Rossi unveils Ducati Monster

Valentino Rossi says his mum is already popping wheelies on a 796 Monster. Photo / Supplied

Ducati star Valentino Rossi unveiled an Asia-only Monster hybrid in Kuala Lumpur that Ducati says combines the 796 motor as sold in NZ with the 696 frame to create a lighter, more compact machine.

In fact the bike tips the scales dry at the same 167kg as our 796, and boasts the same wheelbase, but seat height has dropped 30m to 730mm.

There's no single-sided swingarm and three-spoke wheels replace five, with a 160/60ZR17 Pirelli Angel ST rear tyre in place of the higher-spec 180/55 Pirelli Diablo Rosso rubber for the 796.

The bike will be built in Thailand and available across Asia but is not planned for NZ sale.

Rossi - the nine-times world champion in Malaysia for the Sepang MotoGP and no beanpole himself - says the bike will suit shorter riders, good news for his mum. He's given her a Monster on which she does wheelies, according to the charismatic Italian.

But the Malaysian Tourism Minister got the last word at the launch - Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen says the new bike is just like an Italian man; it rapidly accelerates, rapidly brakes - and just like an Italian man, it rapidly changes direction.