Barely a few days into the launch of the new Triumph Street Triple 765 in India, the bike is alreadyforced to make room for a new competitor, the Ducati Monster 797. Powerful street bikes have always appealed to younger buyers as well as theyoung at heart. Andthe Monster as well as Street Triple are bothpopular choices in this segment.
Mechanically, Ducati Monster 797 is powered by an 803cc air-cooled L-twin engine that generates 74bhp of power at 8,250 rpm and 69Nm of torque at 5,750 rpm. Introduced as an entry level Monster motorcycle, the bike is considerably slower that its current 821 sibling, that is powered by a liquid-cooled 821cc engine that produces 110bhp of power at 9,250Nm and 89Nm of torque at 7,750rpm. The Triumph Street Triple 765 is powered by a bigger 765cc, inline three-cylinder engine that generates 111bhp of power at 11,250rpm and 73Nm of torque at 9,100rpm.The new Street Triple is, in fact, more powerful than its older sibling, the 675, which was powered by 675cc, inline-3 engine that generated 90bhp of power at 11,750rpm and 60Nm of torque at 8,250rpm. Both the bikes come mated to six-speed transmission.
The new Ducati Monster 797 carries forth most of the elements from its older sibling, which includes 16.5-litre fuel tank, Trellis frame, circular headlamps and LCD instrument cluster. The bike gets 4-piston monobloc callipers for the front wheel, while the rear gets a single 245mm Brembo disc with a single piston floating caliper. ABS has been offered as a standard on the motorcycle and it sits on 17-inch alloy wheels which are wrapped around by Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres. The bike is available in three colour combinations - white with red frame and wheels, the classic Ducati red with red frame and black wheels, and ‘dark stealth’ with black frame and black wheels. The Triumph Street Triple 765 gets ABS, traction control, a quickshifter, and adjustable levers. The bike is currently available only in the base ‘S’ variant while the top-spec RS might be launched at a later date. Triumph claims that the new model is also lighter than its predecessor.
When it comes to pricing, the Ducati 797 has been launched at an introductory price of Rs 7.77 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), while the Triumph Street Triple is available for Rs 8.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Between the two, the Triumph Street Triple is for customers who are more performance focused and will not mind coughing up that marginal hike in price. As for customers who love Ducati for its naked styling and modest riding dynamics, the new Monster 797 can be a good choice. The new motorcycle is more focused for a buyer who is looking for an upgrade from the 500cc segment.