Are the Ducati Monster 795 and 796 different motorcycles?

Recently, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer- Ducati re-launched its fleet in India with highly competitive price tags. The range includes at least one superbike for every purpose like lifestyle, naked sport, supersport, cruising, adventure sport and more. The naked sport range of the company starts with the Monster 795 and goes upto the Monster 1200 S Stripe, ranging between 7.08 - 25.84 lacs (ex-showroom, Delhi). In the mid-weight performance segment, the company offers different variants of the Monster 796 and 821 along with the 795. So, are they different motorcycles or different variants of a single machine?

First we will talk about the Ducati Monster 795 and 796, which are same but have some cosmetic as well as mechanical changes. Monster 795 is the most basic variant of the motorcycle with muscle fuel tank, countered seat, low-set headlight, naked space frame, dual underseat mufflers and more. Features that make it different from the 796 are its single tone paint scheme, twin-side swingarm, three-spoke alloys and a 160/60 section rear tyre. On the other hand, Monster 796 features dual-tone paint schemes, single-sided swingarm, 5-split-spoke alloys and 180/55 section rear tyre.

Along with the similar chassis, both the Monster 795 and 796 sports the same 803cc, air-cooled, L-Twin engine with 2 Desmodromically actuated valves per cylinder. It comes mated to a 6-speed gearbox via new APT clutch for dramatically reduced clutch lever "pull" effort. Using an electronic fuel injection system with 45mm throttle body, it makes 85.8bhp of maximum power at 8,250rpm and delivers torque upto 78Nm at 6,250rpm. Both the bikes are DDA (Ducati Data Analyser) ready, while the 796 also gets the M796 ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) as an standard equipment.

So there are sufficient reasons to think before choosing between the Ducati Monster 795 and 796 including their prices as per the following:

Monster 795 – Rs 7.08 lacs

Monster 796 S2R – Rs 8.09 lacs

Monster 796 Corse Stripe – Rs 8.09 lacs

(Ex-showroom prices, Delhi)