2021 Ducati Monster breaks some Ducatisti hearts, but should we care? 

You don’t tell Ducati what a Monster is, Ducati tells you what a Monster is.

Bought mine just yesterday. The moment I sat on it and felt like I was on a 300cc I simply felt ❤. The looks is just impressive as well and all the technology is just sweet

2021 and I'm still rockin a 1995 Monster

Nobody disputes that it is a "nice" bike. Just ABSOLUTELY not a Monster. We understand your agenda.

I am a newcomer in motolife. Just finished driving school, and ordered monster SP for me for the upcoming year. I have nothing to compare with, but i think that this bike looks awesome, and is very friendly for new drivers with all that electronics that bike has.

I bought a new monster. Got super lucky about 4 months ago and this is by far one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden. I never not have fun on this thing no matter the revs I’m at.

Thanks for the review. I love my 2021 Monster Plus. However, I did make immediate changes. A fender eliminator and an upgrade to a Termignoni exhaust were no-brainers. I echo that it handles better than the previous versions, but I did love the trellis frame. That wasn't enough to steer me away from the new Monster. When I stop, people love it and are intrigued enough to ask questions. Just a great bike!

Its a good bike. Ducati fanboys, of which I am one, will get over it... People who complain, "But... but... this isn't what we are used to!"... Ignore them. It's called progress.

Im a Monster lover and owner, and I LOVE the new Monster. I want one. If it wasn't for COVID inspired poverty I'd be at the dealer right now (though the Streetfighter V2 might be tempting me...)

The monster is a great bike. I’ve had 2. The monster was originally a naked sports bike and the trellis frame was inherited from the sports bike. The sports bikes don’t have trellis frames anymore so…….

You’re in the top level of reviewers and that keeps me coming back for more! Thanks from Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺👍🍺

Nice philosophical note to end the vid on which 100% sums up the reason why I ride. Great work as ever!

Saw some reviewer defending the aesthetics by trying to make out no-one cares about the way an italian bike looks.

Basically it is much better in almost every way. Huge improvements.

Enjoying your style of reviews more n more. Cheers...

I was shopping for a naked, and I passed on this. It's not a monster anymore.

There's not a lot of good motorcycle shows, but this is definitely one of them ! Cheers 🥂

any ducati is a beautiful ducati.

Great review .....As always!

I'm not bothered about the trellis frame. The most important development is the different valves and the huge mileage before the clearances need checking. I wonder whether the bike will be reliable.

Love from Slovenia 🇸🇮!¡!¡

Great review, thank you.

Wonderful review really enjoyed it

Great review!

as always a thorough, very helpful review, helping to understand what it's like to ride the monster. Any thoughts on how it compare to the xsr900

A Ducati is always a heart purchase not a head purchase. All the updates don't tug at the heart strings they make perfect sense to the brain, but I think the heart will win out and buyers will look elsewhere sans the missing red trellis frame. It doesn't even look like a Monster should look, more like a generic bike that could come from any brand. Sales figures will the ultimate arbitrator of truth and when they come in I think the trellis frame will make a comeback in a year or two. I fear Ducati has strayed too far from the winning recipe.

I think the SA roads have spoilt you. Those looked great compared to some of the crap we have to ride on over here in England. I had a 696 10 years ago as a first big bike and was tempted with a 848 street fighter but never bit the bullet. For me if it’s better, it’s better even if the frame has moved with the times. 👍🏻

I do wish they’d show off the frame more

I will get my second one this week , my first one lasted 10 days, something with an old guy and “i did not see you” Thought about a streetfighter V2 but i have seen some revieuws and i like the looks but not the engine ( to high in the revs before something happens) So next is a red one with full termignoni so the flimsy exhaust is gone 😁

Le strade italiane 😂😂😂 fanno parte del nostro DNA Motociclistico. 🤙 bel video grazie 🤩

The baby monster (was it 696 or something?) was the first "big" bike I ever rode. That was it, I was hooked after that. 180kph in suburbia - don't tell that to my friend's dad!

I've owned a Monster and was looking to own another in the next few months. It won't be this newly redesigned version. It's all Personal preference though. This reminds me of the 'New Coke' fiasco of the mid 80s. It might piss off a lot of die hard Monster loyalists. It will be interesting to see what the Monster future holds.

"A championship called motoGP", it's not a random bike racing, it's the premier motorcycle competition in the world and Ducati is rocking it

Ridden the 821 and the new one and it’s by far the better bike. I had my heart set on the sf v2 but took a monster a blast after the sfv2 and bought the monster. Comfy fun and plenty poke for blasting round a/b roads. Great review.

