Ducati Monster 796 (2011-2014, inc. ABS) Maintenance Schedule

The Ducati Monster 796 maintenance schedule and service intervals — sourced from the owner’s manual.

This is the maintenance schedule for all Ducati Monster 796 models made from 2011-2014, including those with ABS.

The core maintenance schedule for the Monster 796 is very similar to that of the 696, as it’s the same engine but with a longer stroke — the Monster 696’s bore and stroke is 88×57.2mm, whereas the 796’s is 88x66mm, giving the L-twin a total displacement of 803cc.

The 796’s air-cooled 803cc desmodromic 2-valve L-twin engine was the engine later used in many other motorcycles, including today’s Ducati Scrambler 800 (i.e. the Ducati Scrambler that’s not the 1100).

Thus, the maintenance schedule is quite similar — you’re looking at 12,000 km valve and belt inspection intervals, and are required to replace the belts every 24,000 km or two years (but people usually do this every five years).

Here are all our Ducati Monster maintenance schedules:

This post was originally published on May 12, 2020, but has since been significantly updated.

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Overall Ducati Monster 796 Service Intervals

As an air/oil-cooled 2-valve Desmodromic motorcycle, the Ducati Monster 796 follows the same maintenance schedule for similar period Desmo motors, with 7500 mile / 12000 km service intervals for the oil and filter.

At every service, you also have to check the valve clearances and also check the timing belt tension and condition.

Ducati also says you need to periodically replace the timing belts — every 2 years. Luckily this isn’t a terribly difficult job, but you do need to make sure you don’t throw the alignment out.

What you need to service the Ducati Monster 796

Servicing the Monster 796 is like servicing any other air-cooled 2-valve monster. Primarily, change the oil and fluids, and also periodically check the valves and change the timing belts.

Part	Ducati Monster 796 spec
Engine oil	Ducati recommends Shell Advance motorcycle oil. It’s hard to find, expensive, and not necessary, so most users suggest other JASO MA-rated 15W-50 or 10W-40 high-grade oils, e.g. Mobil 1 10W-40 or Mobil 1 15W-50.
Oil filter	Genuine Ducati part is 44440038A the Ducati Monster 796, as it is with many Ducati motorcycles. I’d suggest removing that and using a Hiflofiltro HF153RC oil filter which can be changed with a normal wrench.
Brake & Clutch fluid	Ducati recommends Shell Advance DOT 4, but that’s quite hard to find, so Castrol DOT 4 Synthetic is a good and very high-quality alternative.
Coolant	The Monster 796 is air-cooled. Your coolant is air!
Timing belt	Is it time to change the timing belt? Don’t put it off… a broken timing belt will cost you a lot (bent valves)! You need part number 73740211A.
Front brake pads	Use EBC FA244HH double-hardened pads, a popular upgrade for more bite and less fade as you apply pressure.
Rear brake pads	Use EBC FA266HH double-hardened pads, matching the front pads, for more bite and less fade as you apply pressure.
Air filter	OEM part for the air filter is 42610191A. You can also use K&N air filter part DU-6908.
Spark plugs	NGK code DCPR8E. Note they’re sold individually.
Grease	Use lithium soap-based grease for external pivot points and bearings.

Regular maintenance for the Ducati Monster 796

This is maintenance that you can do yourself (though the manual says you need a dealer to do it).

Every 1000 km/600 miles OR 6 months (whichever comes earlier, perform the following maintenance:

Ducati Monster 796 regular maintenance
Checking the engine oil level (top up with Mobil 1 10W-40 or Mobil 1 15W-50)
Check the brake and clutch fluid levels (use Castrol DOT 4 brake fluid)
Check tyre pressure and wear See below for standard tire pressures
Check the drive chain tension and lubrication (use Motul Chain Paste for lubrication) See below for more notes on checking chain tension
Check the brake pads. Replace if necessary.

Ducati Monster 796 Maintenance Schedule Table

The following is the list of maintenance operations and to be done on the Ducati Monster 796. We’ve updated it slightly to follow conventions for later maintenance schedules, separating out the “inspection checklist” from other items for simplicity.

Notes:

• Follow the earlier of the time or distance-based intervals. (Not everything follows both a time and distance interval, however.)
• Continue the maintenance after the end of the maintenance schedule, following the same pattern — every 7500 miles or 12000 km, or year.
• The break-in maintenance is omitted as that time has well passed.

Miles x 1000	7.5	15	22.5	30	37.5
km x 1000	12	24	36	48	60	Every
Perform standard inspection checklist See full checklist below	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Year
Change the engine oil (Mobil 1 10W-40 or Mobil 1 15W-50)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Year
Change the engine oil filter (HF153RC)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Year
Clean engine oil filter at intake			✓			Year
Check the engine oil pressure		✓		✓		Year
Check/adjust the valve clearances	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Check the tension of the timing belts	✓		✓		✓
Replace the timing belts (73740211A)		✓		✓		2 years
Check and clean the spark plugs. Replace if necessary		✓		✓
Check and clean air filter	✓		✓		✓
Change the air filter (DU-6908)		✓		✓
Check throttle body synchronisation and idling	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Year
Change brake and clutch fluid (Castrol DOT 4)			✓			2 years
Check clutch plates pack. Change, if necessary	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Check rear wheel flexible coupling		✓		✓		Year
Check the wheel hub bearings		✓		✓		Year
Change the front fork fluid			✓			3 years

Monster 796 — Standard Inspection Checklist

Below is the checklist for a standard inspection of the Ducati Monster 796.

