IN the latter part of 2015, Ducati started teasing the public with a series of videos which alluded the marque either was set to release its own fragrance or a motorcycle completely different to anything else coming out of the Borgo Panigalé factory. All we knew at that point was: it was ‘X’; and it was black – elegant, rough, explicit, mysterious, general and brutal. We had to play the waiting game to find out more.
Ducati premiered its 2016 models in a live-streamed event which confirmed its new direction to the world – disrupting the traditional motorcycle unveiling in an Apple-esque, sweaters over leathers presentation of fun, excitement, and of course, X. Ducati CEO, Claudio Domenicali said at the event black is a different world to the red hues the company is renown for, “black is a change in position,” he announced to the world. The XDiavel and XDiavel S are the motorcycles at the forefront of this exciting shift.
Ducati press material describes the XDiavel as the intersection of two worlds, the ‘gentleman’ and the ‘bastard’ – a mix of low speed, technology, cruiser culture, Italian beauty, feet forward controls and cornering performance – but they haven’t just slapped a set of forward ‘pegs on the same model, painted it black, crossed their fingers and hoped it will sell. The XDiavel is radically different to the Diavel which preceded it. Although the silhouette is very similar, the half-fairing around the radiator has been removed, leaving a naked presence by showing off the bare trellis frame, aligning the top half of the XDiavel more within the looks of the Monster family.
The engine is completely new – a 1262 cc Testastretta variant and the second to feature Desmodromic Variable Timing (DVT). The DVT system continuously varies the position between the camshafts and the crankshaft in the range between minimum and maximum overlap, which increases performance, user-friendliness and also provides better fuel-efficiency. The other differences you will notice from the earlier Diavel is the refinements which suit the X ethos of elegance – it means making things ’nicer’ like hidden water hoses and machine polished detailing on the ’S’ model’s engine and it does make the bike look extra special.
The chassis is completely different – the XDiavel has a single-sided trellis swingarm and the hidden under slung rear shock has been replaced for an offset unit which can now be gazed upon. Both the XDiavel and ’S’ models receive cruise control, Bosch cornering ABS units for added safety and get this – a power launch feature (DPL). Press the DPL button on the right switchblock to set the amount of electronic intervention, hold the throttle at the stop, let the clutch out and prepare for an adrenaline rush of a lifetime!
There are a few other differences between the XDiavel and ’S’ to mention besides the polished engine detailing. The big one performance-wise is the front brake – the ’S’ model receives top-spec Brembo M50s which actually have slightly smaller pistons over the standard XDiavel featuring Brembo M4-32s, but the M50s are top spec – the consumer equivalent to wet weather brakes in MotoGP. The rest is aesthetic. The XDiavel has a matt finish on the engine and tank, while the ’S’ is glossy and has a few extra-premium parts including wheels, swingarm, seat, mirrors, side plates and a daytime running light.
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The XDiavel as the city gent
To show off these two worlds, Ducati invited us to spend a night in Sydney’s CBD, enjoying a formal dinner at Matt Moran’s Aria Restaurant on Darling Harbour. In my hotel room was a package from Ducati which contained XDiavel cufflinks and a pair of sunglasses. It was a shame I didn’t bring a French cuff shirt for the dinner.
We were greeted upon entry by Moran himself, who managed to get an XDiavel S up a set of stairs to the dining room floor. Chef introduced himself to everyone and read out the menu choices for the night – check out our Instagram page to find out what was on the menu. Moran is not only Ducati Australia’s ambassador for the XDiavel, he is a Ducatista at heart – owning every Ducati superbike onwards from the 851 (yep, including a Desmosedici… And a Superleggera!). A room full of motorcycle journos dressed in formal attire was a rather quixotic experience to say the least – it wasn’t long before a conversation circle gathered around the XDiavel – who was going to fire it up and let it play an aria of its own, and who was going to do a burnout on the hardwood floor in one of Sydney’s most iconic restaurants. This is why we don’t normally get invited to nice places. We came to an agreement that tonight should be for the gentleman, and tomorrow we could set the bastard off the leash.
