Ducati Monster and Monster+ (2021+, 937cc) Maintenance Schedule

This is the maintenance schedule for the 2021+ Ducati Monster and Monster+ with the 937cc testastretta engine.

(It’s called just the Ducati Monster or Monster+, but in the future I think it’ll retrospectively be called the Ducati Monster 937 or 950, similar to the Ducati Supersport 950 with which it shares an engine, to distinguish it from other models of Monster.)

The 2021+ Ducati Monster replaces the Ducati Monster 821 as well as the air-cooled Ducati Monster 797 (which, looked at another way, you could say is being discontinued).

Here are all our Ducati Monster maintenance schedules:

The new Monster uses the 937cc L-twin “Testastretta 11-degree” engine that’s also seen in the Ducati Hypermotard 950 and a few other Ducati motorcycles. So a lot of the parts and many aspects of the maintenance schedule overlap.

In the 2021+ Ducati Monster, the engine makes 82 kW (111 hp) at 9,250 rpm, with torque peaking at 93 Nm (69 ft-lb) at 6,500 rpm.

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Maintenance schedule for the 2021+ Ducati Monster and Monster+

This maintenance schedule below for the Ducati Monster 950 is in the same format as in the manual, though altered to fit this screen.

Ducati separates out “customer” items and “dealer” items — they think customers should just change oil, check fluid levels, and grease obvious external things.

Note about harsh/dusty conditions: “Using the motorcycle under extreme conditions, such as very damp and muddy roads or dusty and dry environment, could cause above-average wear of components like the drive system, the brakes or the air filter. If the air filter is dirty, the engine could get damaged. Therefore, this might translate in required service or replacement of the wear parts earlier than specified in the scheduled maintenance chart.”

Ducati Monster and Monster+ — Customer maintenance

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

Do these items every 1000 km / 600 miles, or 6 months — whichever comes earlier.

Check the engine oil level

Check brake fluid level

Check tyre pressure and wear

Check the drive chain tension and lubrication

Check the brake pads. If necessary, replace, contacting your dealier if necessary.

Ducati Monster and Monster+ — Dealer maintenance

Follow the following maintenance schedule, observing the distance or time interval — whichever comes earlier.

The major “desmo service” intervals for the 2021+ Ducati Monster is every 30,000 km (18,000 miles).

Items marked [D] are those that dealers must do unless you have the official gear (“DDS”).

Km. x1000	1	15	30	45	60
mi. x1,000	0.6	9	18	27	36	Every
[D] Read error memory with DDS 3.0 and check technical updates and recall campaigns on DCS	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Change engine oil and filter	•	•	•	•	•	2 years
Check and clean air filter		•	•	•	•	Year
Change air filter			•		•	–
Change timing belts			•		•	5 years
Check and/or adjust valve clearance			•		•	–
Change spark plugs			•		•	–
Change coolant			•		•	4 years
Change front fork fluid						45K km/27K mi
Visually check the front fork and rear shock absorber seals	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Check brake and clutch fluid level	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Change brake and clutch fluid						2 years
Check front and rear brake disc and pad wear. Change if necessary.		•	•	•	•	Year
Check the proper tightening of the front and rear brake calliper bolts and the front brake disc bolts		•	•	•	•	Year
Check rear brake disc screw tightening (by removing the rear wheel shaft in case of brake disk retaining screws requiring the use of hexagon wrench)			•		•
Check front and rear wheel nuts and rear sprocket nut tightening		•	•	•	•	Year
Check the tightening of frame fasteners to engine, swinging arm, and rear shock absorber		•	•	•	•	Year
Check wheel hub bearings		•	•	•	•	Year
Check the cush drive damper on rear sprocket and lubricate the rear wheel shaft			•		•	–
Check wear of chain, front and rear sprocket, and final drive chain elongation, tension, and lubrication. Record detected elongation value	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Check the play of steering tube bearings		•	•	•	•	Year
Check the freedom of movement and tightening of the side stand	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Check that all gaiters and flexible hoses in view (e.g. fuel, brake and clutch hoses, cooling system, bleeding, drainage, etc.) are not cracked, are properly sealing and positioned	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Check free play of rear brake lever and lubricate the levers at the handlebar and pedal controls	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Check the free play of the cable clutch lever (where present)	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Check tyre pressure and wear	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Check the operation of all electric safety devices (clutch and side stand sensor, front and rear brake switches, engine kill switch, gear/neutral sensor)	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Check lighting devices, turn indicators, horn and controls operation	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Final test and road test of the motorcycle, testing safety devices (e.g. ABS, DTC, and VHC), electric fans and idling	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Visually check the coolant level and sealing of the circuit	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Softly clean the motorcycle	•	•	•	•	•	Year
Service coupon registration with turning off of Service warning light on instrument panel with DDS 3.0 and filling in of the on-board documentation (Service Booklet)	•	•	•	•	•	Year