Looks lightweight. The apex predator for the Monster is the R. In black. Everything after this was downhill, less. Delighted to say I've got one.

This is one of the best bike shows! Well made and with bullseye content. Thank you! And to answer the question about the new Monster...it looks a bit too nice. It's a great handling bike, I'm sure. But I'll go with the KTM.

I think they should have called it Monster-X or Monster-Z and keep producing the 1200 and 821's along side it. The 1200/821's are super cool looking bikes; I haven't seen any review not mentioning the outstanding looks of these bikes. It would be a waste to throw away such a great ecstatic design. They can drastically bring down the price of the older models, because there are no R&D costs involved anymore. I think the sales of the 1200/821 will go up noticeably.

I’ll go Streetfighter V2

I hope the streetfighter v2 is as light as this one because that one is pretty.

how'd you get those video segments of yourself riding without seeing any support sticks? like a drone following too closely!!

I own the scrambler (803cc icon), have it all retro’d, and am about to install a swing arm from the monster 1100 evo for that single sided sweetness. Always liked the look of the monster and was hoping to acquire one soon to make a cafe racer out of. It will likely be an older model though after seeing this. This new generation of the monster may have some “improvements” but it in no way appeals to me visually when compared to its predecessors. All this tech they’re throwing on bikes nowadays makes the experience less visceral and the machines themselves harder to or altogether impossible work on one’s self. (All that trash talk about new tech said… I’m still getting a 899 Panigale.) 😏

Lots of people were talking shit about Ducati ditching the trellis. I've loved Ducati Monsters since I was a kid and I loved the looks of the previous trellis Monsters. I was on my way to buy a Monster 821 or KTM Duke 890R. I ended up waiting for the new Monster 937 and I ended up buying a 2021 Dark Stealth Monster+. Zero regrets!!! I have been on the 821 and 937 (both brand new) and the Monster 937 leaves the old one in the dust in terms of performance. Looks wise, I like both old Monster and new but overall the new Monster wins hands down. Lots of people online talk shit but lots of them haven't even been on a ride on both bikes hahahaha. KTM 890 and Yamaha MT really nice bikes too but I think overall the Monster is better. This is a bike that has sportiness and class compared to just sportiness on the KTM and Yamaha.

I must have drank the Kool-Aid because I think this bike is gorgeous at all angles!

I like it❤😊

Love the comment at the end re: living in the moment. Great video production too! I’ve ridden this bike and would add it is hot to ride in the summer heat and I don’t believe the mirrors adjust up or down, just side to side. I do like the bike a lot, but it is also too small for me at 6 ft 220lbs. Thanks as always.

those roads are still better than compared to Hawaii road, especially here on my island of Oahu.

No trellis, no monster .

Wonderful review. Not wedded to the past, glad to see Ducati pushing more for performance than history.....now about those stupid desmo valves!!!!!!

That settles it... `i am officially an "old crusty"... :oD

Whos doing this.... Who the hell is designing our bikes, Not long left for the combustion and you dish this up Is it a fkn zongshen?

Oh dear styled by Yamaha MT team. Bikes need to look desirable as they all ride more than well enough for the road. I for one don’t need modes and tft screens I want cool looks and a great sound. iMHO Monster has become a Pussycat

Great review. I got to ride one and it’s not for me. I suppose my 1200S will be my last Monster.

Help Needed! which one would you choose, Ducati Monster or Kawasaki Z900?

Says it all when I was more interested in your braw bunnet. (Scottish for snazzy cap). 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

They throw off its trellis frame. It really breaks my heart. I think I'll have to say goodbye to ducati monster series.

I just came here to write a snarky comment. Before that though, I do love The Bike Show :) Anyway, the box frame is to either save money or the bastards (Bologna) just took the Monsters tubing and used it for the sub-frame on the new Multi :p And I'd point out that it wasn't until Monsters began using water cooling (S4RS/821/1200) that they became comparative plumpers beside their air-cooled predecessors. This smacks of the Fry & the Slurm Factory episode of Futurama.

Live in the moment, get rid of the rubbish that clutters my tiny little mind...that about sums riding up, well said.

Been down the Monster route. Walking up to the thing with fingers crossed it would start grew tiresome.

What bike in the class has a Damper?

wish they have a higher version with Ohlins...

Looks a bit Yamaha MT-07, which I guess isn’t a bad thing? Nice review as always.

A sensible monster. Not so sure about that. Prefer the old one I think.

I like it but not enough to buy one.Mv Augusta brutale 800 Rosso.👍

What’s a punter

This is not the right way to take the Monster design. I'm so sad for my favorite motorcycle.

