Photo: Ducati
Ducati makes some of the most interesting racing bikes around, but that hasn't stopped the Italians from trying to make a strong statement in the cruiser segment. Meet the XDiavel, the belt-driven power model we kept hearing about that's making its global debut at EICMA 2015.
It's by no means a typical motorcycle, and it's clear Ducati wants to earn all the points for futuristic styling. The XDiavel makes even the Yamaha VMAX look boring. Its stand-out feature is the newly developed headlight unit. Through a combination of brushed aluminum finishes and LED ring lighting, it projects an air of sophistication and class.
Of course, this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but that's true for most Ducatis. These Italians just passed 50,000 units sold per annum for the first time, so they know exactly who their customers are and what they want.
From the side, the XDiavel continues to cut a futuristic shape, with twin fat shorty pipes that do a great job of clearing that massive 240-section rear wheel mounted on a cast single-side swingarm.
If the odd shape of the chassis makes you worry about the comfort of the bike, know that there are four different footrest positions, five different seats and three different handlebars to choose from. The only thing that has us worried is the lack of Ohlins shocks, but it's a cruiser, so it theoretically doesn't need them.
Underneath all the fancy styling is a new 1,262cc engine that delivers 156 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque (130 lb-ft). It's worth noting that peak horsepower is down from 162 hp, despite the Diavel packing a smaller 1198cc block. Both the XDiavel and its higher-spec sibling the Ducati XDiavel S use a belt to take care of power delivery. Form meets function here, as the new engine has all the water routing done internally, so the radiator is futuristic and clean.
This two-wheeled equivalent of a Lamborghini supercar also comes with a Ducati Power Launch system that helps get the power down better and perform a launch that will embarrass wannabe racers with tuned Supras.
Of course, this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but that's true for most Ducatis. These Italians just passed 50,000 units sold per annum for the first time, so they know exactly who their customers are and what they want.
From the side, the XDiavel continues to cut a futuristic shape, with twin fat shorty pipes that do a great job of clearing that massive 240-section rear wheel mounted on a cast single-side swingarm.
If the odd shape of the chassis makes you worry about the comfort of the bike, know that there are four different footrest positions, five different seats and three different handlebars to choose from. The only thing that has us worried is the lack of Ohlins shocks, but it's a cruiser, so it theoretically doesn't need them.
Underneath all the fancy styling is a new 1,262cc engine that delivers 156 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque (130 lb-ft). It's worth noting that peak horsepower is down from 162 hp, despite the Diavel packing a smaller 1198cc block. Both the XDiavel and its higher-spec sibling the Ducati XDiavel S use a belt to take care of power delivery. Form meets function here, as the new engine has all the water routing done internally, so the radiator is futuristic and clean.
This two-wheeled equivalent of a Lamborghini supercar also comes with a Ducati Power Launch system that helps get the power down better and perform a launch that will embarrass wannabe racers with tuned Supras.
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