ADDED to the Ducati Monster range in 2023 is the Monster SP, a bike that takes the traditional ethos and ramps up the ability, thanks to uprated brakes and suspension.
It’s a bike built to be fun first and foremost, although with this extra high-spec version, will it have lost any of that trademark X-factor? To find out, Ducati UK invited us along to try the machine out, with a road test route taking in some of the best roads in the county of Northamptonshire.
The day of the test started out cold and foggy, with the temperature not breaking into double figures until after lunchtime. With much of the riding filming taking place in the mid-morning, you’ll forgive me for not scraping footpegs and getting my knee down on the bike – chucking a brand new machine up with the road in front of a snapper and camera person is not top of my to-do list!
In the afternoon though with warmish roads and Pirelli Rosso Corsa IVs now working well, we could begin to explore what the bike has to offer, and its impressive mix of rideability and performance. The current Monster models are huge fun, so I was interested to see if this slightly more serious and able Monster was just as much fun. While it is still hilarious to ride, wheelieing off the throttle whenever you want it to, it’s got a slightly more serious side to it too. It might be something you feel on bumpy roads, as the bikes darts, bucks, and weaves its way around potholes and bumps, but what you’re feeling there is the sportier side to the bike coming to the fore. Should you want to, and you really should, take the Monster SP to the track and you’ll likely be rewarded with a riding experience that is as close to some of Ducati’s lightweight sports bikes of the past. I’m talking 900 SS, 851 and so on. Those lightweight sportsters with around 100bhp are about the closest I’ve got to the Monster SP’s handling dynamics, leading me to believe this bike will be a hoot to ride on the track!
Anyway, sit back, relax and enjoy our video review…
You can check out the full 2023 Ducati Monster SP review here.
