New vs. S*R Monster design, two years later

[nheaney696]

the 696 is the reason i will never have another harley for the rest of my life! I love my black monster! Ive seen older monsters in person and I STILL drool! so we'll all just have to love our ducatis, regardless of age color or engine size....  to answer your question completely, I'm at a draw!

[xcaptainxbloodx]

i meant new model designs.  the gas tank on the diavel is steel with a skin.  the point is that it's steel, not PA6/nylon.

no, the diavel has a steel skin and a plastic tank. same material as all current gen non-SBK offerings under the skin

[ducatiz]

no, the diavel has a steel skin and a plastic tank. same material as all current gen non-SBK offerings under the skin

Interesting, I've been told it was a steel tank with a plastic skin.  Cycleworld reported it was a steel tank.

[xcaptainxbloodx]

Interesting, I've been told it was a steel tank with a plastic skin.  Cycleworld reported it was a steel tank.

the skin on the base model is steel, wires probably crossed somewhere. the only current gen ducati with a metal tank is the 1198SP

[Radar]

I guess my bike is old... 05 S4R... It handles bad? Really? Maybe I'm too old, but my bike has more power than I know how to handle, and it cuts the corners like it's glued to the tarmac. In short, my bike is better than I am.   That settles it... I'm old.

[Howley]

Real classic monsters forever...

[Bishamon]

The new Monsters do not have a PA6 tank, FWIR

The new Monsters are affected by expanding plastic tanks, whether or not they are PA6 nylon.


Back on topic, I prefer some of the new design and some of the old design.  I prefer the new tail section, the old trellis frame at the rear, the old headlight (though the new one has grown on me).  I have seen Monsters I like and dislike, both old and new.  I would say that the new style has aged well, given that some aspects that might have looked too modern (the headlight, for instance) now don't look too bad.

[ducatiz]

The new Monsters are affected by expanding plastic tanks, whether or not they are PA6 nylon.

The new Monsters in the USA have PA6 tanks, from what I have seen.  I have heard of European tanks made of XLPE, but not here. 

Again, I was referring to NEW MODELS such as the Diavel and the Multistrada.  The "new" Monsters (696,1100,etc) are all using the same tank debuted in 2008, which is, therefore, not a new design now three years later.

[Travman]

Real classic monsters forever...

Mmmmm.... that looks good. What is it about that Monster that looks so right?  Has the headlight and gauges been lowered?  Love those skinny carbon mufflers.

[$Lindz$]

Definitely prefer the older styles.

I feel like it might be beating a dead horse but the new bikes look like.... new bikes designed to look like Monsters. The older bikes were just.... Bike. Frame. Tank. Seat. Go!

I don't see any of that purity in the new design. Not that they aren't attractive to many riders, but it's just a different type of bike now. The ergos are way "friendlier" (which they didn't need to be, at all) and everything just seems geared so much more towards beginner/commuter riders. C'est la vie.

[hillbillypolack]

Real classic monsters forever...

That does look fantastic.  Reminds me why I kept my M900. .

I could go on and on about why the original design is more cohesive in automotive design terms.  But let's just say there is the definitive character of the original that's missing in the new version.

Look at the pic above.  Better yet look at any M900 with a bronze frame and red tank.  The lattice frame is an 'up and forward' movement that ends with the downward lines of the forks.  The lattice visually 'supports' the hunchback-looking tank, giving it a bulldog sort of look.  The line from the top of the tank runs forward into the top of the headlight-just like in the image above! 

So you have a big-shouldered mass of the tank, the one-two of the trellis and fork and it's only exaggerated by low clip-ons.  The 'down-and-back' swept exhaust, floating off the engine cases is a countermovement to the tank / frame.  Always classic.

The new style, while interesting is visually less organized and far less harmonious.  It's a collection of details instead of physical mass and structure.  In my mind, there was far less understanding on 'how' to bring the essential Monster elements into an updated bike so Ducati just designed something that's not very similar to the original.

[Pedro-bot]

O.G. version 1.2

[ChrisH]

I like both the old and new. I own a 696 and felt really drawn to it. Ilove how muscular the tank looks, I love the air vents in the tank skin, and I really love the proportions of the bike with a low seat. The new monster to me really fits the monster name, it's a bike that in my mind was almost designed with the future in mind, a dystopian future that would need an edgy, angular bile that looks like it means business. I know most of you think monster and think old style, when I hear monster I think of Godzilla, mothra, etc and the new bike stylistically fits that to me.

That said, the old monster because the styling was less polarizing, and more of a blank slate it seemed to leave more room to really change up the aesthetics of it. I really like the wide range of modifications, I love the full trellis, especially in gold, and I dig the simplicity of it.

IMHO a true ducatisti, or a true motorcyclist wouldnt hate another bike. Everyone will have their preferences, and true loves, but there is value in all bikes - fun.

[Pedro-bot]

Don't get me wrong, of course I'm biased. I have 2 of the old school design monsters.
But there's no denying how good this looks....... 





The new design looks great too!! 

[$Lindz$]

Don't get me wrong, of course I'm biased. I have 2 of the old school design monsters.
But there's no denying how good this looks....... 





The new design looks great too!! 

That is seriously the only really good looking New Monster... and it's basically a "New S4RS".