Ducati Monster 821: First impressions

  

It is big and red. The signature trellis frame, also in the racy red, lurks below the bulbous tank. The meaty fat twin with the Testrastretta 11 badge and snaky bent-pipes have me hooked. All I need to do is key in, thumb the starter and ride away. But the twin barrel sawed-off shotgun-like exhaust has me distracted. Do I like it? Or not? What I do not like, for sure, is the missing single-sided swing arm – the Monster trademark.

The wide handlebar is flat and the seating comfortable. The big 17.5-litre tank is cut out nicely for the knees. The posture is leaned forward owing to the rear set foot-pegs. You feel the 205 kg weighing on the handlebar until you open the throttle. As compared to the 696 or the 796, the steering is on the heavier side but still easily manoeuverable and relays feedback precisely. Set up on the softer side, the ride is plush. The Ducati was poised all the way and did not lose composure even over an unmarked speed-hump. The Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIs do an excellent job holding on to everything they tread upon – tarmac, concrete, paver blocks whether wet, damp or dry.

The four-valve liquid-cooled fuel injected 90-degree V-twin motor is potent. It develops 111bhp of power at 9250rpm as it revs to 11000rpm before the electronic limiter cuts in. The torque kicks in from almost as low as 4000rpm, peaking out at 89.4Nm at 7750rpm. The Monster hurtles you forward earnestly, making you smile while not really scaring you white. Power delivery is relentless through the gears, across 100kmph in second, nearing 150 in third while you lean forward to keep the Monster on two.

The L-twin crackles to life after a misfire or two, settling into a crude burble at idling and the over-square L-twin settles into a throaty whine while cruising. The note is crisp and loud and the engine internals make their presence felt. You can cruise comfortably at about 2500-3000rpm in traffic, below which, the typical V-twin shudder puts you off. Like all other Ducatis, the crankcase is a stressed member of the frame. While this does transmit the vibrations and harshness from the engine on to the frame, they are almost unable to reach you at higher revs.

The six-speed gearbox is a dream. Pull the clutch and unlike most big bikes that do so with a heart-breaking clunk, the Ducati gearbox eases into first. As you open up, it slides into successive gears with a click at the toe. For down-shifts, you have to get used to the ways of the Monster to realise how easy it is to go down gear after gear. The ratios are nicely laid out and you always find one to settle in. The Brembo disc brakes are wonderful. The front brake has a nice bite when you tap the lever and feels progressive. The 320mm twin-disc setup in the front, coupled with the single disc in the rear, provide ample braking force for you to cut down speed quickly.

The eight-step Ducati Traction control and the three-step Bosch9MP ABS ensure that you get the best of the available grip and are not intrusive. The three riding modes - Sport, Touring and Urban – provide different engine maps suitable for each of the situations. You can switch modes on the fly from 75bhp in Urban to the full 110 horses on tap in Sport.

At 9.56 lakh, the Ducati Monster 821 asks a hefty premium over the Triumph Street Triple or the Kawasaki Z800. The Ducati is as powerful as the Z800. The LED signatures in the headlamp, aggressive but not overt styling and the magic of proportions exude the Italian touch. The Street Triple, with its nimble ways and lighter weight, is quite close to the Monster in riding pleasure but loses out on power. When it comes to spares and service, the Ducati history in India has not been really glorious. But, if I am wanting a boy toy - for a leisurely weekend ride or to look at from the bedroom window– the Ducati will certainly be the undisputed first on my list.

The Curious case of BJP in Maharashtra

I have religiously supported Narendra Modi for quite some time now and I think the central government is slowly and steadily working towards changing the way India has been working for decades. The systematic effort to shift the paradigm towards accountability and governance is clearly visible if you can look beyond the highly opinionated and skewed media reports that have become a norm these days. While the fourth pillar of democracy is crying out loud that they are being fair, the three pages of advertisements before the first page of today’s Times of India is evidence enough that it is more of business than journalism. The charisma of the NaMo, the face of BJP, has ensured that the party has been a front-runner in most of the elections after sweeping the elections last year.

Now let us take the case of Maharashtra. Maharashtra politics is probably more tangled than the Indrani case (I could have said ‘why Indrani Killed Sheena’ but I don’t believe in Media trials). BJP riding on the Modi wave, went in to the state elections alone as against partnering with Shiv Sena, their natural ally. I am not sure if it was the pride of the UP win that went into their heads or the unreasonable ambition of a local pot-belly, but, breaking the traditional alliance seemed to be out of greed to repeat 2014. After the post poll fracas that continued for a long time is where BJP lost all its credibility for the Marathi manoos. The talks of partnering with Sharad Pawar, the epitome of shrewd politics, just to be in power and not wilt to the mounting pressure of public sentiment and their natural ally has spoken volumes about the priorities of Maharashtra BJP.

