If big cars are losing grounds, more fuel-efficient motorcycles are having a renaissance moment. It’s a fitting time to look at the nuances of motorcycle design as bikes expand their reach with compact appeal. Ducati Designer Bart Janssen-Groesbeek weighed in heavy on the Monster 696, a bike that was released in April and one that has boded well in the marketplace. The latest Ducatis are on display this week at the International Motorcycle and Scooter Fair in Cologne, Germany where Ducati unveils the Ducati Monster 1100 and 1100 S. I caught up with Janssen-Groesbeek recently to get the insider take on motorcycle design, Read Part I of the interview on Coolhunting. Here are the *exclusive* outtakes from that conversation.
TW: What are the pinnacle aspects of Ducati design?
BJG: Over the past decades Ducati has built quite a number of motorcycles that have become points of reference for the design of a category, most notably the 916 and the original Monster. Therefore there is always great anticipation for any new Ducati. We at Ducati Design try to live up to this. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we are less successful. To be more consistent in our development the company formulated a few keywords by which we define every new design. In general we like new Ducati’s to be authentic, essential and beautiful motorcycles with a clear link to our motorcycle racing tradition.
TW: How is the look of the Monster 696 a new direction for Ducati?
BJG: I am not sure if the 696 is a new direction, I would say it builds on our tradition. We have applied some new design solutions for functional reasons. It however continues the direction set by the original Monster: a compact, light and archetypal motorcycle with a unique profile.
