The all new Monster 796

The Monster family introduces the 796, an exciting addition to the line-up that combines the user-friendliness of the 696 with the sports character of the 1100. Delivering 87hp (64kW), a dry weight of just 167kg (368lb) and optional ABS, the stylish new Monster 796 returns the magic of mid-range to the Monster family.

The Monster 796 is fitted with the micro-bikini fairing and single seat cover as standard and features a new seat designed with a comfort-enhancing shape, further accentuated with stylish red stitching. Additional new features also include a rear sub-frame constructed ready to accept new accessory grab-handles designed to provide a confidence-inspiring grip for the passenger, while blending into the natural line of the tail-end.

The riding position has also been revised by reducing the seat height by a full 10mm (compared to the Monster 1100) to 800mm, whilst the handlebars have been raised by 20mm. These changes, together with the redesigned seat shape have improved posture and increased comfort. With the brand new Desmodue 796 engine at the heart of the machine, a single-sided swingarm and revised ergonomics, the Monster 796 perfectly balances lifestyle performance with everyday functionality to enhance the original Monster spirit.

The new Monster 796 comes in traditional Ducati red, new arctic white silk or diamond black silk. All three colours are set against a red Trellis frame and black wheels, which feature a new short-style red flash around the rim side that creates a full red stripe at speed.

Commenting on the launch, Tim Maccabee, Ducati UK MD said "The new 796 Monster is a welcome addition to the family and will be a great bike for people upgrading from a first bike 600 or looking to switch from a Sports 600 whilst wanting to retain style with plenty of real-world performance".

Launched as an early entry model year 2011, the Monster 796 will be available in the UK from May 2010 onwards and will be priced at £6,995, with the ABS version at £7,695.

The all new Ducati 848 Evo.

The 848EVO now further enhances Ducati's most impressive lightweight Superbike ever with more power from the 140bhp Testastretta engine and more braking power from Brembo’s incredible Monobloc brake technology combining to provide an even more exhilarating performance to enter the world of Ducati Superbikes. Call Ducati Manchester or Preston now to book your demo.
"Sexier than a Fireblade, £2000 cheaper than an R1.....the 848 Evo is one hell of a machine" MCN 25.8.10

Ducati Multistrada 1200S takes the win at Pikes Peak!

Following the Ducati Multistrada's incredibly successful market introduction, the top-selling model has now also won its very first international competition with a convincing victory and 3rd place finish in the 1200cc class of the annual Pike's Peak International Hill Climb, held on Sunday high in the mountains above Colorado Springs. The win further underlines world-wide acclaim received for the ground-breaking technology introduced by the Bologna-based company earlier this year.

In the hands of Pike's Peak veteran, Greg Tracy, the Multistrada 1200 S took a massive lead off the start line, and rode up into the clouds to take the top podium position at 14,110 feet (4,300 meters). Tracy ran a smooth race, demonstrating the exceptional on and off-road capabilities of Ducati's innovative new model, which uses electronically controlled "riding-modes" to deliver top performance across all terrains.
"That was an exciting week I've got to say," said Tracy in the post race award ceremony. "I want to thank Ducati for the opportunity they've given me. The Spider Grips Falkner-Livingston Multistrada was an amazing ride. Everyone did an awesome job and that motorcycle is crazy fast. It hit 137mph (220km/h) at one point up the hill and worked great both on the dirt and the asphalt. When I was growing up, and all these factory teams would win races, I was sure they had $100,000 engines and that was why they went so fast. I was wrong. This is my first year on a factory motorcycle and I'll tell you that bike was box-stock standard. It had some carbon, and few tweaks and that was it."

Greg's teammate, Alexander Smith, also put in a formidable performance, ensuring the second Ducati Multistrada entry also made the podium. Alexander fought his way up the mountain in 2nd position and looked set for a 1-2 finish before falling in the last corner and remounting to grab 3rd place.

"I have to repeat everything Greg said about the bike, it was really perfect," said Smith. "The race was good, and if you see the start line footage you can tell how awesome the bike was working. It was a pretty smooth race up until the last corner where I kind of laid it down. I got off real quick and remounted which was still good enough for 3rd, putting both the Multistrada's on the podium."

Ducati Roadshow @ Rivington Barn bank holiday Monday 31st May

COME AND RIDE WITH NIALL MACKENZIE @ RIVINGTON BARN 31ST MAY 2010

Join Ducati Manchester and Wyder Motorcycles (Preston Ducati) at Rivington hall barn on bank holiday monday 31st May. Rivington Barn Located alongside the imposing Rivington Hall, at the heart of Rivington Country Park, the magnificent Grade II listed Rivington Hall Barn is one of the North West’s most impressive and unique venues with some great biker roads in the surrounding area. Ducati's roadshow truck will be there with the full 2010 range of bikes to demonstrate including the all new Multistrada 1200S with 3 x BSB champion Niall Mackenzie to take you on your ride.




*to ride a Ducati you need to be over 21 years and have held a bike license for over 2 years - bring both parts of your license and a c/c to swipe in case of any damage.

We will also be at Ponderosa cafe, Horseshoe pass on Sunday the 30th May with the Ducati Truck and full fleet of demonstrators - PLEASE CALL US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Ducati 848 Challenge - Round 1

Hi,

Sorry for the delay in the update from round one. The weekend didnt go as planned i’m afraid!

The weekend began with taking advantage of a ‘Hottrax’ track day on the Thursday to really give the bike a full shake down before the race on sunday. This was the 1st time we had run the maxton suspension, race gearing and racing pads together, all of which didnt disappoint!

There were a few big crashes in the morning sessions which cut the amount of track time on offer on the brand new international circuit. Things began to settle down in the afternoon so we got our heads down and made the minor adjustments to rearset positions and suspension.

