The new generation of Ducati Monster. Ducati SS dabbled with entry-level machines - old style 600SS (stopped in 1998) offered a cheap access to Sportbike Ducati ownership. But it was hampered by a lack of power and indifferent chassis. The 583cc engine survived in the Monster 600, until it received a kick in the pants in 2001, replaced by a stroked 618cc, fuel injected engine. And that is what is tucked away in the 620 Sport.

The bold, next-generation interpretation of motorcycling’s iconic muscle bike, the reinvented VMAX has at its heart an all-new 1679cc four-valve, DOHC liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine that uses YCC-T fly-by-wire throttle and YCC-I variable intake length technologies, a five-speed transmission with slipper-type clutch, shaft drive and 200/50 R18 rear tire. For excellent all-round performance the new VMAX runs with a new 4-1-2-4 exhaust system featuring short, upswept mufflers. After leaving the cylinders, the four header pipes flow into a single chamber, where the system splits into a left and right side pipe, and then each of these divides again to give a 4-1-2-4 system.