The Monster is back and it has never looked, felt, or sounded more like itself.
In Borgo Panigale, Ducati has unveiled the fifth generation of a legend, the 2026 Ducati Monster and it’s everything the original promised to be: compact, muscular, and unapologetically pure.
First launched in 1992, the Monster changed motorcycling forever.
It tore up the rulebook for naked sport bikes with a formula so simple it became genius, everything you need, nothing more.
More than thirty years later, Ducati has returned to that core philosophy.
The new Monster is lighter, sharper, and more authentic than ever before, it’s a motorcycle built on honesty, a distillation of what it means to ride.
At its heart beats a brand-new 890cc Ducati V2 engine with Intake Variable Timing (IVT), delivering 111 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and torque that’s beautifully broad, more than 80 percent available between 4,000 and 10,000 rpm.
It’s smooth at low revs, fierce at high ones, and designed to keep its edge for the long run, with an astonishing 45,000 km service interval for valve checks.
The V2 sits at the centre of a new monocoque frame, supported by a Showa 43 mm upside-down fork and a preload-adjustable monoshock.
A double-sided swingarm inspired by the Panigale V4’s Hollow Symmetrical design keeps things stable, while Brembo M4.32 radial callipers and dual 320 mm discs give braking power to match the punch of the motor.
At just 175 kg wet, the 2026 Monster is the lightest four-valve version ever. It feels agile and alive, but never intimidating.
The ergonomics are subtly refined too, a seat lowered to 815 mm (or 775 mm with optional kit) and bars moved slightly forward for better control and comfort.
Visually, Ducati has worked a small miracle, the design pays homage to the first Monster, the muscular bison-back tank, the clean tail, the compact stance, while pushing the form forward with sculpted side panels and a new LED headlight that gives it an unmistakably modern face.
The details matter.
The Ducati shield now carries the GPS coordinates of the Borgo Panigale factory, the new TFT dash, crisp, colour-rich, and intuitive sits behind a redesigned joystick control, allowing seamless access to four riding modes (Sport, Road, Urban, and Wet) and the full suite of Ducati electronics: Cornering ABS, Traction Control, Wheelie Control, Quick Shift, and Engine Brake Control.
Underneath the style and sophistication, there’s still raw Monster DNA, that mix of practicality, style, and rebellion that has fuelled the Monsteristi community for three decades.
Accessories from Ducati Performance include carbon fibre trim, billet aluminium parts, Alcantara seats, and titanium Termignoni silencers that add a touch more bark to the bite.
The 2026 Monster arrives in Ducati Red or Iceberg White, and in two versions, the standard model and the Monster+, which adds a cowl and passenger seat cover.
Both are also available in a 35 kW version for A2 licence holders, opening the door to a new generation of riders.
Three decades on, the Monster remains true to its promise, everything you need, nothing more, only now, it’s lighter, faster, smarter, and unmistakably Ducati.
