With the spotting of a new air-cooled Ducati Monster motorcycle for the 2017 model year, we can make some logical assumptions about what the Italian marque is up to for next year. One of those assumptions is the new Ducati Monster 939.
A 2017 Ducati Monster 939 was almost a certainty the second we saw the Ducati Hypermotard 821 getting bored out with a 937cc upgrade. Since the Monster 821 and the Hypermotard 821 share the same engine, it only makes sense for the two models to eventually share the 937cc power plant.
What adds fodder to this notion though is Ducati’s move to add a cheap and basic Monster model to its roster, in the form of the air-cooled two-valve model that we spotted earlier today.
This is because the likely 803cc air-cooled machine is harder to separate from the Monster 821, in the eyes of consumers, but a Monster 939 should be considerably easier to pitch and distinguish.
The 937cc liquid-cooled engine is getting quite a workout for the 2017 model year, as a version of the power plant will also power the Ducati Supersport, which was teased at the recent World Ducati Week gathering.
A cousin to the 848 engine that powered the Ducati 848 Superbike, we have seen variations of this four-valve Testastretta engine in the Streetfighter 848, Monster 821, Hypermotard 821, and Hypermotard 939.
The “939” iteration is surely the end of the line for the middleweight engine, and we can expect Ducati to replace the motor in its lineup with something that more closely resembles the Superquadro engine, like what currently powers the Ducati 959 Panigale.
That’s a change we could see for the 2017 model year, though we would morel likely expect to see the transition in 2018.
Asphalt & Rubber has received some tips that the 959 Superquadro engine could power an all-new model for the 2017 model year, but with the 1299 Superquadro engine expected to be replaced in the Superbike line for 2018, the timing of that news isn’t certain. As always, time will tell.
Photo: Ducati
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