Episode 84 of the Brap Talk motorcycle podcast is out with another “weekly” episode, for your two-wheeled listening pleasure.
It is a new year, but your same favorite motorcycle podcast! This show sees us announcing a few new bikes in the garage, some bigger than others.
It was just last week that we saw Ducati North America recalling nearly 6,000 motorcycles from several of its lines, including the Monster lineup, for issues with their rear brake hoses.
And now today, we see another 1,312 Monsters getting recalled for a similar issue (though there is likely overlap on the bike’s affected between the two recalls).
Specifically, this recall concerns the fact that the rear brake hose may be susceptible to heat damage, for a variety of different reasons.
I’m not a fan of the Monster line from Ducati. There, I said it. There is just something about the Monster models over the years that has failed to strike me as appealing, though I must say the latest crop of liquid-cooled Monsters has certainly been a step forward for me, visually.
I’m more of a fan of the Ducati Streetfigther lineup, and I still hope that Ducati has a new Streetfighter design somewhere on its design boards. Ideally, such a machine would have a Superquadro engine at its heart, and accordingly make big horsepower numbers that rip our eyeballs from our sockets.
The fate of the Streetfighter line remains to be seen though, and with each passing model year I expect to see the Streetfighter 848 finally leave the Italian company’s lineup. It would seem the Streetfighter is kaput as of the 2016 model year. -JB
As such, the Monster line could be Ducati’s only naked bike model, any year now. So, if time is really against us, and if the Monster really is to be the only naked bike from Ducati, I hope the future iterations take a lesson from this concept.
We all know the new model season is upon us, and Ducati has wasted no time in already letting slip two new models for the 2016 model year: the Ducati Monster 1200 R and the Ducati Diavel Carbon.
The Bologna Brand has a few more tricks up its sleeve, as it plans to debut nine new models at the upcoming EICMA show in Milan. In addition to that, Ducati says we can expect machines the will push the company into two market segments that the Italian brand is not in with its current lineup.
Just in case you didn’t know, the Ducati Monster 1200 R debuted today, and with 160hp, it’s officially Ducati’s most powerful naked bike…ever.
Ducati hopes that the changes to the motor and chassis will make the Monster 1200 R more skilled on the track – something that Monster 1200 S doesn’t really do well – and it shows from the photos.
Speaking of photos we have 74 mega-huge – yup, that’s a word now – photos ones for you to enjoy, after the jump of course.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Is this a worthy successor to the Ducati Streetfighter 1098? How does the Monster 1200 R stack-up to the KTM 1290 Super Duke R and Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 RR, in your mind?
As promised, the Ducati Monster 1200 R debuted today, making this new top-of-the-line Monster the most powerful naked bike ever from the Bologna brand.
Helping Ducati with that powerful claim is the use of the 160hp Testastretta 11° DS engine on the Monster 1200R, which is an interesting choice, as it’s not the DVT units found on the new Ducati Multistrada 1200.
Helping Testastretta motor are large oval throttle bodies, 58mm exhaust ports, and a compression ratio of 13:1. The Monster 1200 R is still EURO 4 homologated though, making the machine both powerful and friendly to the environment.
Other noticeable enhancements for the “R” model are the new tail and front section designs, along with revised chassis that includes higher-spec Öhlins suspension, fore and aft.
For good measure, the wheels are forged aluminum Marchesini units, which should help make the 456 lbs (curb) mass of the motorcycle move a little more easily.
Available in either “Ducati” Red or “Thrilling” Black, the 2016 Ducati Monster 1200 R will be available at dealers in early 2016, says Ducati North America.
Ducati has just teased the first images of its most powerful naked bike ever, calling the machine the Ducati Monster 1200 R, which is set to officially debut on September 14th.
The Italian motorcycle company says that the Monster 1200 R has a “more powerful engine, a sportier chassis and an advanced design,” though fails to say in comparison to what – we presume the Monster 1200 S.