“A Monster with clip-ons is one of the best hidden secrets out there…”
The Monster is famous as the bike that saved Ducati in the 1990s, pulling it back from the brink of bankruptcy.
“The story of the original Monster is nothing short of a miracle. One day, a young designer named Miguel Galuzzi started to play with a leftover 888 frame, a big front headlight from the backyard parts bin, and a clay modeled gas tank. That first prototype was something that Ducati’s management just couldn’t — or wouldn’t — approve of. But the Argentinian-Italian designer was onto something. It looked ugly enough to be called ‘Monster’ but it was a captivating bike with rugged, street-fighter looks.” -Motorcycle.com
While the naked Ducati was no “Monster” compared to the GSX-Rs, Fireblades, and Ninjas of the era, it sold like hotcakes, saving the Bologna-based factory from insolvency. By the turn of the 21st century, however, the Monster had grown long in the tooth, and sharper-edged rivals had entered the naked bike market.
So what did the boys from Bologna do? In typical Ducati style, they doubled down on speed and power, throwing the four-valve “DesmoQuattro” superbike engine into the bike — the same one that powered the iconic 916 series. Yes, the motor was detuned slightly with milder cams, giving it more midrange at the cost of top end power, but you basically got a WBSK-winning engine in a streetfighter frame.
Our buddy Dan Benson fell in love with Ducatis as a teenager and went on to race a 748 and 996 in local New England Super and Thunderbike classes. While the later Monsters might have more power, Dan says Ducati nailed it with the first-generation four-valve Monster:
“This bike hit all the right marks for power, weight, and handling. It’s light and fast, it turns like a dream, it makes me hate my superbikes thanks to its comfort. A Monster with clip-ons is one of the best hidden secrets out there.”
As it turned out, Dan wasn’t the only person he knew with a hankering for an early S4. He bought this particular bike way back in 2007, only to have it stolen by a former friend.
“I was not using the bike so I gave it and the title to a friend to use, only to have a falling out with him and to lose the bike. I tried repeatedly to have the bike returned but he was never willing. This fellow then gave or sold the bike to a gent who was looking to sell it… My wife then secretly bought it for me; she knew the bike meant a lot to me.”
May we all have such supportive wives! With the bike back in his possession, Dan went to town with his signature “non-OEM, non-red” style, which has a tendency to trigger purists: “There are a few Reddit threads out there with people hating a few of my builds!” To us, the all-too-common red Ducatis can become boring, so we love seeing someone get wild with an Italian thoroughbred like this one. The Ducati SportClassic wire wheels are signature element, which give the bike a bit of old-school cafe racer flair.
But much of the rest of the machine is cutting-edge. The suspension and brakes have been upgraded with a 1098 Öhlins front end matched with SpeedyMoto SBK yokes and Heli NOS clip-ons, and there’s an Öhlins shock from an ST4S out back. Up front, 100mm SBK Brembo radial calipers were modified to clear the spokes with a radial master and stainless steel Brembo floating rotors.
A Foggy S4 Spaghetti exhaust was modded with a Monster 1100 Termignoni low-mount to allow two-up riding, and the bike is running a Power Commander, six-ramp slipper clutch, ST oil cooler, no flywheel, Motogadget dashboard in a billet mount, custom paint and seat, and open belts “because why not…”
With the modifications, Dan estimates the 916cc DesmoQuattro engine is putting out 105-108 crank hp, and the bike brakes and handles much better than stock.
“I would like to NOT thank the dude who took from me in the first place, he can pound sand. I would like to thank my friend Rocket for getting my wife to buy it and my wife for buying it. The small amount she spent paled in comparison to the stupid amount of money I have put into it, but this is called living.”
Amen, Dan! We’re glad you got your Monster back and got to build it your own way. Below is our full interview with Dan about the build, and stay tuned for another one of his Ducati customs coming soon!
Custom Ducati Monster S4: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My motorcycle experience has been a classic example of brand impression and how it can be ingrained in a young person and stay with you for life. For me, Ducati was the only brand, and my first bike was a water-cooled Paso 906. At the age of 19 I bought an 888 SPO and was bitten hard by water-cooled, four-valve bikes and never looked back.
