The bike that saved Ducati: An A to Z of the Monster

With the arrival of an all-new, ‘fifth generation’ Monster for 2026, it’s timely to remember the history of the bike which, originally unveiled in 1993, went on to become the Italian firm’s most successful model ever.

Many assume it was the 1994 916 that revived Ducati's fortunes in the 1990s. Instead, although the 916 did grab more headlines, dominated world superbikes and became Ducati’s ‘poster bike’, it was, first, the 1991 750 and 900 Supersports, then, even more successfully, the 1993 Monster 900, which returned the Italian brand to prosperity, paving the way for a whole new era.

The Monster 900’s aggressive roadster style started the whole ‘super naked’ class. At an accessible £7500 it was a vital sales hit, and that popularity, spun off into 600, 750 versions and more, spawned a best-selling family which was Ducati’s lifeblood for decades to come. 

From 1993 to 2000, the Monster accounted for a whopping 42 per cent of Ducati sales. During certain periods, Monsters represented 70 per cent of Ducati’s total production. And to date, well over 350,000 Monsters of all types have been sold. No pressure on the new, lighter, more affordable 2026 version then…

The story of the creation of the 1993 original has often been retold but is worth a brief recap here. It was the pet project of then junior Cagiva (who then owned Ducati) designer Miguel Galluzzi (who is now head of design for the Piaggio Group)

An Argentinean who grew up in LA, he graduated in design in 1986, worked for Opel then Honda, joined Cagiva/Ducati in the late ‘80s and was inspired by the ‘canyon racers’, stripped down, ‘naked’ bikes he’d seen on his schooldays.

“This stayed in my mind,” he recalled later. “That you didn’t actually need much – just handlebars, gas tank and a seat.”

Later, inspired by a magazine ‘stripped down’ photo of Ducati’s then 851 superbike, he did a sketch of what he had in mind.

“Then, in the summer of 1991, when most were on holiday, I had nothing to do, went to see my boss, showed him the sketch, and he said ‘Go to Ducati, get some parts and do whatever you want…’ So I went to Ducati, got some pieces and, with another guy, started working on what became the Monster.”

The result, comprising a 900SS engine, 888 superbike frame and 750SS front end, was so unlike anything then available that even Ducati initially failed to see its potential. Six months later, however, Galluzzi convinced Cagiva boss Claudio Castiglioni to take his prototype to a big meeting, the French Ducati importer rose out of his chair and said ‘Claudio, I want 1200 of those…’, the bike then received a rapturous welcome at the 1992 Cologne Show and the rest, as they say, is history…

The first 1993 Ducati 900 Monster was an immediate sales hit just when the ailing Italian company needed it most. That triggered the launch, 12 months later, of the smaller, even more affordable £5000 M600, making it a bigger hit still. Further spin-offs, including Dark and 750 versions, were then introduced, and the Monster legend was well and truly established…

Over the years since the Monster has gone from strength to strength through a series of continual updates and model expansion. Fuel injected, enlarged and performance versions came in the early 2000s; a ‘second generation’ Monster came in 2008 while, most controversially, liquid-cooled engines and an aluminium frame, characterized the most recent fourth generation ‘937’ launched in 2021.

This latest 2026 version, on the strength of even more lightness, the brilliant new 890 V-twin engine and Ducati’s Monster track record, promises greater things still. Below, we track in detail ever significant Monster model between 1993 and 2026.

And the name? Galluzzi revealed all in an interview a few years ago:

“In a sense it was created by my two sons. At that time in Italy there were these funny little rubber kids toys you could collect and every day when I came home from work my kids would say ‘Did you buy me the monsters?’. Sometimes I did and sometimes I’d forget… 

“Around the same time, we were working on the bike and one day my boss called me and said ‘Listen, you’re spending too much money, we need to make it official. What shall we call it?’ Usually, prototypes had numbers, but the only thing I could think of was the toy, so I said: ‘Why don’t we call it Monster?’ It started being called Monster from that moment on.”

