What Will The Next Ducati Diavel Be Like?

The Diavel was Ducati’s attempt to create a power cruiser, actually the ultimate power cruiser, with superbike genes. Ducati also tried the same genetic experiment with the Multistrada and with a little extra honing, they fully succeeded in offering the hottest performing Enduro-GT in production today. The Diavel shocked the world with its daring styling and an equally daring concept. Just looking at the geometry of the front end, everyone thought, “this thing will negotiate corners only at very moderate speeds.” To the contrary, the Diavel handled rather brilliantly, fully supported by the mighty 1198 Testastretta 90° V-Twin in a mild and very torquey edition.

The Diavel was very much off the track of Ducati tradition and gathered lots of attention and far less sales numbers, but still adequate enough to keep it in production through the years, suggesting to Ducati management that it might be worth offering a second generation Diavel. In addition, the Diavel induced a very strong fraternal feeling among the “Diavelisti” around the world, and that is always an promising capital to invest on.

World Ducati Week is always an occasion to unveil a new concept bike that might go into production in time for the coming EICMA in front of the ever-faithful Ducatisti. This year Ducati set up a box featuring a 1309 logo, the number of the new concept and inside was the next generation Diavel. The Ducatisti were allowed in with no cameras or smartphones for an introduction to the new Diavel.

Still a power-cruiser, partly inspired by the Diavel X, but mainly because with the X this “1309” will the 1,260cc variable timing 8-valve Desmo, possibly with a few HPs added. Under its power cruiser styling, the next Diavel features a new chassis with a much more moderate front-end geometry to further enhance the “power” side of its definition. The seat line is at a moderate height, as it must be on a cruiser, while the tank profile still induces the image of a charging bull. Ducati superbike DNA surfaces here and there, and the new Diavel will be a more daring and extrovert (styling wise) mutation of the Monster, if you will. Gone is the final belt drive; instead a more traditional and narrower chain drive further underlines the performance potential of Ducati’s ultimate power cruiser, the next generation of the Diavel.