2018 Ducati Monster 821 | First Look Review

2018 Ducati Monster 821
Updated for 2018, the Ducati Monster 821 is now Euro4 compliant and it gets a styling refresh, a full-color TFT display and an optional quickshifter.

Over its 25-year history and numerous displacements, variations and colors, the Ducati Monster has been an icon of style and performance. All but launching the naked bike movement in the early ‘90s, the Monster has evolved and matured but it has never strayed from its original design concept. Every model has retained the timeless, signature look—solo headlight, exposed trellis frame, stance like a bulldog—but they’ve been tastefully updated with fresh lines and imbued with new technology.

2018 Ducati Monster 821
Like its Monster 1200 big brother, the Monster 821 gets a more streamlined look but retains the naked bike’s iconic profile.

For 2018, Ducati’s Il Mostro lineup includes five models: the air-cooled Monster 797+, three versions of the Monster 1200 (standard, S and R) and the updated Monster 821.

Read our 2017 Ducati Monster 1200 S review

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2018 Ducati Monster 821
The Ducati Monster 821’s new muffler is Euro4 compliant for noise and emissions.

Three years after its 2015 introduction, the Monster 821 gets a styling refresh that puts it more in line with the Monster 1200—a more streamlined profile, a sculpted tank and tail, a redesigned muffler and headlight, and a new full-color TFT display.

Read our 2015 Ducati Monster 821 review

2018 Ducati Monster 821
The Ducati Monster 821 gets a new, full-color TFT display.

Perhaps due to Euro4 compliance restrictions, claimed output from the liquid-cooled, 821cc Testastretta 11-degree L-twin is down a bit from the previous model, with a claimed maximum of 109 horsepower at 9,250 rpm (down from 112) and 63.4 lb-ft of torque at 7,750 rpm (down from 65.9). As before, the Monster 821 is equipped with throttle-by-wire and three riding modes—Sport, Touring and Urban—that automatically adjust throttle response, engine output, traction control intervention and ABS sensitivity. Power is sent to the rear wheel through an assist-and-slipper clutch, a 6-speed transmission and chain final drive.

Read about early arrival 2018 Ducati Models landing at U.S. dealers

2018 Ducati Monster 821
The Ducati Monster 821 comes in three classic colors: Ducati Red, Ducati Yellow and Black.

Ducati’s signature tubular-steel trellis frame is mated to a double-sided cast aluminum swingarm. Suspension is handled by a nonadjustable 43mm upside-down Kayaba fork and an adjustable Sachs shock, and a pair of 320mm front discs squeezed by Brembo M4-32 Monobloc radial calipers do most of the braking. Cast wheels are 17-inchers shod with Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tires.

2018 Ducati Monster 821
The 2018 Ducati Monster 821 in Ducati Red.

The Monster 821 has an adjustable seat height (30.9/31.9 inches), 4.4-gallon fuel capacity and 454-pound curb weight (claimed). A passenger seat cowl is standard equipment, and the bike can be fitted with an optional up/down quickshifter.

2018 Ducati Monster 821
The 2018 Ducati Monster 821 in Black.

As an homage to the original Monster, the 821 comes in three classic colors: Ducati Red, Black and old-school Ducati Yellow. Pricing starts at $11,995. Look for our first ride review in the near future.

 

 

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