The word ‘iconic’ gets thrown around a lot, but only a handful motorcycles truly deserve the title. We doubt that anyone would argue against bestowing it upon the mighty Ducati Monster though. Miguel Angel Galluzzi’s early-90s design still holds up today, and even modern Monsters haven’t strayed too far from the formula.
This is a first generation Monster 900 that’s been given a tasteful makeover by the crew at Austria’s NCT Motorcycles. And it’s a real sleeper too, with a set of subtle cosmetic tweaks that belie just how rowdy it is.

The 1994-model Monster was already slightly hot-rodded when it arrived at NCT’s workshop. The owner had previously had the motor rebuilt to a displacement of 940 cc, upgraded the carbs and replaced the exhaust. So NCT took things a step further, by upgrading the clutch springs and adding an open Rizoma basket. Next, the exhaust system was modified to run a pair of Shark mufflers, originally designed for the newer Monster. ?The sound is very reasonable,? says shop boss, David Widmann, ?if you use the ‘dB killers’.?

NCT Motorcycles sorted out the Monster’s running gear, too?starting with the front forks and brakes from a Ducati 916. The team had to install new yokes to match up the forks, but the OEM front wheel interfaced with the 916 setup with minimal fuss.
The rear shock was swapped for an Öhlins unit, with a blue Wilbers spring subbed in for aesthetic reasons.

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