A set of fully adjustable forks would have been a nice touch, but the 2023 Ducati Monster SP has addressed this issue. This really will push the likes of Yamaha’s MT-09 SP. The chassis is excellent and can easily handle the feisty engine. Overall weight reduction has been impressive and as a result the Borgo Panigale factory has given birth to an extremely agile – yet surprisingly stable at high speeds – bike, even without using a steering damper. We are now in the presence of a more complete and refined machine, equipped with first-rate components. The resulting transformation is truly astonishing. If anything, it feels even more Monster-ish. But fear not, get on board and it still feels very much like the Monster we know and love. This 2021 Ducati Monster is a major step away from what’s gone before, not least because Ducati have dropped the trademark trellis frame in a move which raised eyebrows around the Ducatisti world.

Related: History of Ducati's V-twin engine.

Since then more than 350,000 have been sold, so when it comes to reinventing it, Ducati didn’t want to get it wrong. When the Ducati Monster naked motorbike first hit the streets way back in 1993, with its sinuous tank and pokey twin-cylinder engine, no-one realised just what an impact this naked motorbike would have. Review by guest contributor Stefano Cordara