of the changes made to the chassis . Included in the changes is the addition of a new “ Riding Mode Wet ” ( the base Monster gets Sport , Touring and Urban modes ), which Ducati says is , unsurprisingly , designed to offer greater safety on the bikes on wet surfaces . The Monster SP ’ s standard electronic equipment includes ABS Cornering , Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Wheelie Control , all adjustable to various levels of intervention . There ’ s also Launch Control for fun getting off the line as quick as physically possible . Everything is easily managed through the handlebar controls and the 4.3 ” colour TFT dashboard , featuring racing graphics that echo those of the Panigale V4 , with a large rev counter and a complete set of information on the left , including that of the gear engaged . The Monster SP is clearly a huge step up in performance for the Monster family , and we ’ re ever hopeful Ducati ANZ will flick us the keys to one when the bikes start to arrive in NZ dealers from May 2023 .
Those Stylema calipers and aluminium flanges for the 320mm front brake discs weigh in half a kilo lighter than the standard Monster equipment , and while they undoubtedly give the SP more braking performance , they contribute to a full 2kg weight saving when you count in the lithium-ion battery . This is despite the addition of components the standard bike misses out on such as the steering damper and the windshield . The electronics of the SP also see a general recalibration of all the riding modes , as well as all the electronic controls , to make the most
KIWI RIDER 15