THE UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

This time I tested the new Ducati Monster 620 for you, an impressive bike, and a true pleasure to ride.
Text: By Andrea Di Marcantonio

Every motorbike has its own history to tell, its own personality, and its own exclusive, often "Cult" feature. The "naked" form of the bike, has an important tradition behind it, and forms the intrinsic stylistic feature of the bike itself. The beauty of the bike being blatantly on show, and not embodied in the smooth contours of the bodywork.
Every motorbike company has its own "naked" range (with a host of different proposals), but Ducati offers something truly special, and which has proved highly successful on the international markets. This "made in Italy" version, boasts sales of 100,000 bikes worldwide, this figure speaks for itself. I am obviously talking about the Monster, a "Monster" on two wheels, which constitutes an ideal, an essence, a lifestyle.
A new Monster 620 bike is set to be launched in 2002, which boasts electronic injection and biking features derived from the "sister" bike S2. Therefore a bike with everything; the most important feature being its potential for an overall "improved ride".
The Monster bike family is growing and Ducati has created two versions: The Base and the S versions, which differ in the fact that the latter is equipped with a series of more extreme and sporting features. They will come on to the market as from October, priced at between 15-16 million lire, the tank and framework being available in a range of different colours.
Ducati chose a lively, fun-loving resort for the presentation of this new bike, a summer-style venue, although the day of the trial was cold and winter-like. However there was a true festive atmosphere on the beach with a host of high profile personalities who are true Ducati lovers; such as the SBK commentator Giovanni Di Pillo, Ringo the Hit Channel DJ ….. with an array of beautiful girls.
Let us now talk about the technical aspects of this latest 2002 bike.
The bodywork is derived from that of the S4, while the "maxi-injector" now features electronic injection with 5.9 gearbox; in terms of biking features it now has a double front disc, while the fork tubing, the steering head and the rear suspension have been re-designed. The air-box has been enlarged, and so have the two silencers and the exhaust manifold. The S version also boasts aluminium fork tubing as well as a sporty profile, the side- panels and the heat shields being made of composite material.
The cubic volume has been increased to 618 cc, for a "fuller" driving torque, 3.3 Nm more than that of the old model. In terms of maximum power potential, this means that the 60 HSP is delivered at 9,500 revs (protracting the spurt by an increased speed 1500 revs) with a torque reading of 53.5 Nm at 6,750 revs. The upper thermal part also boasts certain improvements, such as the adoption of enlarged valves.
Thanks to the use of the S4 frame, there has been a 30% increase in overall rigidity, height from the ground being of 770 mm for the Base version and of 795 mm for the S version; the fork tubing also has a different regulation system, as does the rear single-arm which makes use of a kinematic motion scheme, similar to those of the SBK model, which replaces the classic "bow".
The S version also provides the possibility of increasing the height of the rear axle thanks to a threaded reaction jack. The steering pin has also been enlarged the diameter having been increased from 25 to 40 mm.
The bad weather on the day and the slippery road conditions, prevented me from "spurting ahead", therefore the trial consisted of damp road contact. I was not impressed by the riding position, due to the handlebars with handgrip that tends to tire the cervical zone as well as the pulse. A different angle (more towards the riders side) would probably help increase the rider's comfort.
The clutch and brake levers also lack practical adjuster devices (we don't all have big hands..), which are useful for "personalizing" one's ride.
The movement differences are considerable: the dual cylinder runs clean and "rounded", even from cold, making the opening of the throttle a pleasure; I was immediately aware of the excellent results achieved by the Ducati technicians, as gas delivery is fluid at all speeds, vibration being much less evident than in the past. Whatever the gear ratio engaged, bends are tackled smoothly, running well even at low rpm, with no evidence of any engine "strain" even with throttle fully open. In other words… great progress, while the added 1500-rpm spurt protraction provides added reassurance of engine reliability on overtaking, when fast reflex action and drive are essential.
The gear however lacks precision and is slightly noisy, and the clutch is rather difficult to operate. As concerns the suspensions I was unable to test their quality due to the damp road conditions; I can only confirm that the fork filtering is good, over irregular ground; even though there tends to be a lack of "control" on the hydraulics. While the rear single-arm appears to provide a less brusque response.
The braking potential is excellent thanks to the two 320 mm discs, which provides added safety, on each detachment, although the rear disc requires considerable pedal pressure to make itself felt.
All in all, the bike is a pleasure to drive, requiring only the odd improvement, thereby guaranteeing that extra special something, for the more demanding users, who have come to expect it as part of the Ducati package.

Ducati Monster 620 i.e. technical details

Technical layout: "L" shaped dual cylinder
Displacement: 618 cc
Bore x Stroke: 80 x 61. 5mm
Timing: 2- valve positive
Fuel delivery: Marelli electronic injection with 45 mm throttled body
Wheelbase: 1,440 mm
Seat height: 770 mm (base) - 795 (S)
Front suspension: 43-mm reversed tube fork
Rear suspension: progressive with Sachs single-arm
Braking system: Front with 2 discs of 320 mm/ rear with 245-mm disc
Tank capacity: 15 litres
Weight in running position: 177 Kgs
Price: to be finalized