2023–2025 · Naked Bike · Buyer's Guide
The V-Twin That Pulls
The Monster runs a 937 cc liquid-cooled 90° V-twin making 111 hp and 69 lb-ft, and the way it hands that torque over matters more than the peak number. Pull arrives in long, rolling swells from low in the rev range rather than as a top-end scream, and that is what gives this bike its personality on a public road. At 414 lb wet it is genuinely light for a premium naked. The rider-aid package is standard and complete: ride-by-wire power modes, wheelie control, traction control, cornering ABS, launch control, TFT display. The finish sits where the price says it should.
It rides friendlier than the badge suggests. Steering is neutral and unforced, the 58.0 in (1474 mm) wheelbase keeps it settled, and there is more lean clearance on tap than most owners will ever use. That combination suits a rider who wants Italian presence and real pace without a machine that punishes them the rest of the week. The 32.3 in (820 mm) seat asks for a moderate inseam. The honest caveat is the standard fork. It is soft and non-adjustable, and it runs short on damping control once you start pushing on a good road.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 111 hp (82 kW) @ 9,250 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 69 lb-ft (93 Nm) @ 6,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 937 cc |
| Engine | 90° V-twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-17 |
| Wheelbase | 58.0 in (1474 mm) |
| Seat height | 32.3 in (820 mm) |
| Wet weight | 414 lb (188 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.7 gal (14 L) |
| Top speed | 140 mph (225 km/h) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Lighting
Safety
The named systems that set this bike apart — and what each one does for you.
Rider aids
Swing a leg over and it feels smaller than the photos suggest. The seat is narrow where it meets the tank, 414 lb sits low enough to push around a parking spot one-handed, and nothing about the first thirty seconds feels like a chore. At idle the V-twin thumps up through the pegs and the bars with a rhythm you feel in your palms, then cleans up once you are rolling. The bars are wide, wrists stay light, and the riding position is upright without putting you in a sail. Past 60 mph the wind starts pressing on your chest, which is the whole reason to buy a naked bike: 70 mph feels like an event. Sitting in stop-and-go traffic, the heat off the motor finds your shins quickly. Out on a flowing back road, the whole bike reads relaxed and steady.
This section is other people's mileage, not mine. Years of it, collected the slow way: riders who catch me at bike nights, owners comparing notes in a parking lot after a demo ride, and the email that keeps arriving from people living with one. What stands out on the Monster is how little owners argue about the bike itself. The trading of notes is about what they would change on it, and those conversations keep landing in the same few places.
Among riders pushing pace, the standard fork comes up more than anything else. They describe it as soft with no damping to dial in, and most treat that as a setup decision rather than a fault. The interesting part is what they do next. Some fit progressive springs or aftermarket internals and leave it there. Others put the money toward the SP instead, and they talk about that as buying a package rather than a fork: Ohlins suspension, Brembo Stylema brakes with radial master cylinders, a Termignoni exhaust, a lithium-ion battery. Riders who went that way frame it as a sportier starting point for someone who doesn't want a Streetfighter. The weight that comes off along the way barely registers in how they describe it.
Heat is the other constant, and it comes almost entirely from city riders. The pattern owners report is consistent: the cooling fan spins up early in slow traffic, and the hot air arrives on the right thigh. Uncomfortable is the word that keeps coming back. The useful piece of that conversation is the heat-comfort accessory Ducati eventually offered. Owners who fitted one say the difference is easy to feel.
Riders running the optional quickshifter describe the trouble in detail rather than in general terms. False neutrals, shifts that refuse to take low in the rev range, and in a small number of cases a sensor replaced under warranty.
KYB front fork soft and non-adjustable on STD
The standard non-adjustable fork can feel excessively soft and lacks damping control, leading to a vague front-end feel during aggressive riding.
Engine heat in stop-and-go traffic
Excessive engine heat radiates onto the rider's legs in slow-moving traffic, causing discomfort.
Bidirectional DQS occasionally fails to engage cleanly
The quickshifter can be inconsistent, sometimes failing to engage or producing jerky shifts, especially at low rpm.
Front brake judder/rotor glazing at low speed
Low-speed braking can induce pulsation or glazing of the front rotors, causing vibration through the lever.
Exhaust header surface corrosion within first year
The exhaust headers develop surface rust or corrosion, particularly in humid climates, despite low mileage.
Where this Ducati Monster pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Monster is actually built for.
Weekday city miles and Sunday runs up Skyline are exactly this bike's brief. It is easy in traffic, looks right parked at the coffee stop, and has the pace for the ridge roads.
Made for Bay Area Ridge Roads · San Francisco / Bay Area · Skyline Boulevard / Alice's Restaurant
Light steering, deep lean clearance, and low-rev drive suit canyon work well. If you ride hard most weekends, plan on spending money to sort the soft front end.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
Tight, repeating corners are where the easy handling and rolling torque pay off. It rewards smooth technique instead of demanding it, which is what you want for a full day on the Dragon.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2021–2022
Light Frame, Real Ducati Soul
Compare to the previous model →The Ducati Monster also comes in these variants, models and special editions. Each has its own page covering only what differs from the standard Monster — equipment, electronics, specs and used price.
