Ducati Diavel Review by WIlliam
What was Ducati thinking. Ducati is known for their superbikes, right? Well that is what attracted me to this so-called cruiser.
I am now 35 and too old to keep hugging a gas tank, plus my wrists start killing me and I want to be able to go on longer rides with a passenger.
So I test rode the Ducati Diavel. All I can say is OMG! It sounds like a BEAST! Have you ever heard an RC51 or any twin sport bike with no baffles and fell in love? I owned everything from growing up on a dirt bike to a basic Harley to a GSXR 1000 to a Triumph Speed Triple.
Nothing compares to the overall categories this baby covers. I have to say my favorite relaxing deep sounding bike was my 03 Kawasaki Vulcan Meanstreak with no baffles. The Diavel does not have quite the tractor sound the meanstreak did but you can hear the tractor sound resonating through.
Especially around a bunch of sport bikes, the Diavel makes any sport bike baffle or not, sound like a weed eater on steroids. I find myself revving the throttle with the clutch in quite a bit, just to hear the sound while I’m cruising around.
So is it more like a cruiser or more like a sport bike. Coming from both worlds, the Ducati Diavel is 100% superbike bred. It may have a slight low center of gravity feel and have that deep throaty powerful sound, but it will scare the sh*t out of you if you aren’t careful.
You have to respect its power 100% of the time, just like a superbike.
The bike is constantly gaining attention; so much so that I think some of my regular sport bike riding friends are tired of seeing me bask in the spotlight. It definitely gets more attention from sport bike riders than cruiser riders. In fact, at Harley events I might get 1 or 2 people asking what the hell is that.
What are my favorite things about the Ducati Diavel?
Its looks, it is beautifully designed, gets a lot of attention
Its power both torque and horsepower wise
It’s up-right comfortable seating position
Fat 240 rear tire
Traction control / computer air temp, avg mpg
Key Fob, never have to fish for the key in my pocket
What are my least favorite things about the Ducati Diavel?
At night it isn’t as beautiful as a typical chromed out cruiser
Doesn’t have heated hand grips
Gas tank is a little small at 4.5 gallons and only has a dummy light
MPG ranges 35-45 depending on riding style, a little low compared to other bikes
Only 1 Ducati Dealer within an hour drive
Expensive to maintain from the tire, to the valve maintenance
The RPM range seems pretty tight compared to most super bikes rapping out at 10k. From 1000-4000 it has plenty of torque but feels clunky because the horsepower doesn’t really start kicking in until 5k. I know the bike pretty well now and know exactly how many gears to drop down to stomp on it whenever I want.
At 0-60 in 2.6 seconds, there are very few bike or production cars that can come close to its in-town bursts.
Overall the Ducati Diavel is by far the sexiest beast I have ever ridden. I have ridden 3,000 miles in 2 months and still get a sweet smile on my face every time I ride. This bike is relaxed enough to put around town but mean enough to keep 1000 cc sport bikes in check
A VIDEO review the 1st week I had the bike
2012 Ducati DIavel– Review
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