{"id":1479922,"date":"2019-08-08T10:24:38","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T00:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bikeme.tv\/?p=1479922"},"modified":"2019-08-08T10:24:38","modified_gmt":"2019-08-08T00:24:38","slug":"2019-ducati-diavel-1260-review-old-time-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/2019-ducati-diavel-1260-review-old-time-religion\/","title":{"rendered":"2019 DUCATI DIAVEL 1260 REVIEW \u2013 OLD TIME RELIGION"},"content":{"rendered":"

IMAGES BY NICK ‘LIGHTNING’ EDARDS \/ HALF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHIC<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

“Bring me a fresh bear. This one is broken.”<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

If the Diavel was a man, he would be the kind of man who strangled bears on top of mountains.<\/p>\n

Heavy-shouldered and mighty. Filled with portent and power.<\/p>\n

That is the Diavel.<\/p>\n

And it doesn\u2019t do acceleration.<\/p>\n

It does fury.<\/p>\n

Relentless, merciless, divine fury.<\/p>\n

The Diavel surges towards the horizon like a superbly focused explosion \u2013 and that never gets old.<\/p>\n

Suddenly that deep-dish seat makes sense. Without it, your clenching bum-meat would be clenching air.<\/p>\n

With it?<\/p>\n

Oh, man\u2026just turn that throttle and gimme that Old Time Religion.<\/p>\n

\"\"

“Oh look! A VROD!”<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The Diavel got me. And it got me good.<\/p>\n

It had been one of those bikes I didn\u2019t really think much about. I knew about it, of course. But did it ever consume my thoughts? No.<\/p>\n

That has changed.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Stop roving. Start worshipping.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019d been a while since I last rode one, and while they\u2019ve always been breath-takingly powerful, I\u2019ve never quite come to them for a bunch of reasons \u2013 all of which this new incarnation has addressed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more than 10kgs lighter. It\u2019s 15mm shorter between the axles (now 1600mm), its rake is three degrees steeper, and its trail has been reduced 10mm. This has done wonders for the steering and agility \u2013 and yes, this great brutal lump of technical wizardry is remarkably agile. And unlike the sassy feet-forward XDiavel, this Diavel is driven by a chain rather than a belt.<\/p>\n

\"\"

It’s like a brutal, jam-packed Tetris puzzle.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

This is no cruiser \u2013 power or otherwise. There is no single \u201ccruiser\u201d parameter that applies to it.<\/p>\n

Your feet are under you, and you\u2019re hunched forward in that true \u201cI mean business\u201d way.<\/p>\n

And you will mean business on the Diavel. You have to. There\u2019s no point otherwise.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Holds the line like a Spartan warlord. The Diavel. Not me.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Somehow, and despite all its other great offerings, Ducati has managed to make the Diavel one of it\u2019s most rewarding and delightful bikes.<\/p>\n

Put aside any misgivings you might have about it.<\/p>\n

This is a proper, hard-banging, gut-churning Hellzone of a motorcycle \u2013 and not some fat-tyred design exercise aimed at a market that prefers cruising to riding.<\/p>\n

The Diavel is a weapons-grade real deal.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The air has no choice. It is compelled to enter.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

YEAH, BUT NO, BUT\u2026THE LOOK\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

People are polarised about its appearance.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not. I quite like it. A lot.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s utterly unique and grimly brutal. Totally modern yet completely primal \u2013 which is quite a styling trick to pull off.<\/p>\n

From some angles, it\u2019s like a precision-cannibalised jet-fighter with wheels.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Pirelli Corsa IIIs – they sure do come in handy.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The brushed alloy scoops, the vast and monstrous all-black Testastretta DVT engine \u2013 around which everything is attached and to which all things must bow \u2013 the sculpted tank, the scalloped seat, and that Capo di tutti Capi<\/em> (Boss of all Bosses) rear-tyre hooked around that deep-dished Enkei mag\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"

You can buy these rubber things in bulk, you know.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The Diavel really looks like it\u2019s just told you to piss off and is waiting to see what you plan to do about it. And then it will strangle you like a bear on the side of a mountain.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Nothing but goodness here. Powerful goodness.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

THE FEEL \u2013 WHY DOES IT HANDLE SO DAMN WELL?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is all about defiance. The Diavel is not a small bike. And it\u2019s long \u2013 the front half is all monumental engine-darkness, and the back is all kicked-up hot-rod and fat rubber.<\/p>\n

Despite this, it\u2019s so easy to ride and manoeuvre; its balance and feel utterly bely its significant size. This is never more evident than when you chuck it hard into a corner.<\/p>\n

\"\"

You will so enjoy cleaning this.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Normally, pitching anything this big with that fat a rear-tyre into a bend is an exercise in teeth-and-bike-grinding alarm.<\/p>\n

But Ducati is clever, and Ducati will not build a bike that does not handle really well. It\u2019s in the rules.<\/p>\n

