The letter S may follow R in the alphabet, but Ducati has practically Tflipped this on its head in creating the new Monster 1200 S with the middle of the big Monsters set to usurp the current (and unchanged) R. True, the casual observer may dismiss the latest in a very long line of Monsters as a Euro4 box ticked, but the nuanced changes to the machine merit a more thorough examination – the test involving a thrashing of it in the hills above Monaco. Home to millionaires every other day of the week, Ducati invited the paupers to the principality where we’d hear about the myriad of changes made to both the standard Monster 1200 and this souped up S.
The styling changes to the bike are slight, but impactful all the same. A slimmer figure, shorter wheelbase and natty new headlight give the geeks something to go on, while the spec sheet also reveals a near ten kilo weight loss and a steroid injection – to the tune of 15bhp against the outgoing standard model (5bhp versus the outgoing S). Hang about, weren’t Euro4 bikes supposed to have been robbed of power?