We drove: Ducati Monster 797
I'll take it upon myself to label the new Monster as a former Cosmo hottie, in line with the hottest female jeans model of recent years. I like "boyfriend jeans" and it's nothing short of "bike guys". Yes, and it's sexy. Very sexy. How I felt when the Monster took me on a "gyroscope" along the Cote d'Azur. I just stopped in front of the first bar and Jacques, Loic, Mathieu and Arno were all mine. Unfortunately, I only looked at my instructor that weekend – the “capo di banda” of Ducati instructors, Beppe Gualini, to my taste: he has 10 Dakars under his belt, 50 other races in the desert and five laps around the world. and then he could not impress the Slovenian journalists with one motorcycle?
And that's the beginning of the story, I mean the test when I think of the garbled title of the book that changed the world. And since I like to correct things a little, I will say: "Hard working girls go to heaven, and naughty girls in the company of men stomp their knees on the Côte d'Azur." Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. not much, but the use of poetic instruments is commonplace in motorsport and fishing. As a superstar, of course, I still have about a hundred million more kilometers in the saddle to stretch my knees, but the thoughtful ergonomics of the new Monster 797 definitely helped me not to obsess over the engine like a broom. Of course, this does not mean that I did not play the role of a broom in a group of experienced motorcyclists. “Someone is always a broom,” my editor, mentor, and friend Piotr Kavcic responded to my concerns about whether she would jump right into the 800cc beast like a rookie. However, I did not go to Nice with a light heart. It would be completely different if the locomotive was called a teddy bear or a panda. Monster? Ahh… my knees are shaking a lot!
It has been half a century since Ducati designer Miguel Galluzzi drew the first sketch for the first stripped-down motorcycle, heralding a new stripped-down era of lighter, more attractive motorcycles. The model we drove continues the tradition of the first Monsters, it is the same in terms of temperament, impeccable workmanship and components that Ducati has not spared. It is also true that this bike, however, has a slightly softer character. This, say, cultivated monster is perhaps even the first unisex motorcycle that does not rely on either the feminine or masculine side, but is androgynous nonetheless, but is the best combination of masculine bulges and feminine curves. That this is actually a versatile motorcycle is confirmed by the fact that it has been tested by the aforementioned full initials in the company of racing legends and experienced motorcycle journalists and will soon be available in a limited version for A2 exam holders.
The only thing Ducati hasn't been looking for very moderate compromises anyway is sound, otherwise the new Monster 797 is a perfect cross between its older siblings from the Scrambler family. This model in any case represents the compromise between Mars and Venus, between urban and relational driving, between the week and the weekend, between the make-up artist and the controlled ego. The only thing you can't afford is a longer car ride as a couple, because your companion will leave you somewhere halfway to Dubrovnik and hitchhike back home. Monster was, is and always will be a bit of a lonely beast, but going to the nearest disco will be like butter.
The new model from the House of Ducati, at least from what I understand, looks like a well-trained Arabian horse: it can also be saddled by amateurs, and only professionals can use its full power. The two-cylinder engine from the Borgo Panigala is actually well-controlled, lightweight and also economical, but above all it remains prestigious, as Ducati befits.
text: Tina Torelli · photo: Milagro
