Ducati's Super Monster! - Up To Speed

Ducati is finally set to unleash an eight-valve-engined Super Monster, the bike it originally envisioned to carry the Monster name back in the early 1990s. The new bike, which will be called the S4, will rely on ST4 running gear, including chassis, clip-on handlebars and uprated suspension. A version of the 916 engine-detuned by milder exhaust cams and mellower cam timing-will supplant the old two-valve, air-cooled engine shared with the 900SS. Slightly revised cosmetics-a new steel tank and many carbon-fiber pieces-will debut as well, but the look is unmistakably Monster. Plan to see conventional Ducati colors stateside; that'd be red, black and yellow. Prices have not been set, but expect to see the S4 with a sticker between $12,000 and $13,000. Some of the current-generation Monsters will stay for 2001, including the 750cc air-cooled version for us.