GREAT LAUNCH ROADS: MONTE CARLO, DUCATI MONSTER 1200S
The roads above Nice and Monaco are well travelled when it comes to manufacturers launching new metal. Hot on the heals of Kawasaki debuting the Z1000SX in the area came Ducati choosing to dynamically demonstrate the abilities of the new Monster 1200 S in the winding thoroughfares above Monaco. This was a launch held in the middle of November, and it was cold. Because you quickly gather height as you ride away from the coast, the temperature falls, meaning that it was only until lunchtime that things became more pleasant. Come March, we reckon you’ve got a great chance to get a glorious day, with it only getting better from then onwards. We headed to Sospel on the D2566, and found lots of traffic heading to work on the coast – but very little heading north. Our only issue was damp patches under trees, and corners where the sun had yet to hit. Other than that, it was a great run of second, third and fourth gear corners. We hit the Col de Brouis, the Col de Braus and on the way back, the highlights were the D15 and the D53 Route de la Grave, which featured a series of hairpins clinging to the vertiginous surroundings. There are seemingly, a million other routes in the area worthy of exploration, so if you’re planning on a Route Napoleon trip, be sure to explore every avenue.
Having a very Nice time…