Ducati's new 162 horsepower Diavel?
Well, the Italian company won't release wet weight figures, but considering its dry mass is a featherweight 463 pounds (or 456 pounds for the Carbon edition), I'd confidently say the Diavel offers a mind (and genre) bending experience for anyone who's ever wanted to break the sound barrier, yet failed to see the attraction behind torture rack sportbikes.
After blasting the Diavel through mountainous roads in Southern Spain, I'm hesitant to even use the word cruiser in the same sentence... what exactly am I talking about, and why the rampant hyperbole? Find out in my 2011 Ducati Diavel Review, and see pics of the bike in this photo gallery.
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That looks like a VERY cool road??!!
You actually get paid for this job – right??
Pete,
I’ve met Basem and he’s a nice guy. He even writes very well (I run some of his stuff by my wife who is a journalism grad from U. of Missouri), but riding in S. CA and Spain and Italy and then having TOO many bikes to test ride, well that gets to be a bit much for me considering I’m looking out at piles of snow that have been here for over a month.
I think Ducati will mix it up in this class. It’s akin to comparing a mid 70s Vette to a 2011 model.
My bicycle is carbon and I’m a big fan of carbon, but there is a saying in the bicycling world that “steel is real” i.e. we give up a “feel” for two pounds, when we could just give up that afternoon cupcake and drop a couple of pounds ourselves.
Not sure that applies to motorcycles and, in fact mine has a aluminum frame, but what do we get on the Ducati carbon for $3k – a few pounds and special fork that may not make any difference anyway? Seems a bit much.
ya know, for the last 20 years I’ve always said I’d love to own a Vmax. I could say the same for this bike, but dunno if I could make the leap to an exotic. The nearest Duc dealer must be at least 4-5 hours away.
Pricey, especially the carbon model. $20k for saving 7 pounds seems dumb, I’m with Scottie, go on a diet and save $3k. Don’t see this bike as a cruiser but more of a streetfight/naked bike. The V-Max is close to it’s class but not the V-rod and 109r. The V-rod and 109r (Victory hammer comes to mind also) are closer to cruisers and this bike and the V-max closer to a sportbikes. I know Ducati wants to label this bike a cruiser but I really don’t think it fits that classification.
Scottie..I hear you.
Toronto isn’t that far from NYC…about 450 miles. It’s very @#$%^! cold here and it’s wearing real thin. I wanna go for a ride!!!
Basem..enjoy!!
Well at least Ducati is stepping out of the box on this one. I find it a narrowly focused bike. Like most Ducati it’s probably fun. No passengers on board, that I can tell. What good is a motorcycle if you can’t share it with someone? It could be just an exercise of styling, if thats the case it’s cool looking.
Yowsa! It’s a Ducati V-Rod!!!!
It’s a 2 up bike. It has passenger pegs, they fold in.