Bikesales Staff•3 Nov 2010
NEWS
EICMA: Ducati Diavel power cruiser
Ducati heads into unchartered territory with a machine whose stats suggest it's firmly in the 'power' corner with 162hp and 127NmFor months we’ve been subjected to a ‘drip-feed’ pre-launch media campaign of spy shots, teasers and info tidbits, but when the crowds descended upon the 2010 EICMA motorcycle show, which opened in Milan, Italy, on November 2, many made a beeline straight for the Ducati stand – and the all-new Diavel.
It was no surprise that Ducati chose its ‘home’ motorcycle expo to unveil the new Diavel, but there was no shortage of raised eyebrows in Milan once people had digested the full specs of the bike. The Diavel – whose name springs from the word for ‘devil’ in Bolognese dialect – is a power cruiser, with stats that suggest its level of performance focuses more on the ‘power’, rather than the ‘cruiser’.
Available in two guises, the Diavel and the ultra-exotic Diavel Carbon, the model sees a tubular steel trellis frame wrapped around Ducati’s new Testastretta 11° engine. The 1198cc, liquid-cooled, eight-valve, 90-degree V-twin derives from the marque’s 1198 superbike, but with a redesigned cylinder head and numerous other changes aimed at smoothing things out for real world use and extending major service intervals to 24,000km.
Like in the new Multistrada 1200, the Testastretta 11° engine is complemented by ride-by-wire throttle technology and is accessed through a variety of rider ‘modes’ – in the Diavel’s case Sport, Touring and Urban.
The first two modes see the engine’s full 162hp (119.1kW) unleashed (some 12hp more than the Multistrada 1200), while Urban mode cuts the maximum power output to 100hp (73.6kW). Ducati says the engine is also good for a whopping 127.5Nm of torque.
The riding modes are integrated with Ducati Traction Control, and ABS comes as standard fitment on both Diavel models. The bike rides on a fully-adjustable 50mm Marzocchi inverted fork and a fully-adjustable, horizontal Sachs monoshock. Other features include keyless ignition and comprehensive LCD instrumentation.
The ‘cruiser’ side of the equation is addressed by a long 1590mm wheelbase, a low 770mm seat height (Ducati’s lowest), a rangey 28° rake and a super-fat 240-section rear tyre. However, with a weight of 210kg (207kg for the Diavel Carbon), fairly flat tapered aluminium handlebars and a maximum quoted lean angle of 41°, this is no show pony – add in the high-spec springs and brakes, and the impressive figures put forward for the powerplant, and the Diavel should prove to be one cruiser just itching to carve up a winding road.
The muscular styling has been blended with plenty of innovative features, such as side-mount lateral radiators, twin vertical LED taillight/brake light/indicator strips, front LED running lights and a rear numberplate mount fixed to the bike’s single-sided swingarm.
Australian pricing for the Diavel and Diavel Carbon is yet to be confirmed, but it is expected the models should land Downunder around April 2011.
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Written byBikesales Staff
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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