And now, the Ducati Monster is one of motorcycling’s greatest names of all…

The Ducati Monster: All the variations and specs

1993 M900 Monster

The origin of the species. By combining the 888’s steel trellis chassis with an air-cooled 904cc sohc engine from the 900SS, Ducati gives its Monster agile handling and loads of gutsy drive as well as café racer styling. The £7500 price tag is its only issue, a FireBlade cost £400 less.

Engine: 904cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 67bhp @ 7000rpm
Torque: 60ftlb @ 6000rpm
Weight: 185kg

1994 M600 Monster

The first small capacity Monster. Taking its styling cues directly from the M900, the M600 used a smaller 584cc air-cooled 600SS motor in a lower specification chassis with a single front disc. It proved a massive hit all across Europe, thanks in a large part to its budget £5000 price tag. An even more budget ‘Dark’ version followed in 1997.

Engine: 584cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 51bhp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 38ftlb @ 6,000rpm
Weight: 175kg

1996 M750 Monster

Keen to build on the success of the M900 and M600, Ducati use the 750 Sport’s air-cooled engine as a halfway house between the budget M600 and premium M900. The M750 cost £6800 but failed to catch on, and was discontinued a year later and was briefly rebranded as the M750 Dark in 1999.

Engine: 748cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 62bhp @ 7500rpm
Torque: 45ftlb @ 6850rpm
Weight: 178kg

1998 M900 S Monster

Having seen the benefit of creating higher specification models with its 748 and 916, Ducati try the same trick with the Monster. Avoiding the traditional Öhlins route, Ducati instead upgrade the M900’s Showa suspension to make its forks fully adjustable and the shock a bit better while adding carbon side panels, mudguards and a small fly screen to give a sportier look.

Engine: 904cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 67bhp @ 7000rpm
Torque: 60ftlb @ 6000rpm
Weight: 183kg

2000 M900ie Monster

The first Monster to gain fuel-injection, the ie also received a refresh with the S model’s uprated forks and a digital dash replacing the old unit. The motor is also refreshed to produce more power and torque.

Engine: 904cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 78bhp @ 8250rpm
Torque: 62ftlb @ 6750rpm
Weight: 188kg

2001 Monster S4

Ducati takes the then controversial step of introducing water-cooling in the shape of a retuned 916 motor. The S4 is the sportiest Monster to date but the jumble of cooling hoses detracts from the bike’s traditionally clean look. A limited edition ‘Foggy Rep’ version follows in 2002.

Engine: 916cc, liquid-cooled desmo V-twin, 8v, DOHC
Power: 101bhp @ 8750rpm
Torque: 68ftlb @ 700rpm
Weight: 193kg

2002 Monster 620ie

The baby Monster gains not only fuel-injection but a capacity hike to 618cc. The first ‘S’ model small capacity Monster is also released, and the M750 gains fuel-injection.

Engine: 618cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 57bhp @ 9500rpm
Torque: 39ftlb @ 6750rpm
Weight: 177kg

2003 Monster S4R

With the likes of the Aprilia Tuono now on sale, Ducati ups the power of its water-cooled Monster by using a retuned 996 engine. To separate the water-cooled bikes from the air-cooled ones, a single sided swingarm and stacked pipes are also added.

Engine: 996cc, liquid-cooled desmo V-twin, 8v, DOHC
Power: 113bhp @ 8750rpm
Torque: 72ftlb @ 7000rpm
Weight: 193kg

2003 M1000 Monster

M900ie grows in stature to become the M1000 thanks to a larger capacity 992cc motor and is joined by the higher specification M1000S and also an M800 with an 802cc air-cooled motor.

Engine: 992cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 84bhp @ 8000rpm
Torque: 62ftlb @ 6000rpm
Weight: 189kg

2005 Monster S2R 800/1000

Short lived S2R 800 and subsequent S2R 1000 give the air-cooled two-valve Monster range a bit of style by adding the stacked pipes and single sided swingarm from the liquid-cooled models.

