Though his life was tragically cut short after an accident on during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, driver and F1 legend Ayrton Senna’s indelible mark left on motorsport can still very much be felt today. From a Netflix mini series about the driver to LEGO sets to limited edition range-topping McLaren hypercars, Senna’s continued influence is undeniable — and those are just examples from the last few years.
And the latest rolling homage to the three-time F1 champ takes the form of a limited edition run of Ducati Monster motorcycles that feature a slew of optional upgrades as standard, and wear a special Senna-inspired livery.
The official relationship between Ayrton and Ducati dates back to 1990 in the heyday of the Brazilian wheelman’s F1 career. Ducati’s (then) owner Claudio Castiglioni gifted Senna one of its 851 SP homologation special super bikes, ultimately kicking off Senna’s love affair with the Borgo Panigale bike-maker. After a friendship between the two continued to blossom over the next few years, they began kicking around ideas for a collaboration, which eventually gave way to the Ducati 916 Senna in 1994. Sadly, Senna would never see the bike enter production as he died shortly after. This initial 300-unit run of Senna-spec 916s would then be followed by subsequent Senna edition Ducatis in ’97 and ’98.
Then, 16-years-later and the Italian marque then debuted a 161-unit run of 1199 Panigale S Senna superbikes. Fast forward to today and Ducati has now released the fifth two-wheeled Senna special edition. This time, the Monster was selected for the basis for the Senna-spec, as Ayrton was not only one of the very first owners of the very first-generation Monster 900, but he also famously rode the parts-bin-special a lot — including riding it to gala for the 1993 Monaco F1® Grand Prix where he showed up to the red carpet on the bike wearing a suit.
Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali explained “Ayrton Senna was and will forever stand as an icon. A sports legend, an extraordinary person, and a passionate motorcyclist whom we wish to honor with a special edition of one of the most iconic models in our range: the Monster. Senna was one of the very first owners of the Monster 900 and perfectly represented the values of this bike: style, boldness, and fun. The Monster Senna demonstrates how honored we are to define a champion of this incredible level as a true Ducatista.”
The 2024 Ducati Monster Senna is a super high-end special edition naked motorcycle that’s limited to only 341 units globally. Based on the marque’s existing SP-spec variant, the Monster Senna comes decked out in a model-unique livery and sports a combination of top-shelf components and a very generous slew of optional upgrades that all come as standard. Powered by a roughly-liter-sized L-Twin, the motorcycle is constructed around a superbike-inspired aluminum chassis with a blacked-out finish that uses the engine as a stressed member and comes paired with a matching aluminum swing-arm and a fiber-glass-reinforced polymer subframe. Tipping the scales at 386lbs at the curb (sans fuel), the Monster Senna is several pounds lighter than Ducati’s top-of-the-line Monster SP. The bike also features a 33.07-inch seat height.
At the heart of the new Ducati Monster Senna is the Italian firm’s 937cc Testastretta engine. Boasting liquid-cooling and Ducat’s signature Desmodromic valve setup, this 11° L-Twin cranks out 111hp and 69ft-lbs of torque at 9,250RPM and 6,500RPM, respectively. With today’s most advanced flagship superbikes putting down north of 200hp, the Monster Senna’s 111 ponies might not sound like much, but not only does the entire thing weigh in at only 385lbs at the curb, but its twin-cylinder Testastretta engine is a re-tuned version of the same L-Twin mill used in the last two generations of Ducati’s ultra-peppy Hypermotard 939 and 950 – both of which are extremely powerful, bonafide hooligan bikes.
Though he’s sadly not around to enjoy it, there’s no doubt that Senna would fully-approve of his namesake Monster’s list of componentry, as it really is comprised of some of the finest hardware that money can buy. Riding on lightweight forged aluminum wheels shod in Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV rubber, the Monster Senna features a top-of-the-line Brembo braking setup with monobloc Stylema calipers with sintered pads chomping down on 320mm discs with aluminum flanges. Even more impressive is its suspension. The Monster Senna gets an Öhlins steering damper, an Öhlins monoshock, and the Swedish suspension specialist’s NIX30 fork — the same unit used on several of Ducati’s top-shelf superbikes. The fork, shock, and damper are all fully adjustable as well. Also included are machined aluminum pegs and a hydraulic clutch with a radial pump.
As a brand-spanking-new, super-premium, range-topping model from Ducati, it probably won’t come as a surprise to hear that the Monster Senna comes loaded with a host of advanced tech and state-of-the-art rider aids and assists. On top of a full LED lighting system and a Bluetooth-connected 4.3” TFT display, the bike also gets a trio of ride modes including a new wet mode, three-level-adjustable cornering ABS, four levels of wheelie control, eight traction control settings, three levels of launch control, a bi-directional quick-shifter, and a Lithium-ion battery.
One of the many aspects that makes the Monster Senna unique is the fact that it comes loaded with just about every top-shelf piece of optional equipment that Ducati offers, all as standard amenities. This laundry-list of normally-optional upgrades includes carbon fiber fenders fore and aft, a fly screen, and a body-color-matched belly-pan and mono-posto-style seat cover. Further separating it from the Monster+ and Monster SP is a top-yoke-mounted plaque with each bike’s limited production number and a dedicated startup animation on the TFT dash. Fitted with a carbon fiber Termignoni exhaust as standard as well, the motorcycle also comes with an included model-exclusive bike cover and a certificate of authenticity that also denotes each unit’s limited production number.
The 2024 Monster Senna’s most noticeable feature upon first glance is its unique paint job. Penned by the Ducati Style Center, the livery pays homage to the custom-painted Rheos helmet that Senna wore at the height of his career — a helmet that in late 2019 became the most valuable race helmet ever sold at auction when it fetched a cool €150,000 (~ $163,000) at auction. Like Senna’s helmet, the livery uses a yellow base complemented via blue and green accents — the colors of the Brazilian flag. Complementing the livery itself is a carbon fiber dual-can Termignoni silencer with yellow stripe details, yellow-finished Brembo calipers, a blue sports seat, and matching stripe details on the bike’s black wheels. Öhlins’ regular yellow finish also remains present on the shock’s spring, as it perfectly matches the Monster Senna’s special livery.
Brand: Ducati
Model: Monster Senna
Engine: Liquid-Cooled 937cc 11° L-Twin
Power: 111HP & 69FT-LBs
Seat Height: 33.07”
Curb Weight: 386LBs (w/o fuel)
Production: 341 Units
Price: $25,000
The 2024 Ducati Monster Senna is available for order now. The latest Senna edition Ducati is limited to just 341 units worldwide — with the “3” referencing how many F1 world championship titles the driver racked up, and the “41” being a nod to his collective GP wins at racing’s highest level. Pricing for this super-premium limited edition has been set at $25,000 — making it pricier than Ducati’s Panigale V4 flagship superbike model.
The 2024 Ducati Monster Senna is an ultra-premium, limited-edition two-wheeled homage to the legendary 3-time F1 champ that gets a host of upgrades and a livery inspired by Senna’s helmet.
