Ducati Monster 795 launched

Ducati has unveiled the Monster 795, an ‘Asia special’ motorcycle that is an aggressively priced version of the world’s best-known naked bike. The 795 will be priced significantly lower than the Monster 796 already sold in India, but will retain all the Monster DNA, thanks to being assembled at Ducati’s new Thailand plant.

 

Don’t think of the 795 as a cheap Ducati though. The Italian manufacturer plans to retain quality standards in terms of design, engineering and performance on the new bike. Motorcycles built in Thailand will be designed and engineered in Italy, their engines to be brought in from the Borgo Panigale factory, Bologna. Assembly of motorcycles in Thailand will be entrusted to Ducati-trained technicians and subject to the highest quality standards, with major use of European components.

 

The Monster 795 deploys a triple-parabola headlight and digital instruments with a cascading rev counter reading upto 12000rpm. There’s a handy stopwatch function that can be started and stopped via the headlight flasher when enabled. The instruments bay is Ducati Data Analyser (DDA)-ready, and can be bought as an optional extra. A slim LED tail-light warning cluster is standard.

 

The 795 comes with an 803cc, Desmodue, L-twin, air-cooled and dual spark engine, with short stroke, 88x66mm dimensions. The 795’ powerhouse generates 87bhp at 8250rpm, and 8kgm of peak torque at 6250rpm, its two-into-one-into-two under-seat exhausts emitting an unmistakable Ducati bark. The fuel-injected engine’s valve train is Desmodromic enabled. The latest Monster provides a wet-type, 21 plate clutch and six-speed gearbox that shifts in the one-down, five-up pattern.

 

Although torque and engine character are certain to be strong, only a test ride will confirm whether Ducati has geared the 795 to suit our region – the Monster 796 suffers overly tall gearing that makes it far from ideal to ride in India.

 

The Monster 795 enjoys a Ducati-traditional, trellis frame and an alloy cast, dual-sided swingarm. Suspension is 43mm thick, 120mm travel Marzocchi upside down forks in front, with an adjustable, Sachs monoshock with linkage at the rear. The riding position has been optimized for this region, with a lower seat height, a deeply grooved tank section as well as slimmer motorcycle flanks. The 795 also enjoys improved steering radius, with 64 degrees of lock-to-lock travel. The Monster 795 uses Brembo brakes with ABS offered as optional, a set of 320mm floating discs in front, with radial mounted four-piston calipers, and a 245mm floating rear. Dry weight has been kept at 167kg and 169kg for the ABS equipped bike.

 

The Monster 795 should slot in at somewhere close to Rs 5 lakh when it reaches India soon, at which price the competition should be worried. While Ducati’s present dealer and service network is inadequate for a country as large as India, the company does plan on adding four new dealers in 2011, taking total dealer strength to seven, with more in the pipeline.