The Monster

Street fighter' inspired styling is only part of the story, though. The Monster offers outstanding sport bike performance with a naked-bike style that has often been imitated but rarely equalled. Today, the Monster family offers a choice of air or liquid-cooled, 2 and 4 valve Desmo engines. All models boast Superbike-derived Trellis frames, fuel injection and race-worthy braking and suspension systems. Meeting the demands of a new rider as well as the veteran, there is a Monster to satisfy just about everyone.

The path to the Monster:

First bicycle engine
In 1946, the Cucciolo appeared. First sold in an assembly box to be attached to a bicycle, it soon acquired a frame of its own. In a short time, the Cucciolo became a real miniature motorcycle. Arrival of 'Doctor T'1952 saw the birth of the futuristic Cruiser 175cc, with an electric starter and automatic transmission. In 1953, Ducati unveiled an economic and spartan 98cc, which was soon increased to 125cc. 1954 saw the arrival of Ing. Fabio Taglioni, the gifted engineer who was crucial to Ducati's future success.

Desmodronic engine
1958 marked the triumph of the Desmodromic system, which 'Dr.' Taglioni had been developing since 1955. This project resulted in the famous twin-cylinder 250 cc of 1960, ordered from Ducati by the world famous Mike Hailwood, who specifically requested a machine of "superior" performance. 450 Mark 3DIn 1968, Ducati won over performance aficionados with the 450 Mark 3D (more than 170 km/h), the first production Ducati with Desmodromic distribution. Part of the Cagiva GroupIn 1983, Ducati was purchased by Claudio and Gianfranco Castiglioni and became part of the Cagiva Group. With this change of management, the group was in the hands of two great bike and racing fans, who together brought Ducati to the triumphs of the Superbike era.

Monster conceived
In 1993 the Argentine Miguel Galluzzi conceived the idea of the Monster - a bike stripped of all non-essentials. It represented a unique interpretation of the fun bike category, and it rapidly became a legend.