by Mark
For those that didn’t know, Ducati have been having the official launch of the Diavel recently at various places around the world (our invitation must have got lost in the post!).
We’ve written a few times about it and even got a cool demo of the start-up screen done for us by Ducati UK.
We’ve gone through a range of emotions with this bike from “what the hell are they doing?” to “actually I kinda’ like it”.
What I would say is that you have to see this bike in the flesh to make any kind of comment about it. No matter how many images Ducati reveal they just don’t seem to be able to capture how it looks when you see it up-close and personal.
Which is a shame, because it’s when you see it up-close and personal, ‘in the metal’, that you actually really begin to like it, I did at least!
Ducati are calling the bike the “the new shape of power and style” and say it combines “decades of twin-cylinder heritage and Italian style with a bold, world-beating technical confidence.”
Whatever the press release says (and it says a hell of a lot, it’s nine pages long!) the facts are this:
For the price you get ABS, Ducati Traction Control and riding modes. 162bhp on a bike weighing 210kg (463lb) - 207kg (456lb) for the Diavel Carbon with a specially engineered 240 section rear tyre (that will no doubt cost a fortune when it comes time to replace).
There are two version of the bike, the Diavel and the ‘flagship’ Diavel Carbon which features carbon fibre bodywork (don’t chuck it down the road!) and forged, specially machined Marchesini wheels.
Ducati say the ‘stance’ of the bike is that of readiness, dominance, and confidence bordering on superiority.
“The challenge of building a muscular silhouette over a pure-bred competition motor had to be met with determination and a delicate touch, and the result is a frontal area that looks like a power athlete on the starting blocks,” explains the team at Ducati Design responsible for the project. “With the front wheel kept close to the Diavel’s body and using the short tail of a sport bike, we were able to blend this muscular design with a chassis that matched.”
We’ve spoken a few times about the name of the bike but for those that have missed it the name “Diavel” was inspired by the Bolognese dialect word for “devil”.
One day, so the story goes, early in the development process of the bike, the first prototype was assembled and wheeled out in front of a group of Ducati engineers and technicians who were viewing the complete motorcycle for the first time.
One person looking from the rear of the bike saw its silhouette and exclaimed in Bolognese dialect: “Ignurànt comm’ al diavel!” Which means: “Evil, just like the devil!”
The Diavel’s twin-level seat is wide, and at 770mm (30.3in), has one of the lowest seat heights in the Ducati range. The seat also comes with a shaped and removable single seat cover, which is formed in carbon fibre on the Diavel Carbon.
What you really want to know though is ‘how much grunt do I have’ right?
Well the engine of the bike is the Ducati Testastretta 11° - developed directly from the race engines of Ducati Corse.
The engine delivers 162hp and 94lb-ft (127.5Nm) of torque and the bike is fitted with Ducati’s Ride-by-Wire (RbW) system to enhance the Diavel’s ridability.
On the Testastretta 11° engine, the valve overlap angle has been reduced from 41°, used in the Testastretta Evoluzione engine which powers the 1198, to 11°.
This, so say Ducati, means the fresh inlet charge flow is less compromised by the exiting exhaust gases, resulting in a much smoother combustion in addition to improved fuel economy and lower exhaust emissions.
This has also helped the bike to achieve service intervals of 24,000 kilometres (15,000 miles).
Article continues on next page, as well as image gallery.
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