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Sep12 – Ducati Diavel
At the Larz Anderson Museum, Brookline, MA – European bike day. Duc Truck in attendance.
The Duc truck is full of only Diavels these days – big company marketing push. Fortunately, that’s one of the two Ducs I wanted to try (the other is the Panigale; another day for that one).
First, I will say the thing that every Duc guy says after riding it: I liked it a lot better than I thought I would.
It does have that “for a cruiser” factor. It handles really well – for a cruiser. It’s really light – for a cruiser. Etc. But it really is a comfortable and nice bike, with some good sporting capability, and would make a fine toy/funbike.
First impressions: It’s visually bulky from the rider’s seat. There’s lots of bike out there in front of you. This is a completely opposite feeling from the HyperMotard or the StreetFighter, both of which visually disappear under you leaving you feeling like you’re flying headfirst into the wind – the bike is a method of getting that feeling and does not get between you and the environment. This instead is more like a V-Rod or some such; the feeling is very much that you are riding a motorcycle. It’s in your face; you never forget that – you’re viscerally connected to the machine itself.
The Duc guys gave us all a little lecture on the features – changing riding modes on the fly and all that. It has the keyless fob, so you put it in your pocket and have to remember to give it back when you’re done. Two instrument panels with lots and plots of info. It all seems to be complicated and a lot to remember, although of course if it’s your own bike you’ll quickly learn it all and it wouldn’t be a problem.
The seat seems very comfortable, although it tends to lock you in one place, which could be an issue on longer rides. The handlebar position I found to be perfect and natural. The footpegs are further forward than I’m used to, but were still in a position where it was not hard to use your legs to lift your butt for big bumps or potholes, etc. The brake and clutch levers were well positioned and easy to pull. The turn signals were very pleasant – not something one usually notices, but the buttons were light yet very positive. The gearshift is a little clonky in stop-and-go lowspeed work, but smooths out nicely once you are moving. Overall, I give it high marks for ergonomics.
I’m still not wild about its appearance; it isn’t ugly, but it isn’t pretty either. Fit and finish seem quite good, though. The feeling of quality is about the same as a Harley or Star; better than the other metric cruisers, not quite as good as a Victory.
It has three riding modes: Urban, Touring, and Sport. All three affect only the engine; they do not have any effect on the suspension or brakes. Urban limits the engine to 100hp, and gives a soft throttle response. Touring allows the full 160hp, but keeps the soft throttle response. And Sport has full power and a much sharper throttle. They started us all out in Urban mode. The bike seemed heavy and kind of ponderous at first, just generally slow to respond to inputs (except the brakes, which are the usual (these days) full gonzo Brembos that you never use more than two fingers on). Switching to Touring didn’t change much of anything, since we weren’t riding in a place or at a pace where the extra power came into play. But switching to Sport made a very big difference. The sharper throttle response seemed to wake the whole bike up, including it feeling lighter and more responsive in the handling. It likes it much better to corner on the throttle (probably an effect of that fat rear tire); a little acceleration through the curves settles it in nicely, and the Sport mode made that easier to do. Handling is still a bit more biased toward stability rather than nimbleness compared to a sportbike, but OTOH you’d have to say it’s quick-handling – for a cruiser.
Plenty of torque in any mode; easy to launch, acceleration good from just about any speed in any gear. Again, Sport mode makes it a lot more responsive. If I had one of these, I’m pretty sure I’d just leave it in Sport all the time, everywhere.
It’s a little pricey, of course, but compared to its competition in the high-end cruiser market, it’s not outrageous. It lacks some in practicality – no place to strap luggage, limited passenger accommodations, not great gas mileage, etc. All of that is pretty par for the course for cruisers, but that’s part of why I’m not a cruiser guy; I want something a bit more useful than that.
If I was in the market for a cruiser – maybe if I was getting older, not riding daily anymore, and wanted a more relaxed weekend toy – this would be a great choice. But for me, now, it’s not my bike.
PhilB
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Originally Posted by jwm2k3
