Ducati’s 916 is often credited with changing the face of motorcycling but the Monster – introduced a year earlier in 1993 and styled by Miguel Angel Galluzzi rather than Massimo Tamburini – has arguably had an even greater impact.
Not only did its forward-hunched style, with the mass centralised towards the front wheel, set the template for virtually every sporty naked bike since, but its mass sales success all but guaranteed Ducati’s future in a way that the more expensive 916 couldn’t. The Monster has been a core part of Ducati’s range since, in a vast array of capacities from 400cc to 1200cc, and to mark its 30th anniversary the company has revealed the new Monster 30° Anniversario as a limited-edition and the first model in the company’s 2024 line-up.
30° Anniversario model highlights
30th Anniversary Tricolore livery
Plate with bike name and number (XXX/500)
Dedicated dashboard animation at the key-on
Sport rider seat shape with logo.
Termignoni slip-on.
Kerb weight: 184 kg.
Öhlins steering damper.
Öhlins NIX30 fork.
Öhlins rear shock.
Forged Aluminium wheels (-1.86 kg lighter than the standard Monster’s cast wheels).
Front and rear mudguards in carbon fibre.
New Wet Riding Mode.
Brembo front brake setup; 320 mm discs with aluminium inner flanges, Stylema monobloc calipers, radial master cylinder and sintered pads.
Li-Ion battery.
Spec-wise, the Monster 30° Anniversario is much like the existing Monster SP, taking the same 937cc Testastretta engine that’s used across the current Monster range, with 111hp and 93Nm of torque, and adding a Termignoni exhaust.
The chassis is also the same as the stock Monster, but with the SP’s Ohlins NIX30 forks, a matching monoshock and an adjustable steering damper from the same brand. Like the Monster SP, there are Brembo Stylema calipers instead of the M4.32 Monoblocs of the Monster and Monster+.
Where the Ducati Monster 30° Anniversario does differ from the SP is its unique wheels, made of forged alloy rather than cast, reducing weight and substantially cutting inertia – a change that should benefit both the performance and handling.
A lighter, lithium battery, along with those wheels and the Ohlins suspension, means the 30° Anniversario is 4kg lighter than the base Monster and 2kg less than the SP, clocking in at 184kg wet.
It’s not cheap, though, with a price of $29,100 (ride away). For comparison, the SP is $23,200 and the base Monster is $19,700. However, with only 500 being offered worldwide, each with a numbered plaque, embroidered seat and tricolour paint scheme to stand out from other Monsters, the 30° Anniversario is likely to have no trouble finding customers.
Ben Purvis
