2011 Ducati Monster 1100 evo review

[Mostro]

I've had my Ducati M1100evo for about 2 months now, and I thought it was useful to share a bit - first on the bike.

The bike is easy to ride & great fun. It corners beautifully, normally with excellent stability at serious lean angles. After a bit of experimentation the Marzocchi forks work excellently. I landed on reducing both compression & rebound by 1/4 turn, to make the forks more responsive, while increasing preload by 1 1/6 turn to prevent bottoming-out. The rear shock is OK, but not nearly as good; I find the spring a bit stiff for solo use (and I don't mean preload). The lack of responsiveness can make the bike wiggle a bit if you get some bumps in your corner. But that's a minor issue, all in all the bike behaves beautifully and is superbly flickable.

Power delivery too is superb. Keep the bike above 3500 RPM (4500 if you're going for it), and you'll have a very smooth & usable power curve. That's not to say it's one of the fastest - but you shouldn't expect that from an air cooled 2V. Its torque is good though, and combined with its excellent handling it makes for a great ride on twisty b-roads. And the Brembo's provide excellent braking.

Other than the stiff rear spring, there are a few negatives, but they're all quite minor:
- I prefer my clutch lever much deeper down, but you can't drop it in the standard set-up, because the mirror is on the same clamp. Is of course not too difficult to modify.
- The brake oil pot vibrates quite a bit (again easily fixed).

So overall: very happy riding this bike.

While I'm pretty pleased with the bike, that doesn't mean I'm happy with Ducati. I feel seriously misled by that company. The bike was introduced as a bike of 169 kg dry, producing 100 HP - and that's just not true, neither of those figures. It weighs 175 kg dry, in a normal sense (like, for instance KTM uses), the difference being 3 kg oil and 3 kg battery. And it produces just 95 HP (70 kW), with 5 HP probably eaten by an air filter and an alternator. These are the official numbers from the EC Certificate of Conformity, for the 2011 Monster 1100evo. Those numbers are valid for the bike in dry, working conditions, but you don't get to see those before you buy the bike.

I feel misled by the figures Ducati has published. If you're considering to buy one - please be advised.

[YellowDuck]

Thanks for posting your review - very interesting to me.

Ducati used to list hp at the rear wheel but some years back started listing crankshaft hp, the same as the Japanese manufacturers have done forever. That's likely the difference you are talking about.

Same thing for dry weight. The Japanese OEMs list dry weight sans battery and lubricants, and Ducati picked up on that as well. You would have been just as "misled" by pretty much any company. KTM may be an exception, I don't know.

I'm a bit surprised that the shock seems oversprung - typically 2V Ducatis are underspring at both ends for anyone weighing over 150 lbs. Not saying you aren't correct, I'm just surprised. If you have preload set to get sag in the ballpark, did you then try taking some rebound damping out of it?

I was actually a bit miffed when Ducati went to the direct link rear suspension on the new Monsters. I think the linkage type setup as an all monsters past was probably better - not sure why they changed. The SS bikes all had that kind of rear end and it was one of their biggest weaknesses.

[yzf1000jon]

Dry weights are achieved a number of different ways. A company can take all of the prototype parts, weigh them, add up the weights, and ta-daaa, dry weight. Mass production tolerances will add weight and so will making it a rideable motorcycle. If you bought it based on the adspeak they used, then it's your fault. Most mags will give an "as tested" weight, with gas tank empty/full/half. Even manufacturers have admitted there's always some fudging going on with weights. They'll weigh all the parts for say an R6, and come up with something more than the 600RR, but they know it's lighter, so they'll change the numbers. Does it really matter in the end? Not a bit. Ride it and enjoy. Use helium in your tires if you're worried.
Oh, and whatever you do, Don't check out Martin Brickwoods performance site, it'll cost you more money (and maybe save you some in the long run).;)

[Mostro]

Gents, thanks for your feedback!

@ YellowDuck:

power: nah, I believe EU CoC's all deal with crankshaft HP. It's just that I think you get the 100HP if you take off anything consuming/costing power, & the 95HP in working order.

weight: I know of that ambiguity but I checked. Nowadays the japs (& Triumph, BMW) all specify complete weight, inc. petrol & everything. So that makes comparisons difficult too, cause of different tank sizes, but at least it is honest. KTM is the odd one out, possibly because of their offroad/MX heritage. But they do specify exactly as the EU prescribes.

suspension: firstly, I'd have to say the rear has improved with use (though I'd still prefer it a bit more responsive). Now have about 3000km in. Yes, sag is as per standard, and I had reduced rebound damping (and then increased again as I had gone too far).
Why I say the spring is a bit stiff, apart from my butt not really moving the rear enough, is because I believe this Sachs shock is he same as in the 2010 version (not the S), but in the 2010 user manual they specify substantially less rebound damping than in the 2011 manual. Now they may just have changed their preference on damping - or just put on a stiffer spring...

Direct link: I guess to reduce production & maintenance costs. But indeed quality does not necessarily increase.

@ yzf1000jon:
This model was released in April 2011 in Italy, I ordered mine in May, obviously after a test ride. At the time, the 169 kg, as provided by Ducati, was the ONLY number available and quoted by ALL sources. Everyone says it's 169 kg, because that's what Ducati told them. I'd received my bike by end June, but my certificate only by end July (fst service w/ plate from my YZ...), and it's only then that I found out the true weight (& power).

It's not that its a bad ride, cause it ain't, I'm just trying to prevent other people feeling similarly deceived as me, when they find out the truth about the 169 kg & 100 HP after they've parted with their money. And I believe an honest company, with the cusomer focus like Ducati say they have, should have the decency to put out reliable & true numbers - like you find on the CoC, eventually. Not just tell the world overly positive numbers in order to boost sales.

And finally, there is, in the EU, very much 1 unique way to arrive at weight, and that's defined for the EC Certificate of Conformity. It's just weighing the (complete) bike in working order, without petrol.

[Rain Rider 1]

I have a 2010 Monster 1100s ABS with approx 3500 km on it.

I have no idea what the power to the rear wheel is and I don't really care. I used to get caught up in the horsepower race when I owned supersport style litre bikes, but the Ducati is different. Best way to explain is that its a Ducati and as such it comes with built in character and quirks including among others, adjustable suspension that is easy to screw up, loping rough running at certain engine speeds, high gearing for the street and I'll say a different feel and demeanor than other UJM's.

I find the ride is rough on the pock marked roads in my area and the handling though at times sublime, can also be flighty and nervous. I installed a steering damper to get rid of some of the twitchiness. It seems to have helped.

[yzf1000jon]

can also be flighty and nervous. I installed a steering damper to get rid of some of the twitchiness. It seems to have helped.

We installed a steering damper on my wifes monster to reduce the "Monster Weave" inherent in most of the monsters out there. The original design was from a superbike that had the fairings removed and clip-ons changed to tubular bars thus moving your weight radically back on the bike. This with the added leverage afforded, made for a bike that was very sensitive to rider inputs, tiwitchiness and the weave seem to disappear with clip ons, and are more noticeable with risers. The Harshness should be tuneable with suspension adjustments or fork oil changes, but doesn't the S come with uprated suspension?