click above image to view high-res gallery of the Ducati Monster 696

Let the speculation end! Ducati has officially unveiled the 2008 Monster 696. Now that we know exactly what the new air-cooled Ducati Monster will look like, we're honestly a bit disappointed. It's not at all that the bike is bad looking, because it's not. The problem is that it's all covered up. We love naked bikes here at Autoblog, and this one's just not naked enough for our tastes. You not only miss out on the wind and road protection of a faired bike, you also don't get to display the crown jewel -- the engine -- in all its glory, like the original Monster. The trademark trellis frame is half present, connecting to an aluminum subframe and swingarm. The engine is an updated version of the previous 695cc unit, with enough changes to yield a 9% boost to 80 hp (59 kW) and an 11% increase in torque to 50.6 lb-ft. Weighing just 359 lbs, the power to weight ratio is better than ever before, so performance should remain quite high. The light-weight Monster still features a slipper clutch, which is quite rare in the segment in which it competes.

We're pretty excited about this bike, despite the fact that we were hoping for a slightly different design direction. It's still a looker and the performance might make up for our aesthetic reservations. Check out Ducati's full press release after the jump.

[Source: Ducati]

Gallery: Ducati Monster 696

Continue reading Officially Official: Ducati unveils the new 2008 Monster 696

Officially Official: Ducati unveils the new 2008 Monster 696 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We've received official word from Ducati that it's extending the planned production run of Desmosedici RR bikes from 1,250 to 1,500 in an effort to meet demand. If you've already got an order in, you are all set, and Ducati promises that all of the 1,500 bikes will be delivered to owners by the end of 2008. So, if you don't have your order in... call now! The first 500 or so bikes will be delivered to owners of the 999R who have also placed orders for the new Desmosedici RR.

For those of you who aren't aware of the Desmosedici RR, tune into SPEED TV the next time Moto GP racing is on and keep an eye out for the bike in the lead. That will probably be the racing version of this bike ridden by Casey Stoner. The new RR is the first road-going version of a Moto GP bike that you can actually buy and register at your local DMV. Unlike most Ducati streetbikes, the RR features a V4 engine, although the angle is still set at the same 90-degrees of Ducati's traditional V-Twins. While the race bikes were forced to go down to 800cc's for competition this year, the street version still has the full liter that was originally intended for the bike. Peaking at around 200 horsepower or so with a weight of under 400 pounds, none of the 1,500 lucky owners are likely to be let down by Ducati's latest product of moto-lust.

While the Desmosedici RR leads Ducati's line of bikes this year, let's face the facts here: you and I will probably never ride one. So after the jump you'll find some news about Ducati bikes you can actually afford.

[Source: Ducati]

Continue reading Your daily dose of Ducati news, featuring the Desmosedici RR

Your daily dose of Ducati news, featuring the Desmosedici RR originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's rare that we cover motorcycles on Autoblog, but a new Ducati Monster is too big to pass up. Ducati has rattled off a string of successful new model launches as of late, including the SportClassic range, the 1098 and the Hypermotard. But its true bread-and-butter model remains the Monster. Introduced way back in 1993 with a 900cc 90° V-Twin engine, the Monster is what many think of when they hear the word Ducati. Being that the Monster practically invented the naked bike genre, Ducati doesn't want to mess too much with success when it introduces its totally redesigned Monster in 2008. Rumor has it that the Monster range will include only air-cooled engines with a separate naked bike line featuring versions of Ducati's water cooled engines, including the awesome 1098's Desmo twin.

Take a look at the spy photo here of the new Monster undergoing testing. Little detail can be seen in the super-grainy photo, but a few things that jump out are the high mounted exhaust and the currently in-thing-to-do on naked bikes: a chopped tailsection. We wonder if Ducati should be setting trends, not following them; but we'll wait for official pictures to make any final conclusions on the design. To be sure, though, Ducati has a tough act to follow based on the success and cult following that its current Monster range enjoys, and deservedly so. We're anxiously waiting for November's show in Milan to see the real thing!

[Source: Motorcycle News]

A redesigned Ducati Monster on the way for '08 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.