Tyres sizes and pressures for the 2021+ Ducati Monster 950

The manual for the Ducati Monster 950 and 950+ specifies the following tyre sizes and pressures.

Wheel	Tyre size	Tyre pressure (cold)
Front	120/70 ZR17 M/C 58W	2.3 bar/33.35 psi (rider only) – 2.5 bar/36.26 psi (with passenger)
Rear	180/55 ZR17 M/C 73W	2.5 bar/36.26 psi (rider only) – 2.9 bar/40.06 psi (with passenger

Stock, the 2021 Ducati Monster 950 ships with Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tubeless tyres.

About the 2021+ Ducati Monster and Monster+

The 2021 Ducati Monster 950 is a significant departure from the Ducati Monsters that preceded it, and a huge departure from classic Ducatis. Although all the changes have been gradual.

Compare the original Ducati Monster 900 to the modern Ducati Monster 950 (which I call it for convenience, similar to the Supersport 950):

• Ducati Monster 900, a.k.a. M900: a naked motorcycle with a trellis frame, with a carburettor-fed air-cooled 904cc 4-valve L-twin engine (borrowed from other non-superbikes in Ducati’s line-up) that made 59 kW or 80 hp @ 7,000 rpm, and had zero rider aids other than brakes, and a dry clutch.
• Ducati Monster 2021, a.k.a. Monster 950: a naked motorcycle with an aluminium alloy front frame, with a fuel-injected liquid-cooled 937cc 8-valve L-twin (borrowed from non-superbikes in Ducati’s line-up) that makes 82 kW (111hp) @ 9,250 rpm, and has every rider aid other than cruise control, and a wet clutch.

Actually the engine displacements are surprisingly close, which is pleasing.

But the new Ducati Monster is no longer a stripped back “parts bin special” — it’s its own beast, designed from the ground up… though with a motor that’s still borrowed from other motorcycles in the line-up.

The 2021 Ducati Monster with the 937cc engine replaces the Monster 821. The 821 had many modern elements already — it already had liquid-cooling, a wet clutch, ABS, and many other features that made it thoroughly modern. But it still had a hint of a trellis frame.

The new Monster also takes the place of the Ducati Monster 797, but not in any sense other than the commercial fact that the 797 (a fairly simple, still air/oil-cooled Monster) has been discontinued.

The modern Monster though didn’t just lose the frame — it loses quite a bit of weight. The 937cc engine is 2.4kg lighter than the 821cc version, and the frame is 4.5kg lighter. The subframe is lighter, and so are the wheels, so the total wet weight of the 2021 Monster drops from 206 kg wet for the Monster 821 to 188 kg wet for the 2021 Ducati Monster — a shocking drop.

The “Plus” model of the Ducati Monster is purely cosmetic. As of now there’s no S model of the Ducati Monster (which, in other line-ups, typically features Öhlins suspension and lighter wheels).

In summary, the new 2021 Ducati Monster 950 (and Monster+) are quite different to the old air-cooled simple Monsters of old, but the world has moved on since 25+ years ago. The new Monster competes quite well with other class-leading sport nakeds like the 2021 Yamaha MT-09 and Triumph Street Triple RS, and picking the one you want is likely to be an exercise of brand loyalty, a compelling salesperson, or how you’re feeling on a certain day.

Ducati Monster and Monster+ Owner’s Manual

The manual says regarding the intervals:

• The First Service 1000 must be carried out after the first 1,000 km/600 mi
• The Oil Service (oil pourer) must be carried out every 15,000 km/9,000 mi.
• The Desmo Service (wrench) must be carried out every 30,000 km/18,000 mi.
• The Annual Service (calendar) must be carried out every 12 months.

The above info was sourced from the owner’s manual. You can download it from the Ducati website here.