2017 Ducati Monster 1200 First Ride Review

The principality of Monaco is an imbecilic location for a motorcycle ride. After all, the independent microstate on the French Riviera isn’t even twice as big as the Dodger Stadium grounds, and its teeny little streets are crammed almost solid with a cornucopia of vehicles from two-stroke scooters to the apparently riotously amusing Renault Twizys to exotic McLarens to horrifyingly huge Rollers.

Then again, if the stats are true and 30% of its population are millionaires, I suppose many people in this odd little place wouldn’t be frightened by paying around $15,000 for an expensive Italian toy like Ducati’s freshly revampedMonster 1200. Enticed by power and style and the magical mountain roads just a few miles away from the coast, an intrepid Monacoian might think the biggest Monster would make a perfect fit parked in the garage next to a Ferrari.