New Jersey’s Benjie’s Café Racers (BCR) presents a ‘tracker/urban scrambler’ reinterpretation of a ‘07 Ducati Monster S2R 800, aptly renamed ‘Monster Trucker’. The original bike was owned by the founder and main man of the company himself, Mr.Benjie Flipprboi, who used to ride it for his daily commuting until he simply grown tired of his appearance, which was just ‘too standard’. Once the ‘tracker’ approach was chosen for the new creature, one of BCR’s objectives was to streamline the bike, to increase the steering angle and make it more suitable for city riding. The main issue there was to get the new tank as desired, and this because the large airbox and the positioning of the battery over the engine of the Monster did not allow the designers to use a normal solution, cause the tank would have been too little.

So they’ve built a brand new one made of aluminum, long, narrow, specifically developed for this project and located right below the saddle, that goes all the way down to the end of the tail - in the same fashion a bit like some modern ‘adventure’ bike. This way they got themselves a 15-liter capacity tank, shaped to follow the lines of the original Monster’s frame. The fuel cap is in the usual position, right in front of the saddle, and is integrated in an aluminum cover shaped to look like a traditional tank hiding airbox, battery and wiring.

Always in strict observance of the canons of the ‘tracker’ style, the bike comes with an aluminum plate shaped like a dirt bike number plate, with a head lamp encrusted asymmetrically into it. As for the exhaust, BCR opted for a special stainless steel system ending with two high mufflers on the right side, wrapped in a thermal protection made of aluminum. Both fenders are carbon fiber, the original handlebar has been replaced (as it was deemed ‘too low’ to obtain the desired aesthetic effect) just like footpegs, now made of steel. All of that was made in-house, of course. Polishing of the covers aside, the 803 cc air-cooled twin of Monster S2R 800 has not been modified, thus it still produces 77 hp.

Continue reading: Ducati 'Monster Tracker' by BCR

It’s hard to figure out what the owner of this Ducati Monster was expecting to get when he decided to customize it that way, putting random pieces of leather on the bodywork in an attempt it to give it some sort of ‘cowboy feel’: the thing is that, even though we agree there’s no accounting for taste, what we got here is quite a challenging motorbike.

This weird rendition of the Monster was spotted outside a shopping center in Villach, Austria, by a reader of our twin site Motoblog.it, who just could not believe that “the cow standing in front of him was actually a Ducati“, and he felt he just had to take some picture to share his disdain with us.

In all fairness, we do not fully agree with the reader. Actually, checking these pics out, we note that this job was obviously made ​​with great patience and, let’s face it, a good deal of skill. The tank was covered with pieces of leather tied together with leather straps and synthetic rope, while the skin on the front mudguard has been carefully glued. The saddle is even decorated with a pocket that’s quite reminiscent of the typical “cowboy pants” and, last but not least, there’s the rev-counter, on which it was applied a round leather disc engraved with the numbers and the Ducati logo. That’s a true labor of love, if you ask us..

Continue reading: Ducati Monster "cowboy style"

Bulgaria’s Vilner (that we introced when we talked about their BMW F800 R ‘Predator’) is quickly becoming one of the brightest stars in the tuning world thanks to its extremely elegant creations on 2 and 4 wheels, and today we are about to introduce their own Ducati Bulgari, a classy rendition of the Monster 1100 Evo that doesn’t look too much different from an aesthetic point of view and yet it boasts a quite futuristic design as well as very eye-catching details.

Apparently, the design team who worked on the project was inspired by the anatomical shape of the praying mantis, a notorious insect that is famous for its “post-nuptial cannibalism” (with the female killing the male after mating) and also because its graceful movements are believed to be somewhat inspirational to Kung Fu. The bike is slightly more compact than the normal Monster to make it more maneuverable in city traffic, while the engine has been given an extra 10 hp. The addition of the two side banels under the frame details are meant to improve the response of the bike to vibration, but also contribute to make the ‘Bulgari’ even more classy than the model it derives from.

Definitely worth mentioning are the ultra-modern saddle and ront light as well as its cool Pearl White paint-job (which is not the same ‘White’ that Ducati uses for the Monster) which surely add up to the overall exclusivity of the model. To cut it short, the Vilner the guys have done a superb job creating a seductive and sophisticated motorcycle: check it out more closely in our photo gallery.

Continue reading: Special bikes: Ducati Monster Bulgari by Vilner

Out of all the models featured in Ducati’s current range, the mighty Monster is arguably the most popular one in the custom community. Unless you are going for the proper sportbikes in an attempt to burn some serious rubber on the racetrack - which would also need some fancy technical upgrades to match the aesthetic enhancements - the Monster is a much more affordable alternative that maintains Ducati’s signature features and is still regarded as one of the most fashionable bike out there.

