Ducati DIAVEL 1200 AMG Special Edition 2012 — Specifications

When a Bologna manufacturer shakes hands with a Stuttgart wizard, the result is rarely a timid motorcycle. The union announced in late 2010 between Ducati and Mercedes first took the form of a video spot in which a CLS 63 AMG teased a Diavel on the asphalt. A year later, the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show confirmed that the story would go further than a simple advertising flirtation, with the unveiling of this limited series stamped AMG Special Edition, marketed during 2012.

The chosen base is no accident. The Italian engineers started from the Carbon version to graft on their Germano-Transalpine cocktail. The 90-degree L-twin of 1198 cc remains faithful to its post, with its 162 horsepower at 9500 rpm and its 126.5 Nm delivered from 8000 revs onward. Enough to catapult the 207 dry kilos up to the announced 250 km/h, with an ability to torture the 240-section rear tire that remains the trademark of this roadster unlike any other. Nothing to do with a 500-horsepower AMG V8, obviously, but here the power-to-weight ratio does all the work.

The work therefore concentrated on the bodywork, and that's where the recipe takes on its full flavor. Full black livery dubbed Diamond White Bright, tubular steel trellis repainted in that gray characteristic of Stuttgart sedans, radiator scoops fitted with aluminum grilles that mimic the grille of a CLS, double-branch wheels cut for the exercise, and specific exhaust lines. Alcantara dresses the seat, perched at only 770 mm, which remains one of the Diavel's knockout arguments against a Harley V-Rod Muscle that is otherwise far heavier, or the Yamaha VMAX which plays in another category of excess. The AMG logo nestles everywhere, from the silencers to the intakes, all the way to the upholstery.

The detail that hits the mark is that handwritten signature of the technician engraved on the clutch cover, a ritual lifted straight from the V8s of the parent automotive house. Add a numbered plate riveted on the 17-liter tank, and you get an object that clearly plays the collector's piece card rather than that of the daily tool. The chassis, for its part, doesn't budge an inch from the Carbon, with the 50 mm diameter inverted fork, 130 mm of travel up front, 120 at the rear, and braking handled by two 320 mm front discs gripped by four-piston radial calipers. Serious stuff, but nothing technically new.

That leaves the awkward question, that of the entry ticket. 25,990 euros is the price to pay to ride in a limited edition bearing three German letters. At that rate, the targeted clientele is clearly not the beginner nor even the pragmatic tourer. We're talking here about a knowledgeable buyer, already equipped with a large displacement in the garage, looking for a totem to display as much as to ride. The Diavel AMG doesn't bring a single horsepower more than the Carbon, doesn't modify the chassis, and doesn't fundamentally transform the riding experience. It sells a signature, a numbering, and a visual coherence with a 150,000-euro sedan parked in the same driveway. For those seeking pure mechanical meaning, the classic Carbon does the job for much less. For those who want a motorcycle that tells a story, this one has arguments that few limited series can match.