Calling this Italian machine iconic would still be a massive understatement, judging from the fact that the Ducati Monster pretty much single handedly propelled the ‘naked’ niche to where it is today. Ducati’s Monsters were such a hit that it eventually was more than two-thirds of the company’s output, all from designer Miguel Galluzi’s brilliant minimalist idea. The Monster line was incepted with the idea to create a bike focusing on the basic components; a saddle, tank, engine, wheels and handlebars. The Ducati Monster 795 was launched back in 2011, built specifically for the Asian market, at an event attended by Valentino Rossi himself.
The 795 essentially adopts the 696 chassis and the 796’s engine, a hybrid between two great Monsters. It uses an air and oil cooled 803cc L-twin engine and Monster exercises Ducati’s more positive ‘Desmodromic’ valvetrain management on this machine. At only 187kg, the light weight enables the bike to reach a peak power output of 87bhp at 8250rpm making it yet another gamechanger for Ducati. The ergonomics are still sporty but at the same time really light on your wrists and your back, making it especially easy to manoeuvre the bike in traffic.
The rigid trellis frame and Brembo brakes set up offer exceptional feedback but still can do with a little more bite. Nevertheless, the power to weight ratio of 465 BHP per tonne gives the bike great throttle response.
Acceleration on this bike is huge, with lighning fast in-gear acceleration. In preventing the loss of traction, the Monster 795 is also calibrated to cut power from the engine if the bike reaches higher RPM’s in lower gears and a flickering red light appears on the display to let the rider know.
The all digital information console displays a tachometer on the large screen and other metrics such as a tripmeter, odometer and clock on the smaller screen. The footpegs are placed slightly towards the rear to give it a more sporty look but the lower seat position may turn away some of the taller riders (>6 feet).
There are also no grab rails for the pillion, and together with the twin underseat exhausts and stepped seat, makes the pillion not very welcome on this Ducati. The Monster 795 starts at about RM60,000 and also has an ABS equipped edition launched in 2011 which goes for about RM68,000. Despite being more expensive than other bikes in this engine class, the Monster is fundamentally still a Ducati with excellent contour, menacing looks and incomparable performance.
Products on this motorcycle :
Ducati Inner Rim Sticker in reflective red