All the Diavel\u2019s weight (and most of it is in the engine), and thus its centre of gravity is very low.<\/p>\n

\"\"

“Edards sure does look like a bear…”<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Look where the front-cylinder of the L-shaped donk is sitting. Anything weighty sitting along the imaginary line running from the front axle to the rear axle, is being made less-weighty by being located there.<\/p>\n

So when you\u2019re levering it from side to side in corners, or toodling along at low speed, it feels almost effortless. Why? Because you\u2019re not levering it. You\u2019re just rolling it around that wheel-to-wheel axis.<\/p>\n

\"\"

It’s not the eye of Sauron only because it’s not red.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Clever, huh?<\/p>\n

No, it\u2019s not a sportsbike, and it doesn\u2019t handle or steer as fast as one. But you know what? It\u2019s defiantly not all that far off.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

LET\u2019S TALK NUMBERS FOR A SECOND<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was teasing VROD owners on Social Media the other day.<\/p>\n

I said to them if they were serious about riding stonkingly powerful V-twins \u2013 and I know they like to think they are \u2013 then they might consider there\u2019s more to genuine power than just making lots of noise. And maybe getting your fat-tyred Milwaukee train around a corner in good order would also be a needful thing.<\/p>\n

\"\"

This is the rider mode that loves you and wants you to be happy. Like a crazy girlfriend.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"

Yes, ‘High’ means just that.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Toys were thrown out of prams and I was called names. Tsk, tsk, tsk\u2026you\u2019d think men with tattoos on their necks would have more sense, huh?<\/p>\n

I was forced to beat them shamelessly with numbers. Because numbers do not lie even as they hurt you.<\/p>\n

The Diavel weighs 244kg, makes 159 horses and 129Nm of torque.<\/p>\n

The VROD weighs 303kg, makes 103 horses and 98Nm of torque.<\/p>\n

What else ya wanna talk about?<\/p>\n

\"\"

That red backlighting thing is really cool. The funny menu business is on the left. The Cruise Control on the right. Simple. The red button on top shoots steel triangles at cars.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYeah, well my Harley FXDR will eat it!\u201d<\/p>\n

No, Rocko, it won\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Harley\u2019s 1600cc FXDR allegedly makes 160Nm of torque, which is really nice. But it\u2019s flat out finding 90 horses among that lot. And it weighs 303kg. It might be the best Harley Milwaukee\u2019s ever built, but it\u2019s just an obstacle for the Diavel to pass.<\/p>\n

And right on cue came the Rocket III champions. The new one is not here, so we cannot argue about what no-one has yet ridden.<\/p>\n

The current 2300cc Pom does the 1260cc Italian in torque. That English lump makes a big 221Nm. But it only produces 143 horses. And it weighs 334kg.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The finish is really top-notch.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Now allow me to drive the final nail into those dream-filled coffins.<\/p>\n

The Diavel will outhandle them all. Not by a little, either. By quite a lot.<\/p>\n

Yeah.<\/p>\n

Or did you imagine Ducati would produce a bike that didn\u2019t go around corners?<\/p>\n

\"\"

The starter-button\/kill switch also glows red. The steering lock button just below doesn’t. Get over it.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The only bike to ever come near the Diavel in terms of performance and maybe handling was Yamaha\u2019s defunct V-Max \u2013 but even it\u2019s astonishing 173 horses and 153Nm was mitigated by its 315kg heft.<\/p>\n

Make no mistake.<\/p>\n

The Diavel is the King Daddy in this yard.<\/p>\n

\"\"

“But you haven’t digested the last bear yet…”<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

SO WHAT ISSUES DOES IT HAVE?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I struggled to find any. And I looked. And I rode, and I looked, and I rode some more. I took the Diavel up Thunderbolts Way to Walcha and back. It\u2019s been up and down the Putty a few times and done the Wollombi loop when I\u2019ve been in a bad mood.<\/p>\n

I expected it to hunt at low speed and be kinda rough and gargly. Nope. Variable valve-timing and superb fueling make the Diavel smoothness incarnate.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Your best girlfriend will quite like the big, flat pillion seat. The little handle behind it retracts into the seat, and it makes the same V-shape as the blinkers on the rear-guard. It’s that attention to detail that shows Bologna considers design seriously.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019ve had it belting along at speeds well over 200km\/h and noticed it powers past 160 to 220 just as crazy eager as it surges from 60 to 160 from 4000rpm in top. It just\u2026well, bangs. There\u2019s no other word for it.<\/p>\n

Overtaking anything is a giggle. It\u2019s over before you\u2019ve even noticed it\u2019s begun. That engine doesn\u2019t so much make useable power as creates it from the very bedrock of torque itself.<\/p>\n

What niggled me was the seat. It\u2019s lovely and comfortable, and made out of some classy suede-like stuff. That\u2019s not the issue.<\/p>\n

\"\"