XDiavel – backroad bastard
We departed from the hotel at Hyde Park in the morning and headed south through the city, past the airport, towards the twisting roads in the Royal National Park towards Stanwell Park, over the Sea Cliff Bridge and down to Scarborough for lunch at the pub.
My first impression when I threw a leg over the bike and rode through city traffic was one of reflection. I remember saying previously the Diavel is an other kind of beast – comfier than a sportsbike, but not a cruiser – and with the forward foot controls and quite a few engine and chassis changes, there is no doubt in my mind the XDiavel is a cruiser. It has the silhouette, it has the riding position and it has the comfort that you expect from any other high-end cruiser on the market.
Riding through city traffic in Urban mode, the XDiavel’s power output is reduced to 100hp, traction control is set to level 6 and ABS is set to ‘safe and stable’. As you would expect, the engine is much tamer in this setting but there is still plenty of torque low in the rev range to get things moving – more than any law abiding gentleman needs in this setting. The DVT engine feels quite smooth and provides good response, and the belt drive makes the XDiavel feel quite friendly in the slower speed riding conditions.
As we exit the city limits and head into the Royal National Park, it is a good chance to put the XDiavel in touring mode, where the engine is increased to its full power (156hp). This setting is really enjoyable – it has over a third more power over Urban, but the mode’s delivery still remains quite gentle and traction control is reduced a few notches (DTC 4), while ABS remains on ‘safe and stable’. What it does is allow you to ride closer to the edge of the gentler throttle map, and it doesn’t take long to see the corner-exit-ethos of the Diavel remains. It’s about pointing the front wheel at the corner exit and letting the torquey engine and big 240-section rear tyre do the rest.
If Touring mode is enjoyable, Sport mode is simply exhilarating. It gives you full power, a critical throttle map and minimal electronic interference (DTC 2, ABS ‘sport’). In the twisties, the XDiavel is, if anything, a touch slower mid-corner than its conventional controlled counterpart, but it’s more dynamic and much easier to ride. Dare I say it, it’s even more fun. In the tight stuff, I found I had a tendency to want to hang off the Diavel a little bit to keep the bike more upright because of the wide rear tyre and where the ‘pegs are located. On the XDiavel, with forward controls, the tendency isn’t there. I found myself pointing and shooting through the bends by pressing on the outside ‘peg to push my butt into the seat and let the bike do the work. Quite often in the twists I see cruiser riders trying to keep up with their mates on sports and touring bikes by using the opposite lane and cutting corners just to keep up because of the lack of ground clearance – on the XDiavel there is no need. There’s so much lean angle for a cruiser, and only one degree less than the conventional model that scraping the footpegs is still quite a rare occurrence.
The new DVT engine is a revelation in the XDiavel, turning it from a somewhat cranky thing off the lights under three grand, into a motorcycle with what has to be the smoothest and most responsive bottom-end on the market – perfectly suited to harder cruising and road riding. Sure, there are things with more torque, but they weigh 100 kilos more and they are nowhere near as smooth as the XDiavel. During the launch, I didn’t get a chance to test the Ducati power launch (DPL) feature, or ride the higher-spec ’S’ model. Cycle Torque will receive the ’S’ later in the year for a full test, where we champing at the bit to try DPL.
Overall, the hype building up the XDiavel may have seemed eccentric at the time but now we have been given a few days to get our hands on it and experience what the bike is about and its expectations have been well and truly met. The XDiavel is priced at $27,490 and as you would expect, for the premium Brembos and extra-premium parts the ’S’ is a few thousand dollars extra at $32,490. What you get for that money is a lot of performance-oriented motorcycle, a lot of contemporary style and a lot of cruiser comfort – no matter whether you are a door-opening gentleman or a right-rotten bastard.