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2018 Ducati Monster 1200S: Naked and famous

Ducati's second gnarliest Monster might just be its very best.

Kyle Hyatt
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
Kyle Hyatt
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2018 Ducati Monster 1200S

Ducati's Monster 1200S is the biggest Monster ever but thanks to amazing suspension and prodigious torque, it's a breeze to ride.

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The Monster 1200S' water-cooled four-valve 90-degree L-twin engine is a powerful, sonorous, low-maintenance sweetheart.

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The Monster's unique ergos are a little weird at first, but quickly grow on you.

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The Monster 1200S features suspension by Ohlins and brakes by Brembo, who could ask for more?

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One of the best parts of the Monster 1200S is Ducati's standard Safety Pack which bundles lean-sensitive ABS, traction control, wheelie control and ride modes.

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It's not necessarily the world's prettiest bike (we're looking at you, headlight) but it's aggressive and conveys a sense of purpose.

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The Monster is pretty comfortable which makes it ideal for running errands around a busy city like LA, though we wouldn't necessarily pick it for a road trip.

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The Monster 1200S is available in a color other than red, thankfully. This dark grey is pretty damned handsome and how we'd order ours.

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The test bike we had came with the optional carbon fiber Termignoni race exhaust and we couldn't imagine it with anything else.

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