Officially Official: Ducati unveils the new 2008 Monster 696

click above image to view high-res gallery of the Ducati Monster 696

Let the speculation end! Ducati has officially unveiled the 2008 Monster 696. Now that we know exactly what the new air-cooled Ducati Monster will look like, we’re honestly a bit disappointed. It’s not at all that the bike is bad looking, because it’s not. The problem is that it’s all covered up. We love naked bikes here at Autoblog, and this one’s just not naked enough for our tastes. You not only miss out on the wind and road protection of a faired bike, you also don’t get to display the crown jewel — the engine — in all its glory, like the original Monster. The trademark trellis frame is half present, connecting to an aluminum subframe and swingarm. The engine is an updated version of the previous 695cc unit, with enough changes to yield a 9% boost to 80 hp (59 kW) and an 11% increase in torque to 50.6 lb-ft. Weighing just 359 lbs, the power to weight ratio is better than ever before, so performance should remain quite high. The light-weight Monster still features a slipper clutch, which is quite rare in the segment in which it competes.

We’re pretty excited about this bike, despite the fact that we were hoping for a slightly different design direction. It’s still a looker and the performance might make up for our aesthetic reservations. Check out Ducati’s full press release after the jump.

[Source: Ducati]

Gallery: Ducati Monster 696