Ducati M900
DUCATI M900
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
THE MONSTER LIVES
ALAN CATHCART
ORIGINALITY IS AT LEAST AS MUCH AN ART AS IT IS A science, especially when it comes to designing motorcycles. The problem is that until you’ve translated your ideas for the latest two-wheeled World Beater from brain waves into metal, you never really know if it’s all going to work out right. A designer’s flight of fancy can become a passport to Weirdsville. There’s no way of knowing whether the buying public, as powerful as Nero, will decide on a thumbs-up or thumbs-down for the machine.
So it is that Miguel Angel Galluzzi must be a mighty relieved man. Galluzzi, 31, late of Honda’s European design studio before joining Cagiva three years ago, had a Pet Project. He’d had the rough drawings in his mental briefcase for some time. But he needed to convince Cagiva/Ducati management to let him build it. That took time. Eventually Galluzzi got the go-ahead, and the Ducati M900, christened “II Mostro” (The Monster) by factory development staff as soon as they saw the prototype, was bom.
Some at Ducati were unconvinced of the bike’s sales potential. This fact is reflected in the 1000-unit production figure originally projected for the new bike. That figure was scaled up to 5000 units after the M900 was launched at the Cologne Show last October to a rapturous reception from press and public, both groups immediately anglicizing the name by adding an “n” and making it II Monstro. The market’s verdict on Galluzzi’s deviant desmo has been a decisive thumbs-up. And now, with II Monstro finally in production, we’re set to answer the obvious question: Does the go match the show?
Indeed it does. Anyone who doesn’t find riding II Monstro an immensely enjoyable and addictive experience is seriously lacking in the sense of humor department, and probably would be better off driving a nice, economical fourdoor sedan. It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden a streetbike which so succinctly encapsulated the fun-factor in motorcycling. This is a red-blooded street rod par excellence.
To concoct his Monster, Galluzzi built a chassis composed of the front half of a 900SS frame and an all-new rear end specially designed to deliver a rakish, muscular look. He equipped it with a fully adjustable, linkage-activated single shock controlling a hunky 170/60-17 radial fitted to a
5.5inch wheel. Also included are a set of Brembo’s best 12.6-inch cast-iron rotors and four-piston calipers up front, a
3.5inch front wheel wearing a 120/70-17 tire, and the same 41mm upside-down Showa fork developed for the SS series.
Powering this parts-bin special is the same 92 x 68mm, 904cc, two-valve air-and-oil-cooled desmo motor fitted to the 900SS. The last one of these to be strapped to the Cycle World dyno developed 75.7 rear-wheel horsepower at 6750 rpm, running on 9.2:1 compression, though the engine is safe to nine grand if you really insist.
The M900 may be built from parts sourced from existing Ducati models, but thanks to Galluzzi’s minimalist styling, the bike is unlike any other Ducati ever made. It also has no current competition from any other make in the showrooms. Sure, you could distantly relate II Monstro to the Yamaha V-Max, except it’s a Twin, not a Four; it actually goes around corners; and it has that unique, Italian touch of class that the Max just can’t claim.
The Monstro is a rolling demonstration of the flair of Italian designers for proportion. There is no greater moment of awareness of this than when you throw a leg over the Monstro for the very first time. You better be ready for a shock, because it’s tiny. What looks to be meaty and muscular from far away turns out to be almost delicate. Sitting there with the short, flat handlebar in front of you and with the footrests a bit further back than expected, it seems like the bike ends 2 inches in front of your nose.
The Monstro feels almost toy-like to ride, but it steers, stops and handles like a racer, while its engine pumps out torquey power you can call on instantly, thanks to the smooth response of the 38mm Mikuni carbs. And though the clutch isn’t as progressive as it should be, the gearchange is slick and quick, with ratios that are well-matched to the engine’s power output. Apart from lowering the overall gearing a couple of teeth on the rear sprocket, Ducati has made no modifications to the engine/trans combo.
Surprisingly, the 408-pound claimed dry weight for the unfaired M900 is 5 pounds more than the 900SS’s. Still, the M900, with a 24-degree head angle and 3.9-inches of trail, feels infinitely more nimble than the SS, in spite of its slightly longer, 56.3-inch wheelbase. That extra halfinch doesn’t do much to help keep the front wheel on the ground if you give the bike a good, solid dose of throttle, though. This bike is a wheelie-fiend.
Despite a shortish, 4.3 inches of wheel travel, the rear suspension is superb, with the progressive action of the Showa shock soaking up bumps and ridges, even cobblestones, with ease. The Showa fork is softly damped, with 4.7 inches of travel, but matches the rear suspension’s performance. This is an extremely confident, capable motorcyele for hard riding, helped out by brakes that easily and effectively slow things down when needed. Not a good idea to use the back brake too eagerly, though. Do this, and you may send the back wheel chattering into turns.
The bike’s quick steering and wonderful suspension don’t translate, however, into full-tilt cornering. For that, the M900 needs more ground clearance, as evidenced by the buffing I gave the silencers when they grounded in only mildly spirited comering-this with the rear preload jacked all the way up to gain maximum ride height. To gain more clearance, the production canisters are more oval than the ones on the show Monstro, but it’s not enough. The rear ride height needs to be raised at least an inch to take full advantage of the chassis’ handling.
Still, the Monstro is very much more than just a straightline muscle-Twin. Taut and together-feeling at all speeds, it responds with delicacy to rider input at low speeds, yet is stable and reassuring as speeds increase. The narrow, flat bar and the perfectly chosen steering geometry give instant steering response that allows you to choose your line with great precision, the sure-footed suspension making certain the bike stays there.
And there can be no faster way through tied-up urban traffic than on the slim, quick M900, though another two teeth on the rear sprocket would reduce transmission snatch in town, where you have to consciously use a lower gear than seems appropriate. Actually, a five-speed gearbox instead of the six-speeder fitted would be better suited to the Monstro’s nature, especially as the V-Twin motor packs terrific midrange punch. Even though it cruises quite happily at 90 mph-plus on Italy’s autostrcidi, you don’t have to hang on to the bar nearly as hard as you would have to on a more upright unfaired machine, thanks to the slightly tipped-forward riding position. The Monstro’s actually quite comfortable at these speeds.
Though you might want to stand on the pegs and stretch your legs a couple of times an hour if you’re 6 feet tall or more, the riding position and seat are pretty comfortable, though the longer-legged brigade might have trouble slotting their knees into the tank recesses. But this isn’t a tourer, after all, and on the short runs the Monstro will mostly be used for, the close-coupled riding position has one huge bonus: the great sense of control it gives.
In giving birth to the Monstro, Ducati has added an important extra dimension to its line. This is a Ducati that allows a rider to enjoy the fun and brio of desmo V-Twin motorcycling without feeling obliged to pretend he’s Doug Polen each time he twists the throttle. Ducati has created a new style of performance streetbike. Think of the Monstro as a cruiser for the ’90s, Euro-style. □
