Monstrous!

Monstrous!

Super Standards

Ducati's new eight-valve Monster S4 is more superbike than standard

MASSIMO BORDI RAN HIS FINGER ALONG THE EDGE OF the gray-and-red Monster's curved radiator and asked, "What do you think?"

"I think it looks great in the Senna Replica colors," I replied. Clearly, this was not the answer the Ingegnere was expecting. Then, ever so slowly, my brain received the message: "Earth to Brian...Monsters don't have radiators. Or twin-cam heads, for that matter. This must be the new eight-valve Monster!"

I rebounded nicely: “Is this the color scheme in which it will debut at the Munich Show?”

“Yes, but it will just be for the show. We won’t offer it for sale in these colors.”

I smiled smugly. He didn’t suspect a thing...

This reporter’s inattention to details notwithstanding, the rumors are true: There is an eight-valve Monster, it’s called the S4, and it will go on sale later this year alongside the existing two-valve Monsters. Color options will include Ducati’s usual red, yellow and black; price will be in the neighborhood of $12,500.

This is an important motorcycle for Ducati, because contrary to popular belief, it’s not the 996 and 748 Superbikes that make up the bulk of corporate sales. Instead, it is the Monster range that sells in the greatest numbers, particularly in Italy, where the affordable Monster 600 Dark is the single best-selling model of any motorcycle. And with increasingly serious competition in the naked-bike category-not least from former parent company Cagiva, whose Raptor was penned by original M900 designer Miguel Angel Galluzzi himself-Ducati needs a more powerful alternative to its aging two-val vers.

While at first glance the S4 appears to be an M900 with a 916 engine, it is on closer inspection more of a 916 with Monster bodywork. Or more accurately an ST4, because the engine and frame in fact come from the sport-tourer, as do the two-piece handlebars that bolt to the top triple-clamp.

The fully adjustable suspension consists of an inverted 43mm Showa fork and German Sachs shock, the latter operated by a straightforward 916/996-style linkage instead of the convoluted arrangement the existing Monster line inherited from the old 851/888 Superbikes. Wheels are lightweight five-spoke Marchesinis, and the cambelt covers, sidepanels, fenders and muffler guards are all carbon-fiber. The complete bike is said to weigh just 425 pounds dry, about 20 pounds heavier than the old air-cooled Monster.

Part of the challenge in transforming a sport-tourer into a naked bike is hiding all the ancillary components that lurk beneath the plastic fairing. Most offensive in this case was the battery, which was relocated from its former position on the right side of the engine to under the fuel tank, ahead of the airbox. Elegant single-piece castings support the rider and passenger pegs, as well as the oval-section mufflers that help dress up the rear end. The result is a clean, uncluttered machine that befits the Monster’s original design brief. Not to mention packs a wallop: The retuned 916cc engine is said to pump out a tick over 100 horsepower, about 30 more ponies than the old two-valve 900.

The ST4, meanwhile, is also apparently poised for an upgrade. The rumor mill holds that it will be bumped up to 996cc for the 2001 model year, making for an even sportier sport-tourer. Not that I'd know one if I saw it...

Brian Catterson