducati stamps vehemently in the lower gears, from the fourth onwards it is still very powerful and envelops the pilot with that rich, well-trained punch of a twin who goes off like a farrier on ecstasy.

Thanks to the flap in the exhaust tract, the monsters also master the acoustic crawl and don’t express their joie de vivre in every driving condition as unabashedly as with the happy halali on the country road. The usable power range of the air-cooled two-valve valve is surprising, because its thrust window is quite narrow, which is why you catch yourself turning the engine vigorously, not only for acoustic reasons.

Markus Jahn

From 3000 tours it gets lively in the booth – underneath, the monsters are picking on their chains. It’s just a shame that the robust thrust is over again at 7000 rpm.

To put it precisely: The eleven hundred only pulls really fat between 3500 and almost 7000 rpm. Of course, that’s enough for cruising. But if you want to go sporty across the country, the miserable gearbox has to be operated far too often to the annoyance of the pilot. It is frustrating that Ducati does not seem to be able to build transmissions that can be shifted smoothly and precisely. Anyone who tries to idle when approaching a traffic light in city traffic will despair – and have to try their luck while stationary. The stiff clutch is certainly not mild.

And that although Ducati emphasizes the ease of movement of this clutch. In general, everyday city strolls are not the Ducati’s strengths. Since nothing goes below 3000 rpm, a maximum of third gear may be engaged. If you try it in the sound-technically restrained fourth or fifth speed below 60 km / h, it gets uncomfortable, the twin picks around on the chain like hungry pigeons on leftover bread. So let’s let the reins loose and the monsters just run, ride the famous sound wave quickly through forest and field, burn a clean line on the parquet.

Markus Jahn

The ABS regulates late in a sporty manner without the risk of rollover, the braking feel is very dull.

Even with an extremely forced driving style, the standard holds up "Safety pack", consisting of ABS (can be switched off!) and traction control elegant back. "It was designed and coordinated as a safety system and not as a brake on fun", said Ducati press man Kai Swaton. In fact, thanks to the handy Pirelli Diablo Corsa II, the ABS barely regulates on dry and flat asphalt.

Only when the brakes are wavy and very sporty in the braking zone does the ABS intervene as the overstrained fork simply blocks and the tire loses its grip earlier than necessary. But even the well-coordinated ABS, which acts late in a sporty way but without any tendency to rollover, cannot comfort the dull, callous brakes. Regardless of whether the brakes are hot or cold, the front stoppers always feel toothless. At the exit of the curve, the TC, which can be set in four stages, intervenes if the grip is broken. Since they are their "Control threshold" at 20 km / h, burnouts as well as highsiders and falling over on wet grass or gravel are possible while standing.

If both wheels turn over 20 km / h, the TC is active, its control is late on level one or very early on level four. PS tested the TC on a small country road with gravel. We drove over the gravel at 50 km / h and only fully wound up in second and later in third gear. Result: The traction control regulates – but how! The monster begins to buck and fidget like a bronco that has been electrocuted. Due to the extremely fast spin of the rear wheel, the software immediately regulates the coarse "Fuel cut", turning off the fuel supply, and skipping the much gentler control means of the ignition timing adjustment.

Markus Jahn

The screws on the powerful rear silencer are already rusting.

To save the honor of the system, it must be said that the situation on the gravel was provoked and the rear wheel never overtook us. During the entire test drive under real country road conditions, the TC at level two almost never regulated. Except, and there we have come to the sore point of the Duc, when the shock absorber again overtaxed the rear tire on bumps due to the poor suspension setup.

The monsters’ Achilles heel is their basic setup that is too soft and the lack of intervention in this regard. Both the fork and the shock absorber are already at the limit with an 80 kilo pilot. Despite the maximum preload, the fork sinks 35 millimeters when standing. On the brakes, she only struggles to counter the dynamic wheel load distribution. Which leads to the standing front wheel and thus to the regulation of the ABS. The fork has adjustable compression and rebound damping, but what use is that when the adjustment range on the compression valve is zero.

