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Is a Ducati Monster a Sportbike?

  • Yes, sure as hell, your coworker is crazy.

    Votes: 37 56.9%
  • Nope, she doesn't fall into that category.

    Votes: 28 43.1%

Is a Ducati Monster a "Sportbike"?

6K views 44 replies 25 participants last post by  Cooter 
#1 ·
Poll to settle an argument with a coworker. I call the Monster a sportbike, he disagrees, what do you say?
 
#6 ·
Friggin awesome bike on the track FWIW.

Maybe you could compromise and call it a Sporting Standard.
 
#10 ·
It is a Cafe Racer, Naked Bike, Street Fighter - Etc Etc - Sportbike it is not
 
#14 ·
Yep, it's a naked sportbike. Originally built on the Duc 851/888 frame with a Supersport front end.

Unless you want to classify sportbikes as only faired sportbikes, of course. There are some that think plastic is a necessary (but insufficient) condition to be a sportbike. I don't think that definition makes a lot of sense. Making an aesthetic design feature a necessary condition for a class of bikes for which the very nomenclature is functionally based is a bit silly.

I guess the "Streetfighter" could be considered a subcategory (co-category maybe?) of sportbike. All they really are are non-faired sportbikes, so that might be a legit subcategory, into which the Monster can fall.

A bike is classified by what it is, not how it got there. So I don't really buy the whole "it has to be a bike that originally came with fairings" definition for a streetfighter.


At some point, classes get way too specific to be of any value. Kinda like music genres inhabited by only one or two bands....its pointless.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I thought by definition it was
A standard. Albeit a very sporty one.
I've had one for a week and rode a few. One of my favorite bikes. Few bikes have put a grin from eat to ear like that bike did for me

wikipedia says it is a naked and then they say a naked is a standard
fwiw


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducati_Monster
Manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding SpA
Production 1993–
Class Naked bike[1][2][3]
Engine 90° V-Twin, desmodromic valves
Transmission 6-speed
Frame type Tubular steel trellis
Wheelbase 1,440 mm (57 in) (all)
Seat height 770–800 mm (30–31 in)
Weight 168–177 kg (370–390 lb) (dry)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_bike#Standard
Standard

The Ducati Monster 696 naked bikeStandards are versatile, general purpose street motorcycles.[2] They are recognized primarily by their upright riding position, partway between the reclining posture of the cruisers and the forward leaning sport bikes.[4] Foot pegs are below the rider and handlebars are high enough to not force the rider to reach far forward, placing the shoulders above the hips in a natural position.[3] Standards are often recommended to beginning motorcyclists due to their flexibility, relatively low cost, and moderate engines.[2]

Standards usually do not come with fairings or windscreens, or if they have them, they are relatively small.[2] Standard is often a synonym for naked bike, a term that became popular in the 1990s in response to the proliferation of fully-faired sport bikes. The standard seemed to have disappeared, fueling nostalgia for the return of the UJM, or Universal Japanese motorcycle.[2] UJMs were admired for their simplicity, quality and versatility.[5][4][7]

Muscle bike is a nickname for a type, derived from either a standard or sport bike design, that puts a disproportionately high priority on engine power.[16][17][2]
 
#26 ·
It is a sportbike / standard. But folks who do not ride are really confused about what to classify it as. This happens all the time when I tried to describe my SV I had or my current triple. I basically say it is far from a cruiser but it doesn't have all the bodywork the typical SS bike has and you can sit more upright on it. I typically just call it a naked but for those who don't ride this really throws them. Guess this could be the reason naked sell so poor in the US, many people get freaked out because they don't know which camp to throw them in.
 
#29 ·
I doubt most people (beyond moto-nerds like us) give two shits about the proper classification.
Nakeds don't sell as well here because 90% of the performance oriented bike (i.e.sportbike) buying demographic wants the repli-racer look and image. Nakeds have less poser point value, even if they are just as capable of "sporty riding"
 
#28 ·
Sportbikes as a class are probably best seen in context with other classes. At some point, classes get way too specific to be of any value. Kinda like music genres inhabited by only one or two bands....its pointless. I'm with Vcook. Sportbike is and should be a general term.

It seems most people are confusing "sportbike" with "race replica" bike, which is a subset of sportbike. Mistaking trees for the forest, as it were.
 
#42 ·
Why do people seem to get upset about the categorizations?
It's not as if the people posting up here are taking shots at the monster or any other bike in any class. Others (and I am not sure who exactly) have come up with the categories and which bikes fall into which - we aren't defining them here, just stating what has been stated.

Ducati used to have the Monster listed in the "Standard" category on their website - now they have some other grouping - but that's how the creator of the bike listed it.

Is it sporty? Without a doubt. I guess it really depends on how far you break them down like Rob said. Sportbike, Supersport, Hypersport (wasn't that how ducati grouped their ss bikes?) etc

The Monster at least the 2v is very similar to an SV650 or SV1000 - both are considered Standards, and both are rather quick around a track or a curvy road. Is the Monster more sporty because it's italian? Welll maybe so.
 
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