Finally, after a lot of unnecessary arm-twisting, BJP formed an alliance government with Shiv Sena. If this volte-face was not enough, the BJP tried to mimic NaMo style of functioning – authorative and autocratic. The most important thing that lacked here was the vision and ability of the state leadership. Nobody knew Devendra Fadnavis until his name propped up for CM. After the mysteriously timed death of Gopinath Munde, the power centre in Maharashtra shifted to Nagpur. For a person with no known credentials to be handed over the reins of one of the most dynamic states proved to be a political master-stroke.

Maharashtra is now reeling under a number of bans. But that is not of any concern to me. Because the bigger news has been smartly sidelined by the secular media. The Fadnavis government has resorted to tax terrorism, as a short term solution to filling up the drying government coffers. The drought tax is draconian and has to be opposed and defied more than the beef and liquor bans. The unilateral decision making of the BJP led government has had the people as well as the allies fuming.

BJP has lost every bit of sympathy they had garnered in the general elections with its headstrong and cocky politics. Rural Maharashtra - the age-old Congress and NCP bastion – had opened up to the idea of a different leadership. But the government policies devoid of field facts and on-ground experience have ensured that they would never get another chance. The CM taking it on his ego to win the Kalyan-Dombivli elections is proof enough of the lack of vision for the government.

There have been reports of horse-trading where a municipal corporation ward seat has gone for as much a 75 lakh for tickets that are almost sure to be won. The Fadnavis government also tried to get the 27 villages that wanted to be a part of the corporation to break away to form a new corporation because they knew that the Shiv Sena holds sway in these wards.

Looking at the way the Fadnavis govt has performed since their arrival in office, it seems the Maharashtra BJP needs a reality check and a wake-up call. Failure, they say, is the best teacher and being a staunch follower of Narendra Modi, I hope the BJP lose their upper hand in the KDMC elections. Playing second fiddle should remind them that they were chosen as an option to Congress-NCP corruption and not because the BJP had promise. May be then, the government will be knocked back to senses and start working with the people. A government that is at loggerheads with its own people cannot be successful no matter what they do!

Organised Chaos = LiveLodgycal ???

While we are busy looking for logic in everything that is done,

the moments of absolute mirth are the ones with dearth of logic.

Having said that, it is that want of Logic in everything is what is keeping us from becoming ISIS !

So when someone comes up with a product ‘Lodgy’ and drives the campaign around ‘Live Lodgycal’, you know for a fact that a lot of logical arguments have been already shown the door :P ;)

Anyway, the Renault Lodgy is something that will logically appeal to most people of the country. We are still a far way away from the West where a family is a man, a woman and kids of the two. Except when we travel for office, we have a fleet of people called ‘family’ waiting to get into the car. If not family, at least your old neighbour would want you to drop him to the next block even if you are embarking on a thousand mile drive and you can’t say no because ‘Sanskar’!

Well, even Alia Bhatt is appealing for me. So what if she comes across as dumb as Rahul Gandhi? But is she logically right for me? That would be something like buying a Rolls Royce by selling your only house for the down payment and raising the rest in loan. (I am sure it is technically impossible but then you can’t explain logic without explaining illogical). So what I meant with all these words was that is the car Value for Money? And I think it is. It has two head lamps and two tail lamps. It has three seating rows, three outlets for AC, three 12V charging points. It has four wheels, four power windows, four decent speakers and a four cylinder highly efficient diesel engine.

It has five doors for you to get in and shove your luggage, six gears in the 110 PS car and an option to seat seven or eight people.

The equipment, features in this car are at par with the competition but it loses out a bit on power, especially when you talk about the 85PS. It is a downer again with those quirky French looks but that’s where it ends. It is almost as spacious as the Innova – something that people in India swear by. 

Where it starts winning is when you talk about ride and handling. It is not really Ferrari fast but then that is okay because you can’t go 7/8 people in a Ferrari. It brakes okay and can be chucked into corners where it will stick and not scare you with humongous body roll like most boats in the market do.

It has got a touchscreen system if you are ready to spend like a good fifteen lakh or else you will have to be happy with quirky looking system. It has cruise control at the top end, but unless you are driving on the Yamuna or Mumbai-Pune Expressway, you will not be able to use it for more than two minutes at a stretch. The Multi-Information Display gives you the trip log and any other information you want on the go.

I am not going to say only good things about the car because Renault and Blogadda hosted us at a super luxury property in Goa for two days and treated us like royalty. For me the car is value for money except for my reservations about Renault service back up. If I am buying a diesel people mover, I am expected to travel and if my car spares are not going to available readily, I would certainly be really pissed off. Also, a slightly bigger clutch pedal would keep our wet, muddy or just worn our soles from slipping off making it slightly more comfortable.

Yes and for the next face-lift, please rope me in for the design of the tailgate!

For the Detailed Review : The Renault Lodgy First Drive
For Detailed Information : The Renault Lodgy Features