At least the rebound damping of the fork on the test motorcycle reacted to the change. The shock absorber, which can only be corrected in the rebound stage, is also already at its limit in solo operation. For this, the red angled willingly, takes inclines according to the pilot’s taste. Despite the softie set-up, a clean line is possible on a level road surface. The wrinkles on the driver’s face smoothed out again. Because the ergonomics of the big monsters also invite you to take longer tours. A comfortable knee angle and an upright upper body fit, but the cranking of the handlebars takes a bit of getting used to. But hey, better than mash! The Italian also offers plenty of lean angles. So it can be milled carefree through the landscape – with a round, classic driving style and the twin always turning over 3500 tours. The fact that at a brisk pace it is over after 208 kilometers is not due to excessive drinking habits of the engine, but to the small tank. 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers are fine. In addition, the well-equipped cockpit even provides information with a separate odometer as soon as the reserve is reached.

The Monster 1100 Evo is visually a light figure, but has hard shadows. So the great design with rusty screws on the exhaust muffler, their sporty ABS with the too soft fork and the great thrust of the twin with the unspeakable gearbox. But one thing shouldn’t be forgotten: no monster has been better, and better equipped, before.

Set up

fork
stat.neg. Suspension travel: 35 mm
Pressure level: 925 U open
Rebound: 1.5 U open
Level: not adjustable

Strut
stat.neg. Suspension travel: 30 mm
Pressure level high: –
Low pressure level: –
Rebound: 1.5 U open
Level: rear above

Tire / tire pressure
Pirelli Diablo Ros II: v./h .: 2.3 / 2.5 bar (cold)

Measurements on Dynojet roller dynamometer 250.

drive
Two-cylinder 90-degree V-engine, 2 valves / cylinder, 70 kW (95 PS) at 7500 / min *, 105 Nm at 6000 / min *, 1079 cm³, bore / stroke: 98.0 / 71.5 mm, Compression ratio: 11.3: 1, ignition / injection system, 45 mm throttle valves, hydraulically operated multi-disc anti-hopping oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, G-Kat, chain, traction control

landing gear 
Steel tubular space frame with screwed cast aluminum parts, steering head angle: 66.0 degrees, caster: 94 mm, wheelbase: 1450 mm, upside-down fork, Ø fork inner tube: 43 mm, adjustable in spring base, rebound and compression. Central spring strut without deflection, adjustable in spring base, rebound. Suspension travel front / rear: 130/148 mm

Wheels and brakes
Cast light alloy wheels, 3.50 x 17 "/5.50 x 17", front tires: 120/70 ZR 17, rear: 180/55 ZR 17, first tires: Pirelli Diablo Rosso II, 320 mm double disc brakes with radially attached four-piston fixed calipers at the front, 245 mm single disc with two-piston fixed caliper at the rear

measurements and weight 
Length / width / height: 2090/950/1130 mm *, seat / handlebar height: 800/980 mm, handlebar width: 735 mm, 189 kg fully fueled, v./h .: 50.4 / 49.6%

Rear wheel power in last gear
67 kW (91 PS) at 208 km / h

consumption 
Fuel type: Super unleaded. Average test consumption: 6.5 liters / 100 km, tank capacity 13.5 liters / of which reserve: 3.5 liters, range: 208 km Base price 11,390 euros (plus additional costs)

Markus Jahn

Ducati Monster 1100 Evo.

positive
Brutal sound, sporty ABS with no tendency to rollover, standard traction control, good consumption values, fully equipped, easy-to-use cockpit, good ergonomics for road milling, great design.

negative
Difficult-to-use clutch, very clumsy and unprecise transmission, overall too soft suspension setup, not exactly expensive workmanship, dull and unfeeling front brake.

 

Markus Jahn

The frame and elbow give off a lot of heat to the thighs. Optionally available: the "Ducati Safe Grilling Pack".

Yes, there is a lot to complain about about the Monster 1100 Evo. It is annoying that many of these criticisms are unnecessary. Just the chassis as an example: Why can’t you install springs ex works with spring rates that match the vehicle concept? It doesn’t cost a hundred anymore! The Monster is not a cruiser, but a sporty naked bike. Driving fun is still plenty – thanks to your twin.

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