Ducati DIAVEL 1200 2012 — Specifications

Imagine a bodybuilt weightlifter who swallowed a Superbike engine. That's pretty much the effect the Ducati Diavel 1200 produces when it appears before you, planted on its massive 240 mm rear tire. Bologna promised to reinvent the power cruiser, and the result goes well beyond a mere stylistic posture. This machine belongs to no existing category, neither really cruiser, nor really roadster, and even less muscle bike in the American sense of the term.

Beneath the seat set at only 770 mm from the tarmac beats the heart of a Testastretta 11° 1198 cc, directly derived from the sportbike lineage of Borgo Panigale. Bologna has hardly restrained anything in transposing this L-twin onto an urban dragster silhouette. The result: 162 horsepower at 9,500 rpm and 126.5 Nm at 8,000 rpm, all for only 210 kg dry. Top speed reaches 250 km/h, and the 0 to 100 sends its contenders to the cemetery of good intentions. Against it, the Harley V-Rod Muscle plays in a much quieter league, the Yamaha V-Max may deliver more horsepower but drags along an extra hundred kilos, and the Triumph Rocket III Roadster, despite its 2300 cc, never compensates for its chronic heftiness. The spec sheet of the Ducati Diavel 1200 simply ridicules the established codes of the genre.

On the chassis side, Ducati pulled out its in-house address book. Tubular steel trellis married to two aluminum plates, 50 mm inverted fork with 130 mm of travel, 120 mm rear monoshock, and radial braking entrusted to two 320 mm discs pinched by four-piston calipers. The onboard electronics handle the rest of the dirty work, namely three engine mappings, ABS as standard on the Ducati Diavel 1200 ABS, eight-level traction control, ride-by-wire, color TFT instrumentation on the upper console. In short, everything that makes such power tameable by a moderately inspired rider, without betraying the wild character of the beast.

The price sits at 16,990 euros for the standard version, which places the Ducati Diavel 1200 price in the upper average of the segment, but remains consistent given the equipment and announced performance. For fans of exposed fibers, the Ducati Diavel 1200 Carbon lightens the machine by three kilos thanks to composite elements and is shod with forged Marchesini wheels, for a check approaching 20,400 euros. A Ducati Diavel 1200 Dark version, more discreet in its matte black livery, will later expand the range for subsequent model years, followed by the Ducati Diavel 1200 S with Öhlins suspensions. Note that the 17-liter tank and the thirsty consumption will limit long crossings, unless you multiply pump stops.

My take on the Ducati Diavel 1200? It addresses neither the long-distance rider swallowing 800 km a day, nor the pure track enthusiast, nor the beginner who should rather look elsewhere. Its target is the experienced rider in search of a theatrical machine, capable of turning every urban outing or winding back road into a mechanical circus act. The Ducati Diavel 1200 accessories available in the catalog, from the backrest to the transparent clutch cover by way of the specific batteries, will then allow each owner to personalize their mount. Bologna did not seek to please everyone, and that is precisely what makes this motorcycle endearing.