If you get a chance!

[Beamish]

Test ride the Diavel! What a bike! Really wierd at first, I set off from the showroom, went to put my feet down and missed the pegs by 3 inch They are set fwd quite a way but not so far fwd as say, a Harley. Started off in Touring mode (102bhp with soft throttle) very quick steering slightest touch on the bars has it dropping like a stone, great round traffic and mirrors work! (gotta be a first for Ducati). Once out of town I selected the Sport mode (162bhp with instant throttle) Dont know how it does it but open the throttle to the stop and its like being fired out of a cannon the front doesnt even go light......its a cross between an 1198 and a triumph Rocket (Timbo you will love this bike!) My mate was out on an 848 evo and apart from the hairpins which did give me a bit of a scare as it tends to run wide, the Diavel was more than a match for it. The wind protection is quite amazing due to the fact you sit really low in the bike, its very comfortable and you could definately tour one up on it,its very fast too, on a private bit of road 145mph came up pretty damn quick . Would I buy one............

No, it is definately one of my favourite rides of all so far in my life and for 12k (less than an R1) its comparitively affordable (for some anyway) but could I open the garage door and really love it...............not yet. In time the red version may grow on me. Oh yeh.... It takes an age to start, its like firing up a Typhoon jet! Prime this podge that ensure keyless ignitiuon is accepted

If you have a Duke garage close by......blag a ride it is a real mans bike!

[pinkyfloyd]

But they're fugly.

Agreed!

[benny hedges]

yes they are ugly but awesome in the same breath... they would certainly draw a crowd.

mate went to buy one when the 11 reg came out - he hasnt ridden since 2000
tried to talk him out of it, no chance... stubborn git set his mind on one and wouldn't listen.
i said get an older monster or summat get you back into it, that thing'll fkin kill you or just end up sat in the garage. if you;re going to do that you'd be better with a mint classic that will appreciate....

anyway, he did same, took it out for a test and decided not to bother. think he shat himself lol.
dave zippy said same yesterday, one of his mates who hasnt rode for 10yr took a fireblade out on test and gave the keys back, white as a sheet lol

people look at the diavel & think mmmmh... dont see myself as a harley man but i quite like that, without realising what theyre capable of!
i can see the attraction but it isnt for me personally, not till you can pick one up for less than 500 quid anyway!

thing is, it's 2011 now and designers are looking for more radical styles imo, stuff that hasnt been done before, so we're going to see more & more outlandish models coming out, crammed with tech
wonder who'll bring out a tdi cruiser & a leccy hybrid?

i wonder if the diavel will turn out to be a lemon like honda's dn01 which you can now pick up new for 5 grand?

[sirch345]

Thanks Jim for the write-up, another interesting read for me

The rather strange thing is, Neil (balls) and myself were only looking at a Ducati Diavel at a local bike meet last Tuesday evening (a couple of photo's of it below). I didn't realise they also do them in Red, as the black finish doesn't do it for me. I may have a different opinion of it in Red

As for handling, the rear tyre is a 240 section so it's not going to be as shape as a sports bike with a 180 or 190. The 240 width tyre is most likely for show, which IMO suits the bike very well.





Chris.

[pinkyfloyd]

Chris.

Look. Everyone in that picture is looking away from the thing. The meer sight of the thing is enough to blind people so they all are looking the other way!

[Furrybiker]

Jeez even the other bikes dont want to get too close!!

[Kev L]

Maybe I should have gone to specsavers but I don't mind the looks of it. Wouldn't want that style of bike but it's not that ugly, is it?

[pinkyfloyd]

Its ugly!

[Furrybiker]

I wonder why so many Italian bikes are either or

This morning I went to the Ace Cafe, it was Italian bike day, look at a Duke 1198 and then the creation at the top of the page, I know they appeal to different sections of the market but really!!

PS There were two storms there, neither on here, hopefully they will remedy that.

[Beamish]

Chris the red version looks miles better IMO, I agree with many as its not my thing really but applaud Ducati for going out on a limb. I think if all the manufacturers were as slow as Honda/Suzuki to move ideas along then we would be all be on a late version of the CBX that sort of stopped, sort of went ok and nearly handled! Remember it was Ducatis success that dragged Honda kicking and screaming into the land of the SP Come on, applaud designers for laughing in the face of convention and making a bike for the now rather than yet another retro that appeals to us older generation of bikers. I love all bikes by the way including the CBX I just like the fact that some makers will do things differently........ KTM for example.

P.S Chris you wouldnt know the rear tyre was such a large cross section as its turns in miraculously

[sirch345]

Chris the red version looks miles better IMO, I agree with many as its not my thing really but applaud Ducati for going out on a limb. I think if all the manufacturers were as slow as Honda/Suzuki to move ideas along then we would be all be on a late version of the CBX that sort of stopped, sort of went ok and nearly handled! Remember it was Ducatis success that dragged Honda kicking and screaming into the land of the SP Come on, applaud designers for laughing in the face of convention and making a bike for the now rather than yet another retro that appeals to us older generation of bikers. I love all bikes by the way including the CBX I just like the fact that some makers will do things differently........ KTM for example.

P.S Chris you wouldnt know the rear tyre was such a large cross section as its turns in miraculously

I agree with you Jim (Beamish), like-it or lump-it, you have to say well done to Ducati for taking a chance Only by pushing the boundaries do we have the bikes that are available to us today. That was the downfall of the British Motorcycle Industry (as no doubt you know Jim), they stuck with what they had and rarely moved on, only for the Japanese to use our ideas and move on with them instead.

The Diavel is definitely a bike with a certain presence about it

Chris.

[20_rc51_00]

I didn't like the look either...till I saw it in person.... slathered in carbon cool... Vmax cool imo...