The Devil's Scooter

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, 
But I have promises to keep, 
And miles to go before I sleep, 
And miles to go before I sleep.



Rant: I've been riding my Ducati Diavel for a few weeks now and it's time for a review and update on the bike, it's performance and my thoughts.

Jumping on the acceleration in "sport mode" becomes an effort in keeping the front tire on the ground even with a 200 lbs + rider (it's all muscle) and a 500 lbs machine (street weight with a full tank of fuel - and it's genuinely all muscle). It's fast, like being launched on a rocket sled with out an ejection seat.** Chain blue lightning.

**(for a frame of reference: high speed rocket ejection sled test - note that the Diavel is not equipped with its own ejection system for the operator.)

https://youtu.be/y6lvh82oWIw

I don't race, I ride. And as those of you who read my blog have come to understand, I take people on the back of my Diavel often. To that extent, I'm not the typical Diavel driver -- but I'm not typical anything and maybe that's why the Diavel appealed to me.

Ducati's Testastretta 11° DS harnesses the immense power of the Superbike engine and makes it smoother and more linear, combining high performance with an enjoyable and perfectly manageable ride. Ride manageability and comfort is the key to the Diavel. It's a very well balanced motorcycle with nearly unlimited power, but that power is manageable because of the power option settings which include traction control.

The Diavel has the capability of being a license shredder for for riders who aren't watching the instrument panel. I found way to much speed, way to easily off the lights, and that dreaded 90 feels a lot more like 60 than you think. Therefore all it takes to turn the flat black devil into a cruise missile is a twist of the wrist. The power comes on so sudden it creates a dramatic sense of inertia, this bike has giddy straight line fever oozing from its very dark, flat black, heart.

You’d think with that massive 240 rear tire that it would be a pig in the corners right? Not even close. You just roll that sucker over and seemingly never finding the edge, it’s a different feel altogether than anything I’m used to and I wasn’t sure if I was to get off the seat and hulk it over, counter steer or what, but with those big wide handlebars providing plenty of leverage, just a light counter steer action copes just fine. It’s surprisingly nimble in the corners, completely disguised by its appearance.