Ducati Monster 696

• Video

Italians. Spaghetti, fashion, models, passion, racing, Ferrari, Valentino Rossi, Ducati. ... Monster. This incredibly simple yet so eye-catching motorcycle that was drawn 15 years ago is still in vogue. I'll explain in a little cartoonish way: if you park a first generation Monster in front of the bar, you're still a dude. However, if you whistle for a Honda CBR of the same year, eyewitnesses will think that you are probably a student who barely spent those few euros on an old engine. ...

The refurbished and new motorcycles (with which we mainly measure Japanese products) that hit the roads every two years get older each time. In other words, what is good today, in a few years, well, unnoticed, although it is still good.

Ducati plays on different strings and does not constantly bombard the market with new products. But after all these years and a few subtle updates to the stripped-down Monster, we were quietly expecting a more thorough overhaul. The predictions were terrible from a futuristic point of view, but last year, shortly before the Milan Salon, it turned out that we only saw the forebodings of some European journalists on the World Wide Web, copied using computer graphic design programs. Fortunately, they were wrong.

The monster remains the monster. With enough visual changes that we can no doubt call new and not just refurbished. The most striking innovations are the split headlight and a pair of thick and short mufflers, which are abundant on the short rear end. The frame is also new: the main body remains welded from (now thicker) tubes, and the rear auxiliary part is cast in aluminum.

The plastic fuel tank retains the familiar lines and has two openings at the front for air to the filter, covered with a silver mesh that decorates the fuel tank beautifully and adds a bit of aggressiveness. The rear swinging forks are no longer crafted from 'furniture' profiles, but are now beautifully cast aluminum that gives the impression of being part of a GP race car. Up front, they've installed excellent brakes with a pair of radially mounted four-bar calipers that stop above average for the segment the "small" Monster is in.

They also upgraded the well-known two-cylinder unit, which is still air-cooled and the four valves are operated in Ducati's "desmodromic" way. To wake up a few "horses", they had to replace the piston and cylinder heads and provide faster heat dissipation to the environment, which they achieved with more cooling fins on the cylinders. The result is nine percent more power and 11 percent more torque. The left lever is very soft and operates a sliding clutch that unobtrusively prevents the rear wheel from spinning when downshifting. Barely noticeable, but nice.

The dashboard, like the sports 848 and 1098, is fully digital. RPM and speed are displayed on a medium-sized screen, which also contains information about time, oil and air temperature and lap times on the race track, and a key sign reminds us of the need for regular maintenance. Around the digital display are also idle warning lights, dim lights, fuel reserve activation, direction indicators on, and engine oil level too low, and at the top, three red lights illuminate when the engine speed is in the red field and it is time to shift up.

Not worrying that the choke valve on the left side of the steering wheel still has to be manually activated during a cold start, but we currently expect the electronics to control the air-fuel ratio. The engine starts well and makes one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. A twin-cylinder air-cooled drum is irreplaceable for Ducati, although it is the smallest unit in the family. At higher speeds, the exhaust sound is no longer audible as much as it is suppressed by the gust of wind around the helmet, but it can be heard well through the buzzing through the air filter chamber.

You won't be driving this monster very fast anyway, as there is a lot of wind around your body, and the small spoiler above the dash only helps when you bow your head low over the fuel tank. The lower limbs are also poorly protected from the wind, which he wants to "rip" off the motorcycle on the freeway, which forces the rider to constantly squeeze his legs together. But to understand each other? this only occurs at speeds higher than permitted by law on the highway.

The unit tends to be friendly up to 6.000 rpm (or lazy for those who like fast accelerations), but then the power increases quickly and the Monster starts to move decently fast. Without bending down, he develops a speed of almost 200 kilometers per hour, and with a helmet on the fuel tank - a little more than this number. When upshifting, the transmission is short and precise, and when downshifting it needed a little more force in the left ankle (nothing critical!), especially when looking for idle. However, we need to know that the test engine has barely covered 1.000 kilometers and the transmission may not have been fully broken in yet.

What surprised all drivers, as well as those who grabbed the wheel when the engine was off, was the weight. Sorry, lightness! The new 696 is as light as a 125cc motorcycle. See, and combined with the low seat, we think this is one of the best options for girls and beginner riders who would like to ride a noble product.

For a completely relaxed ride, it takes a bit of getting used to the position behind the wide and rather low handlebars, as well as the Ducati geometry, which opens the line more than the driver expects when braking into a corner, but then becomes pleasant when driving to work in the city center, returning more a long winding road, perhaps with a stop at a local waitress, and on sunny days, something completely everyday.

The Ducati Monster 696 is light above average in hand and still looks good. Demanding drivers will miss the adjustable front suspension, and the giants (over 185 cm) will have more legroom. Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, For € 7.800, you can afford real Italian fashion.

Test car price: 7.800 EUR

engine: two-cylinder, four-stroke, air-cooled, 696 cc? , 2 valves per cylinder Desmodromic, Siemens electronic fuel injection? 45 mm.

Maximum power: 58 kW (8 km) @ 80 rpm

Maximum torque: 50 Nm @ 6 rpm

Energy transfer: Transmission 6-speed, chain.

Frame: steel pipe.

brakes: two coils ahead? 320mm, 245-rod radial jaws, rear disc? XNUMX mm, two-piston.

Suspension: inverted Showa telescopic forks? 43mm, 120mm travel, Sachs adjustable single rear shock, 150mm travel.

Tires: before 120 / 60-17, back 160 / 60-17.

Seat height from ground: 770 mm.

Fuel tank: 15 l.

Wheelbase: 1.450 mm.

Weight: 161 kg.

Representative: Nova Motolegenda, Zaloška cesta 171, Ljubljana, 01/5484768, www.motolegenda.si.

We praise and reproach

+ light weight

+ ease of use

+ brakes

+ cumulative

– wind protection

– not for tall riders

Matevž Gribar, photo: Aleš Pavletič