The popularity of this model - which basically, single-handedly created a whole new segment in the market almost 20 years ago - has never faded away. On the top of that, you can also customize it in plenty of different ways to better suit your taste or express your own creativity: just think of how many different tank cover you have seen troughout the years! And if you have any doubt on the subject - although we are pretty sure you don’t - here is an exclusive collection of images taken by our mates from Motoblog.it at the recent World Ducati Week 2012 starring some of the better looking and most original Monsters spotted around in the parking lot of the Misano circuit, where the most important Ducati rally of the year just closed its doors. Sit back and enjoy..

View the full WDW 2012 - Ducati Monster photo gallery

Once again no, this is not a new Ducati Monster with a diesel engine: what we have here is a special edition of the Ducati Monster 1100 Evo created with the input coming from Italian fashion brand Diesel, which has been a sponsor for the Ducati MotoGp team for several years. Yesterday evening the Ducati Monster Diesel has been officially unveiled ‘in the metal’ for the first time on the European soil in a Diesel store in central Rome, and our friends from twin-site motoblog.it were there to seize the moment and take some pictures.

Among the people attending the event there were Ducati’s president Gabriele Del Torchio and Diesel’s main man and founder Renzo Rosso, who has been directly involved in the design of this special Monster along with the Ducati Design Centre. The model uses a peculiar ‘Diesel Brave Green’ matt paint scheme that - in combination with the matt black finishing of steel trellis frame, exhaust system, engine covers and rims - provides the bike with a sort of ‘military feel’, and emphasizes the yellow-painted front calipers and rear shock.

The Monster Diesel comes with a few new and exclusive parts such as the passenger seat cover, the mufflers’ heat shields, the dashboard cover and the metal plate fixed on the passenger seat cover. The saddle uses Diesel denim upholstery and there are laser-engraved Diesel’s trademark Mohican logos on the aluminum air inlets of the fuel tank cover, but everything else is basically the same as the model it is based upon: 100 hp 1,078 cc L-twin 2-valve per cylinder Desmodromic engine, Marzocchi 43mm fully adjustable forks, progressive adjustable monoshock by Sachs at the rear (with preload and rebound), digital instrumentation, Ducati Safety Pack (DSP - inclusive of ABS), the latest version of the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) and Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres.

View the full Ducati Monster Diesel - European unveiling photo gallery

As Italy and the international motorcycle industry prepare to farewell Claudio Castiglioni, here is our small gallery tribute to a legendary motorcycle figure with a series of just some of the creations Castiglioni has been credited for over the years. Below is the official statement from MV Agusta on Castiglioni’s death - which celebrates his life and career and one of the more incredible contributions to the motorcycle industry we’ll see in years to come.

Claudio Castiglioni, 64 years old and President of MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. passed away this morning in Varese,Italy after a courageous battle against an illness.

The man who personally elevated the Italian motorcycle industry to its current role as world leader and the businessman who excelled with MV Agusta, Cagiva, Ducati and Husqvarna brands has left us.

Continue reading: Claudio Castiglioni tribute galleries

Here’s Emilio Zamora of the Ducati Stunt Team showing off with wheelies, stoppies and burnouts with a Ducati Monster for a Taft hair styling products commercial

I wonder if Taft has anything to avoid helmet hair?

I can’t decide if the Ducati Diavel looks as chunky in the flesh as in its studio pics or less so, but here are live pics from EICMA from the Ducati stand. We’ll have to wait until the best bike verdict from the 2010 EICMA emerges before we can gauge local reaction to the Diavel but a number of contrasting words come to mind: everything from abomination, innovation, anomaly and curiosity from Ducati. The Diavel is at the show with the old favourite, the Ducati Monster (1100 EVO), the Ducati 848 EVO and the new Ducati 1198SP which was first revealed at Intermot. The Diavel steals the show but more for the novelty factor than anything else.

Continue reading: Live at EICMA: Ducati Diavel and the Ducati stand

Here’s the Ducati Monster 796 official video where we get to hear very little of the engine but lots of funky music. The new Monster is a stepping stone in the range from the 696 to the 1100, and completes the Monster family line-up. It will be available already in Italy from the end of this month, and the mediterranean scenes slipping by in the video just make us want to go and buy one for summer coastal cruising. Coming soon we check out a Ducati Monster 796 test ride, so stay tuned, and see our post for videos on the Monster Art Colour Therapy project.

We’re not really keen on the Ducati Monster 796 in lilac, but we’re definitely sold on the idea of a Monster that sits between the 696 and 1100. The new Monster 796 is equipped with Ducati’s 803 cc engine from the Hypermotard 796. It has 87 hp and weighs just 167 kg, dry. While still the bike we know and love, the 2010 Monster 796 will have a few improvements to make it even more rider friendly.

The comfortable riding style gets new ergonomic design, making this a rider’s bike that adapts to most riding styles. It has a wet slipper clutch and the same characteristic red trellis frame. ABS is available as an optional extra. In addition to the classic Ducati Rosso red, Arctic White and Diamond Black silk colours, we also get some historic Ducati colours as an add-on in price. On the Italian market the Ducati Monster 796 will be available from the end of April at a price of about 8,990 euros.

Continue reading: 2010 Ducati Monster 796: new engine and colours