The latest generation 2019 Ducati Diavel 1260 has been introduced with even more power and sophistication.
The biggest highlight is its 1,262cc Ducati Testastretta DVT L-twin engine which produces 159hp and 129Nm of torque.
Its electronics package has been significantly-elevated with specs such as Cornering ABS, Wheelie Control, Power Launch Control, plus more.
Looking for pure Italian muscle? Well, look no further than the 2019 Ducati Diavel 1260 which is the next-generation power cruiser from Ducati with more power and agility than ever before. As stated by Ducati “the new Diavel 1260 combines the performance of a maxi-naked with the ergonomics of a muscle cruiser.” (more…)
Ducati introduced the DVT (Desmodromic Variable Timing) in the 2015 Multistrada 1200.
It will now be carried over to the 2019 Diavel 1260.
But what is DVT and how does it work?
Ducati had first introduced the DVT (Desmodromic Variable Timing) in the 2015 Multistrada 1200 to a great reception and will now be carried over to the 2019 Diavel 1260, in addition to the Multistrada 1260 and XDiavel.
But what exactly is DVT and what does it do?
To understand DVT, we need to understand about valve timing.
Truth is, there are many considerations when it comes to valve timing. For one, if the intake valves open for a short duration, less fuel-air mixture can be inducted, compared to the valves being kept open longer. At low-RPMs less fuel-air mixture (also called “charge”) should be inducted for it to burn quicker, resulting in higher torque. Conversely, the valves need to be kept open longer for more charge to enter to produce higher maximum power.
Hang on, that’s not all, because there’s “valve overlap.”
The term describes the timing when both intake and exhaust valves are open together – hence “overlap.” Overlap occurs when as the exhaust valves are starting to close and the intake valves are starting to open. This way, the exiting exhaust gas causes a vacuum which helps to suck in fresh fuel-air mixture and fills the combustion chamber quickly.
So high overlap timing is the magic bullet? Not necessarily.
A racing engine profits from prolonged overlap because each piston travels 20,000 times up and down at 10,000 RPM, thus each stroke lasts merely 0.003 second. The exhaust gas is able to evacuate quickly and draw in fresh charge.
But if the same engine is used as a road bike, there will not be enough time to push all the exhaust gas out and some of it will end up being sucked back into the combustion chamber and mixed with the fresh charge, contaminating and diluting it. That’s when the bike spits, sputters and backfires. And you will end up with a bike that’s sluggish at low- and mid-RPMs.
Of course, the fuel injection ECU could shoot in very specific amounts of fuel at any given load, but there’s not much way around the engine’s basic architecture.
From this, we can deduce that the perfect engine should have less overlap for good torque at low-RPM to mid-RPM, and maximum overlap at higher-RPM for high horsepower (read: top speed).
Problem is, you can only have one cam profile for either characteristic. Take your pick.
You may have heard of Honda’s VTEC (Valve Timing Electronic Control). Ducati’s DVT works on the same principle of varying valve timing but uses a different method to Honda’s copyrighted VTEC.
Ducati’s DVT uses an ECU to control valve adjusters to keep the valves totally shut; or delay, advance or prolong their opening. Each of this behavior translates to the character of the engine, resulting in a super-smooth powerband, enhanced throttle response, higher power production and optimized fuel economy.
The addition of the DVT will surely make the 2019 Diavel 1260 a much better all-round power cruiser to ride. To be unveiled at EICMA 2018, is it also slated to receive Bosch’s six-axis IMU (Inertia Measurement Unit) to enhance rider aids, Ohlins suspension, Bluetooth connectivity and cosmetic updates.
In a recent Motorcycle.com feature, they tested a wild turbocharged Ducati Diavel from Australia proudly modified by S&R Pro.
The owner, Blake Saville, wanted to switch to a much suited bike for his big size and weight but a stock 2015 Ducati Diavel isn’t going to be enough to float his boat.
At the crank, his custom-made turbocharged Diavel churns out a whopping 225hp and 280Nm of gut-wrenching torque.
A recent feature on [button color=”” size=”” type=”3d” target=”blank” link=”http://www.motorcycle.com/”]Motorcycle.com[/button] caught our deepest, darkest interested with a very brutally direct title “Tested: 225HP Ducati Diavel Turbo”. That got our blood boiling with excitement and they weren’t kidding at all when they wrote that. (more…)
Video: Ducati XDiavel vs KTM 1290 Super Duke GT – Both are expensive bikes, but are they worth the money?
Before building Ducati’s most successful cruiser ever, engineers and designers from the Italian bike builder spend many months living in the United States. They mingled with bikers, hung out with custom bike builders, lived the American motorcycle dream to understand what it is that gave cruisers their soul.
But when the Diavel was first introduced back in 2011, it was still very much a sports bike with a laid back riding position, rather than a cruiser. Ducati called it the ‘powercruiser’, they weren’t wrong but the Diavel could have been better. A better cruiser that it.
Fast forward five years, and Ducati tried again with the XDiavel by giving it a longer wheelbase, moving the foot pegs up front to give it the cruiser feel and some aesthetic touches. They also called it the ‘technocruiser’ in honor of the futuristic touches and the modern retro people who are likely to buy such a bike.
But though it has all the cruiserly touches like the wide rear tyre, belt drive, forward controls, low seat height, a long 30-degree rake, and the long wheelbase, the XDiavel still feels like a proper sports bike. You can ride this thing in complete anger and it will behave the way a proper super bike does with light predictable handling and loads of power on the upper end of the rev band, yes the engine is a complete screamer, just as you would expect from a Ducati.
