Description
Click here for an instaVIN Motorcycle History Report on this 2008 Ducati Monster S4RS Tricolore.
From the seller of the incredible Ducati R collection comes another special Italian – the S4RS Tricolore version of the venerable Monster. First unveiled at the 1992 Cologne Motorcycle Show, the Ducati M900 Monster was the “original naked bike”. The wildly successful parts-bin special was penned by Miguel Galluzzi and quickly became one of the Bologna firm’s best-selling models, accounting for more than half of all of Ducati’s sales within a decade of its release.
As Ducati’s superbikes evolved, so too did the Monster lineup. But by the middle-aughts, the Italian marque was facing increasingly fierce competition from fellow European manufacturers like Triumph and KTM. So in 2006, Ducati shoehorned the powertrain from its 998 superbike into the Monster. Two years later, Ducati one-upped itself, this time delivering what was essentially a naked version of its World Superbike Championship-winning 999 model.
Dubbed the S4R S, the naked was powered by Ducati’s Testastretta 999 engine. The water-cooled narrow-head motor featured Marelli FI with competition-derived 12-hole injectors and an auxiliary oil cooler. The race-bred L-Twin redlined at 10,500 rpm, putting down 130 hp at 9,500rpm and 77 ft-lbs of torque at 7,500rpm. Despite being housed in Ducati’s trademark tubular trellis frame, the company’s designers did a stellar job of hiding the model’s slew of wiring and sensors so they could highlight the crown jewel of the bike: the engine.
The 390lb (177kg) S4R S also boasted an array of competition-grade componentry, much of it borrowed from the R-spec 999. 43mm inverted Öhlins forks with low-friction titanium nitride coating, Öhlins monoshock, aluminum single-sided swing-arm, four-pot Brembo P34 brakes with dual 320mm discs, and forged ten-arm alloy Marchesini rims were all standard fare on the hopped-up naked.
In 2008 Ducati released the “ultimate expression of the Monster” via a limited run of only 400 Tricolore edition S4R S’s — 250 of which were sent to the US. Adorned in the classic Italian flag livery, the S4R S Tricolore also featured carbon fiber front fender, radiator cover, side-covers, cam belt covers, and heat guard and silencer cover for the model’s stacked dual aluminum exhaust. Each of the 400 units also came with an individualized number plate.
This particular 2008 Monster S4R S Tricolore shows “313/400” on the left engine case, and it’s being offered by the second owner who acquired it two years ago. It sports the optional factory carbon fiber Termignoni dual exhaust and it needs nothing for the next owner to enjoy it.
More than a quarter of a century after its release, the Monster remains a valuable member of Ducati’s current lineup. With its gorgeous trellis frame and potent engine on display, the Monster epitomizes Italian engineering. The Monster was summed up nicely by Ducati’s (then) manager, Massimo Bordi, when he described it as “the bike Marlon Brando would be riding today in the (1953) film, The Wild One.” And that statement has only rung truer as time has gone on.
