Despite persistent rumours that Ducati will release a scrambler, the Italian has announced the addition of a mid-sized Monster 821 to the line-up.
The Monster 821 will be available in Europe from July, August in Australia and New Zealand with pricing released closer to release date. There will be three versions, a matte black “Dark” with a black frame and wheels, a red model with red frame and black wheels and “star white silk” with red frame and matte red wheels. Both red and white liveries come with colour-matched single-seat covers.
The lightweight 179.5kg naked bike is powered by the water-cooled 821 Testastretta 11° engine with 83kW of power and 89Nm of torque.
While pricing hasn’t been mentioned, it is believed Ducati will aim for the premium market. They say the Monster 821 will have “high-spec brakes, excellent suspension and stylish componentry”. From the photos, it’s clear that it has Brembo brakes, but it doesn’t look like Ohlins suspension. However, Ducati also says it will have eight-level traction control, three-level ABS and three-level Ride-by-Wire throttle Riding Modes or engine maps, so a premium price is likely.
Following on from the release of the Monster 1200, the Monster 821 will get similar styling, similar single-sided double exhaust system, the same chassis and the seat which is adjustable for height by 25mm.
It will be interesting to see if Ducati drops a model from its monster line-up to make way for the Monster 821.
Meanwhile, there is still no word on a scrambler after the iconic Italian manufacturer applied last year for a new trademark on the name Ducati Scrambler. Ducati used to make single-pot scramblers back in the ‘60s and ‘70s.