Between 2003 and 2006 I was racing locally in New England running Super and Thunderbike classes on a 748 and later 996. My race experience brought with it not only track time but wrench time focused on weight, power, and handling.
These days I have been buying all my old bikes back and restoring them while trying to work and raise my kids. This was the last of the fleet to track down and rework!
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
2001 Ducati Monster S4.
• Why was this bike built?
This bike was purchased in 2007 for the wheels, which were needed for an 888 project at the time. The resulting bike was a build from a pile of spare parts I had; the wire wheels from a Sport Classic were the biggest switch at the time. I was not using the bike so I gave it and the title to a friend to use, only to have a falling out with him and to lose the bike.
I tried repeatedly to have the bike returned but he was never willing. This fellow then gave or sold the bike to a gent who was looking to sell it. I passed when I heard, but my wife then secretly bought it for me; she knew the bike meant a lot to me. Once I had it back in my possession, I went to town on it in my way (non-OEM, non-red — there are a few reddit threads out there with people hating a few of my builds!).
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
The S4 was the first Monster to have a four-valve (DesmoQuattro for the nerds out there) motor, which made it the closest to the 851/888 that the original Monster frame was based on (this frame is the later S4 – ST frame).
My plan was to make this bike a cross section between old Ducati and new-ish: The colors are wild like those of the 60-70s, the wire wheels are a shock but play well, it has great suspension / braking, and it’s two up capable.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
1098 Öhlins front, SpeedyMoto SBK Monster Triples, Heli NOS slight rise clip-ons, Sport Classic wire wheels, ST4S rear Öhlins, Öhlins damper, 100MM SBK Radial Brembo calipers modified to clear the spokes with a radial master, Brembo floating SS rotors, radial clutch master, Foggy S4 Spaghetti exhaust modded with Monster 1100 Termis low-mount for two-up riding…
Custom paint, custom seat, Motogadget cluster with a billet dash, Eagle Lights 7” LED headlights, 6 ramp BB slipper, no flywheel, ST oil cooler, OG Power Commander, 520DID chain / sprockets, open belts because why not…
• Does the bike have a nickname?
The StolenS4, nothing like buying a bike twice…
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
916cc, Pcommander, 50MM exhaust, no flywheel = perfection, roughly 105-108 crank HP.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
This gen Monster to me is the high point. While I love the S4R and S4RS rear swingarm, larger displacement, and later the Testastretta engine, this bike hit all the right marks for power, weight, and handling.
It’s light and fast, it turns like a dream, it makes me hate my superbikes thanks to its comfort. A Monster with clipons is one of the best hidden secrets out there.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
Finishing this bike was the high point for me. It was a lot of little bits that had to come together in the end — the term “biting off more than one should” came to mind often.
While the bike lacks major modifications, I would argue that it proves how good the bike was from the start. Removing all the ugly bits, bringing color to the bike with proper suspension and braking is all money well spent on an OEM Monster — these are my favored mods on this bike.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
I would like to NOT thank the dude who took from me in the first place, he can pound sand. My friend Rocket for getting my wife to buy it and my wife for buying it, the small amount she spent paled in comparison to the stupid amount of money I have put into it, but this is called living.
Follow the Builder
Web: db.ibenson.com
A full writeup of the build is available at db.ibenson.com/index.php?title=StolenS4
More from Dan Benson…
The Stolen S4: Ducati Monster S4 Custom - “A Monster with clip-ons is one of the best hidden secrets out there…” The Monster is famous as the bike that saved Ducati in the 1990s, pulling it back from the brink of bankruptcy. “The […]
Racebike for the Street: “BritDuc” 916 SPS Restomod - Ultra-rare, Britten-inspired Ducati from Dan Benson… In 1997, Ducati introduced the 916 SPS (Sport Production Special) to homologate their larger 996cc engine for World Superbike (WSBK) competition. The SPS boasted a reinforced crankcase, wider cylinder […]
The DocR: Ducati 996 Café Racer - A Real Monster: Dan Benson’s Ducati 996SPS Café… We’ve talked about how certain motorcycles or marques seem to imprint themselves on a young motorcyclist. For Dan Benson of Newport, Rhode Island, there was one […]