We also had chance to see the opposition, Ducati Coventry were also testing their Buildbase 848′s! Both guys looked fast especially Leon Morris who I managed to tag on a couple of laps!

With the tyres we were on now completing almost 3 trackdays we didnt push the bike too hard in the final sessions, the last thing we needed was to repair a crashed bike 2 days before the 1st round. I’ve added some pictures of the bike below after its new sticker job from Rage Designs in Warrington. I think its going to hold its own in the paddock in terms of looks alone!

Round 1 – Silverstone started with a bit of an anti-climax, after signing on we received the entry list for the series which was a little disappointing, only 10 riders down for the championship! Not the original full grid as anticipated when I registered! Due to the low numbers we were grouped with two other race classes being the Dutch Ducati’s and the sound of thunder, all of which were on the bigger Ducati 998, 1098, and 1198′s among other manufacturer’s of bigger twins.

We decided to go into the 1st session, timed practice (most people would call this qualifying) with a different tack to how we usually do it, no pit board! The reason for this is that I didnt want to go out chasing other people and times in the first session out with everyone. I wanted to understand how I performed on my own, no pressure from other riders or a pit board saying I wasnt as fast as I felt!

I managed to get to the gate, ready for our session 1st, and was let out straight away meaning I was 1st on track. As the track was drying I built my speed lap after lap until I felt I had good rhythm, I could feel the back wheel spinning up on the back straight so I knew I wasnt slow. The chequered flag came out and I came in knowing that the bike felt perfect and wondered how quick we managed to be on our own.

Receiving the time sheets 10 mins later confirmed we were second quickest in the challenge, only second to the Ducati Coventry rider Darren Fry, a little over half a second faster. This didnt worry me as I wasnt pushing the bike 100% and knew I could go a little quicker come the first race! We were also 4th fastest overall, faster than all of the bigger Ducati’s!

The race began with a poor start to be honest! The front wheel rose straight away, and I had to briefly shut the throttle to regain control. The row behind were soon behind me and I managed to place myself in 5th into the 1st corner. We all passed through the next flip flop of corners and approached the sharp right hander leading onto the back straight. I tipped into the corner and just as I began to wind the throttle back open I was T-boned by a rider who had to go deep into the corner. I remember seeing the sky and tarmac but that was about it.

I woke up on the grass, well away from the track side and the race had been already restarted in my absence! I think I was out for about 10 mins, all I remember is not being able to work out where I was on the circuit and I couldnt remember what corner I was at!

A quick ambulance ride to the medical center and a good go on the oxygen mask, I was checked over and after an hour had passed my memory began to return along with a head ache from hell!

Due to the fact I was knocked unconscious I wasnt allowed to start the second race, there are no points thus far in the championship! Still looking at the positives at least I’m ok to race again, the next round is at Assen in the Netherlands as Oulton Park is being rescheduled to another date. Until then, please check out some of the photos from the weekend, taken by British Sport Photography and some from the start line by Karen Whitesmith.








More pictures at:

http://www.bengarnerracing.com/

Thanks for the support,

Ben

Ducati 848 Challenge 2010

Hi Everyone, Chris has asked me to introduce myself as the official Ducati Manchester entrant into the this years new and exciting Ducati 848 Challenge.

Chris and the team have been kind enough to help me this year, and I'm over the moon that i have the support from the official Ducati Dealer of the year.

The Ducati 848 Challenge is a UK based race series with a major difference because it incorporates events at Assen in Holland and a double header at Misano in Italy during World Ducati Week.

This is a new race series from experienced-hand Chris Bushell (Ducati Desmo Due series organiser for past five-years) in conjunction with Ducati UK and the New Era club. "This is a race series for modern bikes with 125-130bhp run to Superstock rules," explained Chris. "The big news is the chance to race at the World Ducati Weekend in front of 50,000+ Ducati fans at Misano.

The race calendar visits some of the best circuits in the UK including Silverstone, which when combined with Assen and Misano means we are racing on three MotoGP tracks. Oulton Park and Brands Hatch BSB rounds will feature TV coverage.

The confirmed race calendar for the 2010 season is:

25th April - Silverstone
1-3rd May - Oulton Park - BSB round
31st May Assen - Ducati Club Nederland races
12-13th June - Misano - World Ducati Weekend
17/18th July - Snetterton
7/8th August - Brands Hatch - BSB round
11th September - Castle Combe
2/3rd October - Cadwell Park

I will be keeping a diary of all the action from receipt of the bike, changing it to a race machine, and all the highs and lows of the season ahead.

So please keep coming back to check for the latest news and I look forward to posting the progress shortly......

Thanks for reading,

Ben

www.bengarnerracing.com

Ducati Manchester Scoop Two Awards

I have just returned from the annual Ducati Conference and am pleased and proud to announce that Ducati Manchester returned with 2 awards for 2009. Ducati Manchester was awarded with the Most Sales in the UK for 2009 which is huge achievement and something I am personally proud of. Customer Service and providing 'that little bit extra' that I would expect when buying a Ducati is what we strive for and selling more Ducati's than any other dealer in the UK is an achievement that i put down to being a solus Ducati Store and our passion for Ducati. We also won the most prestigious award of 'DEALER OF THE YEAR' which I would like to thank all our staff, Ben, Adam, Mike, Mark, Andy, Cate, Sammy, Sergio and Ian that without their dedication and enthusiasm we would not have won this award. I would also like to thank all our customers who have joined 'our family' for their continued support and enthusiasm to all the events, trackdays, ride outs and drinking all our coffee! Without you our dream would not be possible. 2010 will be an exciting year for Ducati and I look forward to meeting many new Ducati owners and seeing you all soon.

Sincere Thanks

Chris Booth

Director