The XDiavel may have the grand looks and a sophisticated design, but it is the engine that is the real jewel in Ducati’s crown. The 1262cc Testastretta DVT engine has the proper character of a sports bike, with 156hp and 129Nm of torque between 5,000 – 9,500rpm which means you really need to rev this engine to the heavens to truly enjoy all of its power.
The test bike we rode came with the optional Termignoni exhausts that protrude out from the bottom of the bike. This exhaust brings out the raw character of the bike – loud, powerful and brutal. In fact if you are going to buy the XDiavel, make sure to opt for the Termignoni’s. The only problem with them is that they can be a bit loud when riding on the highway.
However, I noticed something about the exhaust and the electronic riding modes. The XDiavel offers three different riding models – Sports, Urban and Touring – and each mode offers different throttle control, power delivery and such. But on our test ride to Mersing, we noticed that even the exhaust note changes with the mode. Riding it in Sports mode on the highway can be tiring as the exhaust is too loud and it tends to drone after a while even with a high-spec Shark Race-R Pro helmet. But in Touring and Urban mode, the sound mellows down dramatically and, dare I say it, is a lot more pleasant.
So though the XDiavel is more of a sports bike than a cruiser, taking it on a long distance ride to Johor and back was surprisingly fulfilling. The forward controls meant that my long legs could stretch for comfort, the big fuel tank gave over 300 kilometers on a full tank of petrol which is impressive, and the steel/aluminium fuel tank allowed me to clip on my magnetic tank bag which made the XDiavel perfect for distance touring.
However, the XDiavel is all about style, and on that note, this futuristic Ducati is the rockstar of the power cruiser segment. it is not always that you come across a bike with huge presence and gargantuan power and yet is still able to be gentle and docile when ridden. If you are not convinced about its sporting pedigree then know this, the XDiavel even has a feature called the Ducati Power Launch which gives it the most amount of grip and manages wheelie when you want to get off a line quickly – during traffic light drag battle perhaps?
There are two variants of the XDiavel available, one is the standard XDiavel and another is the XDiavel S, which we tested. The latter has even more exclusive touches like dedicated rims, polished black paint on the tank, Daytime Running Light, unique front forks, and Brembo M50 mono block calipers for the front brakes. Other features that are unique to the XDiavel S are billeted rear view mirrors, frame plates and forged, machine-finished foot pegs. The seats too are made of bi-material upholstery, and there is a Bluetooth module that lets you connect your phone to it and shows all your incoming text messages, and also shows you who’s calling.
The XDiavel is of course more suited to urban environments than long distance cruising or tackling corners. But fact of the matter is, the XDiavel can do almost anything you ask of it, and that is what we call talent. So has Ducati finally managed to make a proper power cruiser? Yes they have, and they have managed to add in a lot of style to it as well. But at little under RM150,000, the XDiavel is certainly not cheap, but who cares about that when you have this much style and power.
Ducati XDiavel wins world’s oldest prize dedicated to design excellence.
It wouldn’t be too far fetched to say that the Ducati XDiavel is the best looking bike of 2016, there were very few bikes that awed us as much as the XDiavel did.
Ducati’s first ever “power cruiser” has proven to be a stand-out in international Design competitions, having already bagged the prestigious European “Red Dot Award 2016”. The XDiavel has now picked up another award from the “Good Design Award 2016”.
The Good Design Award was established in 1950 and is the world’s oldest prize dedicated to the most innovative and cutting-edge industrial products and graphic designs produced around the world. For the 2016 edition of the Good Design Award, the jury evaluated over 900 candidates from 46 countries. The products evaluated ranged from electronics to robotics, from furnishing to graphics and vehicles.
In the vehicles category, the XDiavel won thanks to its unique silhouette, one that is recognised as a style, innovation and performance icon.
Hailed by Ducati as a true “Technocruiser”, the XDiavel wasn’t just a redesign of the standard Diavel, it was meticulously redesigned down to the very last detail; combining futuristic exaltation of mechanics and state-of-the-art technology.
The Good Design Award 2016 prize-giving ceremony took place on 27 January at the New York site of the Chicago Atheneum.
According to reports online, BMW’s Motorrad division is looking to take on Ducati’s award winning power cruiser – the XDiavel.
This rendering was first published by and is credit to www.motorradonline.de
There is no word on how it is going to look like or what is going to be powering it, but this is not the first time that BMW has ventured into the cruiser market – who can forget the BMW that James Bond rode in Tomorrow Never Dies – the R1200C.
The slightly odd looking BMW R1200C of the 90s – BMW’s first forray into the power cruiser market
Both Ducati and BMW have wanted to take on the power cruiser market for many years now, and have come away scarred and bruised. Ducati seems to have learned a lot judging from how beautiful the XDiavel is, and BMW seems to be magically balancing good looks and performance in it’s current line-up of motorcycles.
The recently introduced BMW Concept 101 bagger – based on the K1600 cruiser.
Lets also not forget that BMW recently teased us with its own take on a BMW bagger called the BMW Concept 101, which is based on the K1600.
So what will be powering the new bike? Only time will tell but BMW has a vast array of powerplants to choose from; an inline-four, inline-six and even the well proven boxer engine. It remains to be seen what BMW will ultimately go for though.
So when will we be seeing such a stunning machine from Munich? A concept debut at EICMA this year sounds fitting.
Korean bikes maker Hyosung revealed concept sketches of what appears to be a Diavel-esque power cruiser likely based on its ST7 cruiser production model. (more…)