Watching this from my laptop screen and it doesn't look like a Ducati but more like a Yamaha.

best part of the video, "just buy a bike'. People spend too much time perseverating on the spec sheets. Get what you can afford, and ride the wheels off it.

We're a strange bunch we riders. We hate change, and then love the changes and then don't want the changes to change.

35 years after the first GSX-R, Ducati discovers the aluminum frame.

Always enjoy your reviews, Mat, but a few things: If you think Italian roads are bad, come out to California. When they're not falling into the ocean, our roads will have you visiting a physical therapist after every ride. Compared to the Monsters of yore, that new Ducati is one hot mess of angles, lines, and wires. No thanks. And finally, why blur out the speedometer? No one in Italy cares that you're tearing up the back roads, least of all the Carabinieri.

Always an enjoyable review! In my expert idiot opinion- the monster was always about raw,fun and tastefully thought out looks ,the 1200 and predecessor's are all pretty and desirable bikes and the O.G RS wanted to eat bambi, so new is new yes and probably as good or better than you say but it's not a monster, the vegan that designed(dug through the parts bin) it should have called it the woke-ster.

I tried this and others, I couldn't go past the mt09.

2021 and still no cruise control on the monster, pick up your game ducati

They've spoilt it. The frame is undoubtedly cheaper to make. But it's NOT a monster, it's now generic. I have a 797 and it's gorgeous and comfortable but, frankly a pretty lousy bike because of the non adjustable suspension. Shame. I don't want to plough money into aftermarket suspension.

it is the wind deflector.... - brutale owner

Marketing. Mark my words...a few years down the road we might see that trellis frame again!

Pass.

Is that a MT-07?

No we should not care...its called evolution 😁😀

Last true Monster was the air cooled 797. It’s all gone now sadly.

So newer bikers seem to be offended because mytical sporty bikes are mytical and sporty. So weird to see a brand like ducati spoiling them

Nah I absolutely love the new design. It makes it less identifiable sure but get over it the monster is more beautiful than ever

Rand??

Nothing wrong with it. Just doesn’t look like a monster. More like a Yamaha.

No.......just no........It just looks like everything else now.

Master class in terrible cornering posture. Love the observations, though.

Visually I do miss that frame. But if this is better then so be it. The monster just needs to look a bit more italian and less japanese in the next iteration in my opinion

Nonono. At least in late 1990, I saw and photo’ed necked Ducati in Austria. If you want proof let me know.

The center of the new Monster looks a bit like I took a sheet of aluminum foil, crumpled it up in a ball, and put it under a gas tank.

it doesnt even have cruise control...even the tuono 660 has that!

I bought one of these after test riding. I do like the lack of the trellis frame. It automatically removes any desire for the insufferable traditionalists to come talk to me at the Ducati meets.

Wouldn’t bother me, it’s a great engine but then I prefer the comfort of my Multistrada V2S…

Grandpa rides faaaaast, lol 😂😂😂

Yep it needs all that cladding ripped off of it

I can see your point, but you fail ( as Ducati has ). Decades of style and the Iconic Trellis are hallmarks of recognising a Monster. Even folks that are not riders can pick old ones at a distance because of Galluzzi's concept. Porsche stumbled but recovered from the blunder of trying to erase the 911, evolving the style to this very day. To discard your heritage (for the bike that saved Ducati ) because you want to streatch the parts bin to cover the SS, hyper ( and comming Desert X ) and save a few Kg on the front Spar is heresy. If you cant tell the difference between an MT09 and this thing from a distance why not just admit the Yamaha will outsell this bike and the Monster is dead moving forward . Not enough ' Italianita ' to hide an ugly H2O Euro 5 engine, no amount of telling the people who purchase they are wrong and dumb for not liking this bike will move it off the showroom floor. You are insulting us and that I take issue with in this video, if you insult your customer base how long do you expect to be in business. A few kg saved on the shared Spar will make little difference to the rider ability of the majority of real world owners ( the big marketing spiel - lie ) , yet the loss of Monster identity they will very much notice every time they walk up to it. Hang onto your aircooled twin Monsters, people they are about to become as sought after as old 900 SS's

Lar multiple community services Oakland county Michigan

Looks like a Japanese bike...no more character! The Italians were able to give us beauty and performance...now only performance... No trellis no monster...

It looks like the German influence has spread to the design Department at Ducati . Lets be honest it has none of the flair and flowing lines that made Ducati famous .... Sad .

Fugly, just get an MT07/09 if you like the looks.

Not a fan of the "tank on a lump" design. Generic engine doesn't help either. Neither does the cheap suspension. The original Monster used a WSBK championship wining trellis frame. The connection to the Ducati Corse department was direct. This thing? Tank on a lump. No thanks.