In what most people would characterize as a fairly monstrous year, Ducati just made its final new model introduction in the 2020 new bike season. The updated, newly Euro 5-compliant 2021 Monster is here, and no matter how it looks at first glance, we swear it isn’t what happens when you throw an MT-07 and a Brutale in a blender. Promise. 

According to Ducati’s presentation, the design brief was “ristretto,” getting back to a lighter, more essential Monster. They wanted to hark back to the Monster’s roots as a fun, capable naked bike for every day fun without getting too nostalgic. As an evolution from the outgoing Monster 821, you know what? It’s visually much sleeker and less chunky—particularly that new exhaust. 

That refinement isn’t just skin deep, either. The new 937cc Testastretta 11-degree engine makes a claimed 111 horsepower, along with 69 lb-ft of torque. Ducati also says that torque band is more available lower down in the rev range, which seems like a definite plus for riders.  

2021 Ducati Monster Rinaldi Front
2021 Ducati Monster Rinaldi On Track

Trellis frame? What trellis frame? The 2021 Monster’s new, Panigale-derived front frame is lightweight aluminum, and weighs a claimed 3 kg, or 6.6 pounds.  It connects to the engine as a stressed member, and the whole thing is tied together at the back via a GFRP subframe that weighs about 2 kg, or 4.4 pounds. The overall composition has a dry weight of 166 kg, or approximately 366 pounds. Remember, Ducati doesn’t like to give wet weights, and should perhaps consider calling Cardi B for assistance. Still, it’s more powerful and also a full 18 kg (39.6 pounds) lighter in weight than the Monster 821, which are certainly not bad attributes. 

Gallery: 2021 Ducati Monster

Other features include a 4.3-inch TFT color dash, LED lighting all around (including sweeping turn indicators), ABS, traction control, wheelie control, launch control, and an up/down quickshifter. You also get three riding modes: Sport, Touring, and Urban. The clutch lever is also lighter and more forgiving than the previous model. 

Suspension consists of a 43mm USD front fork and a preload-adjustable monoshock at the rear, along with an aluminum double-sided swingarm. Alloy wheels come wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tires. Front brake is a radially-mounted Brembo M4.32 monobloc 4-piston caliper dual semi-floating 320mm disc setup in front, with a radial master cylinder. Rear brake is a single 245mm disc with a Brembo 2-piston floating caliper. 

The 2021 Monster comes in two variants: regular, and Monster +, with the + simply adding a tiny little fairing and a rear seat cowl. Both versions come in your choice of three colors: Ducati red, matte black, and aviator gray with fluorescent red rims. MSRP for the base 2021 Monster is $11,895, while the Monster + runs $12,195. That’s actually a decrease from the 2020 Monster 821 pricing, which was $11,995 for the base Monster and $12,895 for the Stealth variant. 

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