Ducati Monster 696 unveiled in Seattle

Ducati fans and owners who live in the Pacific Northwest got a surprise visitor this week—the all new 2008 Monster 696.

The motorcycle was shipped directly from Italy via special airfreight and is scheduled to be on display at the Seattle International Motorcycle Show and featured in the Ducati booth.

Prior to being placed in the show, the motorcycle visited three area dealerships, much to the delight of hundreds of Ducati owners and enthusiasts. The first dealership to show the bike was MotoCorsa in Portland, followed by Ducati Seattle and Eastside MotoSports.

2008 Ducati Monster 696

Arun Sharma, otherwise known as the "Aficionado/Direttore Generale" of MotoCorsa, summed it the best: "I went to Italy for the EICMA show, where the factory unveiled the bike to the worldwide Ducati dealer network and I had the chance to personally speak with the team that designed and built it. I came away impressed and very excited for the bike. When we were offered the opportunity to unveil the bike in our showroom, I quickly jumped at it. For me, it was absolutely amazing to see and feel the reaction of the crowd when we pulled the cover off having been through the same thing myself only a few weeks prior. The bike looks just absolutely amazing."

2008 Ducati Monster 696