Ducati Diavel 2011 Review

It’s only the middle of February 2011, but Ducati may have currently offered the motoworld the hottest bicycle from the yr - the Diavel. Rumors and spy shots of the fat-tired Ducati with strange styling surfaced in mid-2010. Some motorcycle pundits dubbed the mystery bicycle Mega Monster. In the days just before the start of EICMA 2010, Ducati quit enjoying coy and unveiled the all-new Diavel.

The query then remained: Would this wildly styled, category-defying Ducati have the supreme dealing with, potent stopping force and hallmark L-Twin energy that for so many years have been the underpinning traits of Ducati’s sporting heritage?

In simpler, more colloquial terms, does the Diavel have what it takes? Can it signify, yo?
Whilst the Diavel is a new model, it nonetheless is comprised of numerous familiar Ducati elements, the most prominent of that is its Testastretta 11° engine. This grunty, high-performance 1198.4cc 90-degree Twin (aka L-Twin) is sourced through the present model Multistrada. And using the exception of a new exhaust, it remains largely unchanged as used in the Diavel.

2011 Ducati Diavel exhaust

Ducati says the Diavel’s new exhaust is the crucial to extracting an additional 12 hp and six.5 ft-lbs through the Testastretta 11 engine.
According to Giulio Malagoli, technical director around the Diavel undertaking, the new Duc’s exhaust program, consisting of equal-length 58mm cross-section exhaust headers and dual stacked shorty megaphone cans, will be the primary contributor to a twelve hp and six.5 ft-lb increase more than the Multi’s 150 hp and 87.5 ft-lbs. The Diavel’s airbox is marginally bigger than the Mulitstrada’s, however the negligible improve in volume isn’t essential to power gains and is much more a make any difference of technical needs. Extra revisions consist of various cam timing, also as reworked consumption and exhaust ports.

Throughout the Diavel’s tech briefing Ducati displayed a dyno graph overlay with power and torque outcomes for that 1198 superbike, Multistrada and Diavel

Whilst the Diavel’s version of the Testastretta is in a race using the MTS, it handily out-powers the adventure-tourer after the 6500-rpm mark. The Diavel effortlessly out guns the 1198 till around 7000 rpm where it manages to operate nearly neck-and-neck with the red racer till roughly 9000 rpm, at which point the 1198 stretches its superbike legs.

The Multistrada’s spread of torque is much more evenly matched towards the Diavel’s, until 6000 rpm at which stage the new devil bicycle opens a large gap on the MTS and never appears back.

Taking the Ducati-supplied dynos at face value, the Diavel mops up against the 1198 in low-end torque production. Diavel twisting force is notably more healthy than what the 1198 produces beneath approximately 7000 rpm. It is only then the race-bike-with-lights finally regains its ground (conserve for a brief 500-rpm dip) and soon out-twists the Diavel by 9000 rpm.What does all of this translate into?

Merely allowing the Testastretta within the Diavel to exhale much more efficiently has produced a nearly perfect engine: potent low- to mid-range force (correct where most riders require it) with the ability to sprint like a sportbike.

A benefit from the design of the Diavel’s slipper-type oil-bath clutch is reduced effort in the clutch lever, also as virtual elimination of rear tire hop throughout downshifts.

Despite my best efforts to upset the chassis with rapid-fire downshifts, the clutch would have none of my tire-hop-inducing antics, and instead allowed the engine to wind down easily instead of buck like a bronco.

A new, bigger h2o pump impeller moves coolant through the Diavel’s dual lateral radiators. One radiator per side sits beneath the fully practical brushed aluminum air intakes and behind the narrow, vertically oriented clear-lens LED front indicators. The air intakes partially make up the form from the Diavel’s notable upper front half and blend in tastefully using the four.5-gallon fuel tank’s covers that are crafted from steel rather than plastic.
Regardless of the devil bike’s departure from conventional Ducati styling, it wouldn’t wear the title Ducati if it did not have a steel-tube trellis frame. Whilst the trellis portion is oh-so-familiar looking, it is unique to the Diavel, and it is joined to a new cast-aluminum subframe.

2011 Ducati Diavel frame shock preload adjust dial

A hand-operated dial for adjusting shock preload peeks out through the trellis frame.
A totally adjustable Sachs shock uses a hand-operated dial for remote preload adjustments and connects to a long, cast-aluminum single-sided swingarm by way of progressive linkage. The horizontally positioned shock resides under the swingarm - a design that permits the Diavel a reasonable seat height of 30.three inches. Two optional seats, 20mm greater or 20mm decrease, are obtainable.

Operating to smooth out the ride up front is a fully adjustable inverted 50mm Marzocchi fork. A three-point adjuster knob atop each fork leg for tweaking rebound damping is really a thoughtful and helpful touch. Holding the fork is really a minimalist “slash-cut” triple clamp - the lower clamp is cast aluminum whilst the upper is created from forged aluminum. A rubber-mounted handlebar clamp grips a tapered aluminum handlebar.

A span of 62.6 inches is measured between the 14-spoke cast-aluminum 17-inch wheels. Steering geometry just on the cusp of cruiser territory is far from supersport-y having a 28.0-degree rake (w/24mm offset) and five.12 inches of path. For reference, the Monster 796’s rake is 24.0 degrees and the MTS’s is 25.0 degrees

Pirelli Diablo Rosso II dual-compound tires cover these attractive hoops. A regular sportbike size 120/70-17 tire rolls in front, whilst the 240/45-17 mega bun around the 8-inch-wide rear wheel will make most contemporary custom choppers jealous. More on that 240 in a bit …

The Diavel’s large visual volume leads you to think the bike may weigh a ton, requiring significant effort to lift from the sidestand.

It's a Ducati following all, so hefty doesn’t generally figure into an equation, and the Diavel retains with the lightweight tradition, scaling it at 463 dry lbs for the standard model and 456 lbs for the up-spec Diavel Carbon. Remarkable figures - even when only dry weights - when contrasted with the claimed curb excess weight of 452 pounds for a current sportbike such as the 2011 GSX-R1000, or the 2011 ZX-10R/ABS with a curb excess weight 443 lbs. Getting a leg over 30-inch saddle is simple function; the sculpted seat snuggly holds a rider in location. You soon learn to see seat’s dished-out form as an indispensible high quality the first time you take a healthy twist of the right grip using the complete force of 162 hp at your beck and contact.

Flat footing was a cinch for my 30-inch inseam, and although the bar position is slightly ahead, the reach didn’t strike me as more aggressive, than, say how a rider is positioned on standard-style bikes such as the BMW F800R or Aprilia Shiver 750. Conversely, the Diavel’s footpeg place ahead of the seat is less rear set than both of these bikes, and much more ahead than the pegs on Ducati’s personal Monster 696.