[6][7] British weekly newspaper Motorcycle News commented in December 2016: "The Monster has gone down in folklore as 'the bike that saved Ducati' due to its popularity and cheap development costs", adding that approximately 300,000 had been produced.

[10] Ducati technical director Massimo Bordi originated the idea for what they wanted the new bike to accomplish,[11] and assigned the design to Galluzzi.

Bordi said he asked Galluzzi "for something which displayed a strong Ducati heritage but which was easy to ride and not a sports bike.

"[12] Bordi's intent was to enter the cruiser market,[13] with a bike that was made to be modified and would eventually have a wealth of bolt-on aftermarket accessories rivaling the range of custom and hot-rod parts available for Harley-Davidsons.

[15] The Monster appealed to the same urban, style-conscious buyers who wanted a bike that could make an individualistic statement, but it did so with a motorcycle that they had not quite seen before, and was still unmistakably Italian and a Ducati.

[16][17] Because Bordi wanted Galluzzi to keep costs low,[12] the Monster was a humble "parts bin special," built not with newly designed components carefully engineered to work in unison, but by mixing and matching parts from existing Ducati models, beginning with the engine and of a 900 Supersport,[10] a frame descended from the 851 superbike,[18] and the fork of a 750 Supersport.

[19] Galluzzi penned a "muscular" fuel tank and minimalist bodywork that produced a visual impression of mass and strength, on a motorcycle that turned out to be surprisingly tiny and agile to the first time rider.

[10] Motorcycle Consumer News design columnist Glynn Kerr described the Monster's statement as aggressive, "attributable to the head-down, charging bull stance.

"[20] The trellis frame in the Ducati Monster is an integral part of the motorcycle's design allowing for both aesthetic appeal and for structural efficiency.

From 1994, a smaller displacement model, the M400, was built for specific markets where the tax or license system is particularly harsh on larger capacity or more powerful motorcycles.

Motorcycle Sport & Leisure commented that, at the time of introduction, it was "...the most powerful naked bike ever produced by the Italian firm...".

[27] The 1100 S model has fully adjustable Öhlins suspension components,[28] a different colour scheme and aluminium brake disc carriers, which account for a 1 kg weight reduction.

[32] Essentially a 696 frame with the larger 803cc engine from the 796, the 795 is aimed specifically at the Asian market and assembled in a plant in Thailand.

The 1200 S has an Öhlins suspension, 330 mm front brake discs with higher-spec Brembo calipers and light weight wheels.