Riding Notes

Log Item: A few riding notes on the Ducati Diavel. I've been riding the Devil almost every day for about two months and have a few things to report. I don't have any gripes on the bike, but there are a few things to discuss.

2015 Ducati Diavel

(1) There is power from the line all the way to red line. There are no lags. For those of you who ride bikes like Harley Davidsons, there is no 'roll on power'. Even the HD V-Rods have that characteristic. With the Devil you have as much power at your fingertips as you want.

The power curve is not unlike a V-Max. The V-Max is as fast as the Diavel but it weighs 200 lbs more and is a shaft drive bike. The V-Max has a much higher center of gravity and doesn't corner all that well at slower speeds (haters, have at me but I've been there and done that). The Diavel allows the rider to sit lower on the bike and is much easier to maneuver.

(2) The throttle requires a twist. It's not a tight throttle, which is a good thing for everyday riding. There is all the power that you need/want, but you must twist the throttle a bit to get it to scream. 

(3) There are three riding settings and you can switch between them on the fly: Urban (100 HP), tuned down for people who may be intimidated by the bike; Touring (162 HP Low); different shift ratios and different traction control than; Sport (162 HP High). I keep it on Sport because the bike is "happier" in that setting. It simply runs truer to design.

This means that the bike is very malleable in terms of "riding it the way YOU are most comfortable". Though why one would buy a Diavel and not keep it in Sport Mode is beyond me. 

(4) Since it's not a sport bike with a wind deflector and a faring (it's a naked bike) and you are sitting up, they way that you would on any cruiser, there is wind pressure, which increases as you pass about 90 mph and makes it a bit uncomfortable. My Puig motorcycle windscreen is somewhere between Spain and here. I think that will help a great deal on trips where freeway speeds are somewhere between 75 and 85.  

(5) The bike is rated for 170 mph and I have no doubt that it will do that off the showroom floor without modifications. I don't know what you'd do in order to modify it to squeeze out more horsepower, but perhaps it's the wrong bike for you if you need to go faster. 

The Panigale R has 205 HP and weighs 150 lbs less than the Diavel. It will easily top 200 mph.

Log Item: This is an interesting account. He should have been riding a Ducati.