In case someone asks you how big it is.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The issue was no wriggle-room. I certainly understand why there isn\u2019t any. You got no business wriggling when you\u2019re accelerating hard enough to trigger seismic shift.<\/p>\n

So you really do need that bum-cupping thing going on under acceleration. And the Diavel is the most sit-in-it-not-on-it bike I\u2019ve ever ridden.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Looks good parked outside a bear-hunting lodge, huh?<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

But long stints \u2013 and I\u2019m talking 800km days \u2013 had me wanting to move around on the seat and swearing to put more time in on the squat rack. Interestingly, you can easily ride it standing up for long stretches, and even sit yourself for a while on that wide pillion area of the seat. So I guess I am really nit-picking.<\/p>\n

And I will extend that nit-picking to the headlight. It\u2019s nice and wide on high-beam, but it could throw a bit further. I assume there are no kangaroos in Bologna, so I will forgive them that.<\/p>\n

Oh, and the horn needs to sound like Satan yelling. It doesn\u2019t. Damn shame \u2013 if you\u2019ll pardon the pun.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t go bellowing about the cost of servicing. The service interval is excellent. You only have to service the Diavel every 15,000km and do the valve-timing every 30,000km.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Ducati eschews the clear plastic jobbies.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

ELECTRIC AVENUES<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Diavel comes with all the de rigeur<\/em> electrical rider aids one expects on high-end blasters.<\/p>\n

So three ride modes \u2013 Urban, Touring and Sports (the latter being a hilarious but serious attempt at escaping the Earth\u2019s gravity) \u2013 are yours to enjoy.<\/p>\n

I left it mainly in Touring, but with a tweak.<\/p>\n

You can, of course adjust any of the pre-set ride-mode values (power, throttle response, ABS, cornering ABS, traction control and wheelie control), so you can dial up full power in Touring, but leave the ABS and traction control to assist with your bad habits. Or in the gentler Urban mode, you can turn everything up to 12, the safety nanny stuff off, and laugh like a lunatic for no reason other than it\u2019s funny.<\/p>\n

There is cruise control (thank you), and a three-level launch-control, the latter which entertained my neighbours no end. John even brought me a beer during the testing of this in front of my house. He saw I was a bit dry-mouthed.<\/p>\n

\"\"

I told you about the slipper clutch, yes? It drink from this.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

I figured I\u2019d be hating on all this menu stuff, because I usually hate on all this menu stuff because it can really be hard to adjust, access and understand.<\/p>\n

Not so here. Easy as, via the left-hand switchblock rocker-switch thingy.<\/p>\n

My caveman approved, just as he approved of the demonic red backlighting on the instrument clusters.<\/p>\n

What else? Um, keyless fob ignition \u2013 and do stay close with the fob, or the Diavel will demand a PIN to start.<\/p>\n

OTHER WORLDS?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

This one eats bigger bears.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

There is another iteration of it. The Diavel S, which comes with \u00d6hlins and carbon. So that\u2019s the one I\u2019d get because I\u2019m shallow and venal \u2013 and I would not care it costs some five grand more, and nor will you.<\/p>\n

The Sachs shocks on this Diavel are excellent, as are the Brembo M4.32s \u2013 and I did haul on them hard enough to make that call \u2013 but a Diavel with \u00d6hlins and Brembo M50s \u2013 and a Goddamn Hallelujah quickshifter! \u2013 \u00a0would take the whole bear-strangling match to another level.<\/p>\n

AND FINALLY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

Nothing beats Old Time Religion.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The Diavel is a great bike. I didn\u2019t expect it to be. But it was. I have rarely enjoyed riding a bike (and riding it hard) as much as I enjoyed the Diavel. The power and its delivery, coupled with the bike\u2019s insane ability to handle while still managing to look like an angry steel war-totem, really resonated. I appreciated the Diavel on an emotional level because that\u2019s where it got me.<\/p>\n

It made me feel indomitable.<\/p>\n

And that is truly Old Time Religion<\/p>\n

HOW MUCH? $29,790 Rideaway. The Diavel S is $34,890 Rideaway.<\/strong><\/p>\n

COLOURS? It only comes in this war-jet grey, which Ducati calls Sandstone Grey. The Diavel S gets that killer red frame and come in Total, Utter and Complete Black, as well as the grey colour.<\/strong><\/p>\n

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND THE SPECIFICATIONS, PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"

Thunder and lightning. Nick brought his lovely and venerable Fireblade along. Yes, purple and yellow was a thing back in the 60s.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IMAGES BY NICK ‘LIGHTNING’ EDARDS \/ HALF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHIC If the Diavel was a man, he would be the kind of man who strangled bears on top of mountains. Heavy-shouldered and mighty. Filled with portent and power. That is the Diavel. And it doesn\u2019t do acceleration. It does fury. Relentless, merciless, divine fury. The Diavel [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1479947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[375,256,106,58],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479922"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1479922"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1480211,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479922\/revisions\/1480211"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1479947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1479922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1479922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1479922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}