Engine: 803cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 77bhp @ 8250rpm
Torque: 54ftlb @ 6500rpm
Weight: 179kg

2006 Monster M695

As the M900 has grown to 1000cc, Ducati also gives the smaller capacity Monster a larger capacity 695cc engine. The rest of the bike remains virtually unchanged.

Engine: 695cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 73bhp @ 8500rpm
Torque: 45ftlb @ 6750rpm
Weight: 168kg

2007 Monster S4RS

Most bonkers and aggressive Monster to date arrives in the shape of the RS with Öhlins suspension, lightweight wheels and the 998 Testastretta motor from Ducati’s superbike.

Engine: 998cc, liquid-cooled desmo V-twin, 8v, DOHC
Power: 129bhp @ 9500rpm
Torque: 77ftlb @ 10,600rpm
Weight: 177kg

2008 Monster 1100/1100S/696

15 years after the original, an all-new family of second-generation Monsters arrives. sees all-new chassis, styling, underseat pipes, LCD dash, radial brakes, as well as heavily revised motors and chassis.
Engine (1100): 1078cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 100bhp @ 7500rpm
Torque: 76ftlb @ 6000rpm
Weight: 188kg

2011 Monster 1100 Evo

Having avoided them for so long, the Evo model now adds traction control as well as ABS to the top of the range Monster’s specification. The traditional dry clutch is also binned, replaced by an oil-cooled unit.

Engine: 1078cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 4v, SOHC
Power: 100bhp @ 7500rpm
Torque: 76ftlb @ 6000rpm
Weight: 188kg

2014 Monster 1200/S

Water-cooling takes over. ‘Third generation’ Monster loses air-cooled engine in favour of liquid-cooled Testastretta 11-degree motor but retains a part-trellis frame and gains a new sporty attitude, not to mention the very latest technology such as ride-by-wire and a full electronics package. 

Engine: 1198cc, liquid-cooled desmo V-twin, 8v, DOHC
Power: 135bhp @ 8750rpm
Torque: 87ftlb @ 7250rpm
Weight: 182kg

2015 Monster 821

The Monster 821 takes over from the M696 as the smallest capacity Monster, killing off the last of the two-valve air-cooled bikes. Like the M1200 models, it’s a new generation and features all the latest tech.

Engine: 821cc, liquid-cooled desmo V-twin, 8v, DOHC
Power: 112bhp @ 9,250rpm
Torque: 65.8ftlb @ 7,250rpm
Weight: 179kg

2016 Monster M1200R

The most powerful Monster to date, with a full-bore Testastretta engine that makes over twice the power of the original air-cooled M900 and also features Ohlins, Marchesinis and more. To many, it’s still the ultimate Monster.

Engine: 1198cc, liquid-cooled desmo V-twin, 8v, DOHC
Power: 158bhp @ 9250rpm
Torque: 97ftlb @ 7750rpm
Weight: 207kg

2017 Monster 797

After the madness of the 1200R, sanity returns in the form of a new entry-level version, which also sees reintroduction of air-cooling – but it’s short-lived.

Engine: 803cc, air-cooled desmo V-twin, 8v, DOHC
Power: 73bhp @ 8250rpm
Torque: 50.8ftlb @ 6250rpm
Weight: 175kg

2021 Monster 937

The first Monster without the previously signature trellis frame, the ‘fourth generation’ Monster combines the new lightweight Panigale V4 aluminium frame with the compact, liquid-cooled 937cc motor from the SuperSport. There’s also an upspecced ‘Plus’ version.

Engine: 937cc, liquid-cooled desmo V-twin, 8v, DOHC
Power: 111bhp @ 9250rpm
Torque: 69ftlb @ 7750rpm
Weight: 166kg

2026 Monster 890

All new, ‘fifth generation’ much lighter Monster is based around a new V-twin engine which debuted in the 2025 V2 Streetfighter and Panigale, plus an all-new chassis with slimmer and lower ergonomics, refreshed styling, electronics and more..

Engine: 890cc, liquid-cooled desmo V-twin, 8v, DOHC
Power: 111bhp @ 9000rpm
Torque: 67.2ftlb @ 7250rpm
Weight: 164kg

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