[Luddite]

Good spot, Chris. I found the original Motorrad story at the weekend and was in the process of translating it when you beat me to it!

From: https://www.motorradonline.de/naked-...rlkoenig-2021/

Lots of Updates for the Monster



Ducati Monster (2021) Spyshot Caught

Our spyshot hunter unexpectedly caught a Ducati in his net. It is unmistakably the successor to the Ducati Monster. The shock: Instead of a steel trellis frame, the Bolognese are now using aluminium.

When it first appeared in 1992, the Ducati Monster was a ground breaking motorcycle. The Ducati developers linked the chassis of a supersport, the Ducati 888, with the look of a classic street motorcycle. The Italians used the well-behaved 900 V2 of the super sports models as the motor. Air-cooled, a good 70 horsepower and relatively durable. For many years, the Monster shaped the Ducati model range and was a guarantee of good sales. The Monster family grew across all possible displacement classes, from the 400 to the mighty 1200 with water-cooled 150 HP Desmo power, everything was on offer.

New Engine With 950 cm³

The range has come under increasing pressure. From below from the Ducati Scrambler, which surely skimmed off a share of those interested in Monsters, as well as from above, since the Streetfighter and especially the Streetfighter V4 offer highly attractive and very sporty naked bikes. Not to mention the keen competition from BMW to KTM and Triumph. So it is high time for Bologna to renovate the Monsters thoroughly. And, as our unfortunately blurry photo reveals, Ducati, like its Panigale superbikes, will use aluminium as the frame material. Paradigm shift also in the application of the material: Instead of a trellis frame, cast components connect the chassis and engine.


Not very sharp because it is quite far away: the Monster prototype during test rides.

The front structure, which houses the steering head, appears to be bolted together in two parts. The rear frame also appears to be a cast construction. We cannot tell whether the two halves are bolted together here as well. The once dominant exhaust with its baroque (! ) headers gives way to a lighter, more integrated version. Cheekily, the two short exhaust stubs stretch up, the main work in terms of silencing is carried out by a front silencer under the gearbox. The Ducati probably uses the water-cooled midsize engine, which probably now comes with 950 cm³ instead of 821 cm³. Just as it is used in the Multistrada 950. A fine engine, but it will probably not remain the only option.

Conclusion

Gone are the days of the trellis frame. The header pipes will also be hidden in the future. The engine of the 950-V2 should come into play. It us obvious that the new Ducati Monster can look forward to a lot of updates.