2013 EICMA “Most Beautiful Bike of Show”
When it comes to the best of the best in the motorcycle industry, EICMA simply delivers. EICMA, also known as the Milan Motorcycle Show, brings in over a half-million visitors yearly from all areas of the globe. And by the show’s end, various awards are presented, including the “Most Beautiful Bike of Show.”
These awards aren’t biased; they are based on votes from surveys at EICMA. This year’s survey, organized by the Italian publication Motocilismo, attracted over 10,000 participants.
And the 2013 EICMA Most Beautiful Bike of Show winner? The 2014 Ducati Monster 1200. This 1200, and its upgraded brother the 1200 S, signifies the third generation of Ducati Monsters. This is the largest cc Monster ever available, and from the response at EICMA, will excite the masses once again.
The Monster, which turns 21 in 2014, is a success for Ducati, and saved it from financial turmoil when the first model was released in 1993. Since that model, designed by mastermind Massimo Bordi, more than 275,000 of these naked were sold. The new Monster 1200s are also the first to be designed under Audi Group ownership.
At 2013 EICMA, Ducati was able to rise against its fellow country-manufacturer MV Agusta, who won the 2012 Beautiful Bike of Show with its Rivale 800.
This year, though, Ducati’s Monster 1200 beat out MV Agusta’s first-ever adventure-styled tourer, the Turismo Veloce 800. And to put Ducati’s styling into perspective, the Borgo-Panigale based manufacturer also took the top honors for “Most Beautiful Bike” at 2011 EICMA when it unveiled its 1199 Panigale Superbike.
The new 1200 models, which replace the Monster 1100 EVO, arrive with the second-generation Testastretta 11-degree Dual Spark (DS) engine, the same powerplant offered in the Multistrada and Diavel.
This wet-clutch engine derives from the Ducati 1198 superbike, but the valve overlap was reduced from 41 degrees to 11 for a stronger midrange, which is needed for real-world streetability. The water-cooled, 11-degree DS also requires 18,000 miles between service intervals, and is hooked to a six-speed transmission.
The base 1200 Monster produces 135 horsepower at 8750 rpm and 86.8 ft.-lb. of torque at 7250 rpm, and, due to finely-tuned mapping, the 1200 S produces 145 horsepower at 8750 rpm and 92 ft.-lb of torque at 7250 rpm. Both versions, which each tip the scales at 401 lb. dry (461 lb. wet), arrive with the famed tubed-steel trellis frame, single-sided swingarm, naked styling, and a 31.8-inch seat height, though an optional lower 30.9-inch seat is available.
These two new Monsters are also backed by the latest in Ducati electronics, including three Ducati Riding Modes, three levels of ABS, Ride-by-Wire, and eight levels of traction control.
Of course, the 1200 S is upgraded with Ohlins suspension components and larger brakes, but the base 1200 is no slouch. It arrives with a 43mm Kayaba fully-adjustable fork up front, and a Progressive Sachs monoshock with adjustable springload and rebound damping out back.
As for the 1200 S, it receives a 48mm Ohlins fully adjustable fork up front coated with TiN, and an Ohlins fully-adjustable progressive linkage system out back.
The 1200’s brake system consists of two 320mm discs up front squeezed by Brembo Monobloc M4-32 four-piston calipers, with a single 245mm disc squeezed by a two-piston caliper out back. The Monster 1200 S is upgraded with 330mm discs up front, and Brembo Monobloc M50 four-piston calipers up front – the same brakes found on the 1199 Panigale superbike.
Both models arrive with a three-level Bosch ABS 9MP Abs system that integrates with three Ducati Riding Modes – Sport, Touring and Urban.