Standard inspection checklist
Check brake and clutch fluid level
Check and adjust brake and clutch controls
Check/lubricate the throttle/choke cables
Check tyre pressure and wear
Check brake pads. Replace if necessary
Check chain tension, alignment and lubrication
Check the indicators and lighting
Check tightening of nuts securing engine-to-frame screws
Check the sidestand
Check front wheel nut tightening
Check rear wheel nut tightening
Check external fuel lines
Check front fork and rear shock absorber for leakage
Check front sprocket fasteners
Lubricate and grease (Lithium soap-based grease)
Check battery and recharge
Road test the motorcycle
Clean the motorcycle

Maintaining the Chain on the Ducati Monster 796

Make sure to keep your chain maintained on the the Ducati Monster 796. The manual recommends checking tension, length, and of course keeping it clean and lubricated to ensure it lasts as long as possible.

A well-liked lubricant is Motul chain paste as it’s effective and portable. Ducati generally recommends Shell products, which you can get from a dealer.

Here’s the chain maintenance schedule for the Ducati Monster 796.

Chain maintenance item	Every
Check drive chain tension and lubrication	1000 km / 600 miles / 6 months
Check chain alignment, adjusting if necessary	7500 miles / 12000 km (every service)

Also make sure you check the chain cleanliness and lubrication after riding in the rain or dirty conditions, or after washing the motorcycle.

To check chain tension on the Monster 796:

1. Rotate the wheel until you find the tightest part of the chain.
2. Push gently downward on this part.
3. Make sure the bike is on its side stand (not a rear stand).
4. Measure the distance between the centre of the chain and the swingarm. It should be 60-62mm.

About the Ducati Monster 796

The Ducati Monster 796 was made between 2010 and 2013. It has an 803 cc L-twin air-cooled 2-valve engine, just like the Ducati Monster 800 and the modern Ducati Scrambler 800. It’s fuel-injected and makes a peak of 64 kW (87 hp), with max torque coming on at a modest 6250 rpm.

The engine is based on that of the Ducati Monster 696, but with a slightly longer stroke. At the time, it was still the “smaller” alternative to the larger Ducati Monster 1100, and was a favourite for people who wanted all the style and sound of the bigger bike but without the weight or bias towards higher power.

The Monster 796 also got a bunch of styling updates over the 696, most notably the single-sided swingarm with the under-seat exhausts. It was one of the last Monsters with those two design features.

The front suspension is pretty basic on the 796, but it works fine. The Showa front forks are non-adjustable, though the Sachs rear monoshock is adjustable for preload and rebound damping. But the suspension works well for the gentler riding that you’re expected to do on the Ducati Monster 796.

The riding position is typical Monster — this isn’t a comfortable, upright touring bike, but rather one that wants to be a sport bike. You’re leaned a bit over the handlebars and expected to use the throttle to keep yourself upright. But it’s not uncomfortable, especially for modest rides of 1-3 hours.

Power delivery on the Monster 796 is a balance between being exciting and predictable. In some markets, the 796 might make an adequate second bike for riders looking to stay in the naked class.

Maintaining the 796 is a little intense. The relatively short 12000 km / 7500 mile service intervals for the valves comes up surprisingly quickly — if you use the bike regularly, you might be annoyed at having to fork out for that service every couple of years.

Most air-cooled Ducatis need at least one of the valves adjusted during their inspection (unlike many Japanese motorcycles), which means a considerable outlay, unless you learn to do it yourself. Also, because it has Desmodromic timing, the Monster 796 has twice the clearances to check, and one being out of spec means the corresponding one is often out of spec, too.

From 2014/15 onward, the Ducati Monster 796 was replaced by the Ducati Monster 821, which has a larger-capacity, much more powerful liquid-cooled engine with longer maintenance intervals… but which lost the single-sided swing-arm, and the striking square trellis frame. But the Monster 821 is a much more powerful and capable bike.

Tire sizes and pressures for the Ducati Monster 796

The Ducati Monster 796 has the following recommended standard tire sizes and pressures.

Wheel	Tire size	Tire pressure (cold, standard)
Front	120/70-ZR17	220 kPa / 2.2 bar / 32 psi
Rear	160/55-ZR17	250 kPa / 2.5 bar / 36 psi

Reference — Ducati Monster 796 Owner’s Manual

The above info was sourced from the owner’s manual for the Ducati Monster 796 from 2013. But we also checked other variants of the Monster 796 to make sure the maintenance schedule is the same.

You can download it from the Ducati website here.

An archive copy of the Monster 796’s manual is here.