Ducati Diavel Top Speed ~ projektclone

Ducati Diavel Top Speed

The engine is a Testastretta L-Twin that rocks Ducati's hot new variable-timing

by , on February 22, 2021, 04:00 LISTEN 10:34

Italian powerhouse Ducati hit MY2019 with an all-new pair of Diavel models for the sport-naked sector: the Diavel 1260 and 1260 S. Both toe the family line as far as aesthetics are concerned, and they run the same Testastretta powerplant so the differences between the two essentially come down to the trim package and chassis features. Performance and safety go hand-in-hand with a number of top-shelf electronic goodies to help you keep all that power under control. This bike is truly a rolling tribute to Ducati's ingenuity, and the best is under the hood hidden away from plain sight.

Year:

2019- 2021
Make:
Model:
Engine:

L-Twin
Displacement:

1262 cc
Top Speed:

169 mph (Est.)
Price:

20295
Price:

Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S Design

Aggressive all-up-front styling
DRL light
LED lighting
3.5-inch TFT display

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 810021

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 810020

The Diavel made a splash when it landed back in 2010 for MY2011, but the "1260" is a second-generation machine with a number of improvements over the originals. What hasn't changed is the aggressive, all-up-front panache that makes it look like a sprinter crouched at the blocks with a flyline unlike anything else around. It's that long tank that does it, that and the abbreviated subframe section that peters out to nothing to leave pilot and pillion suspended over the aching void above the rear wheel.

A cut-down front fender helps keep unsprung weight down at the front axle while maintaining (barely) sufficient coverage to contain the spray, and out back, there's a hugger-plateholder combo with a secondary hugger mounted forward of the rear wheel to complete the coverage. Beefy, inverted forks prop up the front end and add to the performance bent while the cyclops headlight-plus-DRL reinforces the naked DNA. I love what they've done with the turn signals; the winker duties are handles by a strip of LEDs set in the leading edge of the cheek-fairings/radiator shroud rather than going the standoff route that always looks like an afterthought to mine eyes.

In a departure from typical naked design, the stack of items that start with the intake scoops on each side of the tank up top and includes the radiator shrouds and a chin fairing to give the 1260s the equivalent of a cowling scoop. That coverage very quickly ends, except down low where the chin fairing stretches into a belly pan which in turn flows into the sheet-metal detail at the silencers. So, It's a naked I guess, but just barely.

A 3.5-inch TFT screen delivers all the pertinent metrics with a high-contrast display and four different display modes, plus it serves as a rider interface for the various sub-systems that we'll get to shortly. There's a gang of warning lights to supplement the instrument display and cover the remaining bases.

Short-rise bars move the rider's hands closer to the torso, and the footpegs are relatively high to make the rider's triangle a kind of hybrid between a relaxed standard and a proper race bike, what the factory calls a "power cruiser." But, that's kind of the Diavel's schtick, isn't it? That and the long tank?

Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S Chassis

Bosch Cornering ABS
Stable tracking
Front and rear adjustable suspension
Öhlins suspension on the "S"

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 810010

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 810025

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 810022

Though the Diavel 1260 carries more in the way of body covers than usual for a self-professed naked bike, the steel-tube Trellis frame gives us a little glimpse below the tank, but there's not much to see since the engine is a stressed unit that displaces a significant chunk of the frame. The steering geometry takes the edge off the handling just a skosh, enough for low-fatigue cruising and decent tracking at 27-degrees and 4.7-inches for rake and trail, respectively.

There's a diversion at the stems that marks the first important difference between the two machines. The base model comes with a set of non-descript, 50 mm, usd forks that sport the full trifecta of adjustments with a coil-over monoshock out back to tame the single-side, cast-aluminum swingarm. Adjustable preload and rebound-damping grace the rear end, and all that is fine and good, but the "S" takes it to another level with Öhlins products all around. A pair of 48 mm, usd front forks bring the trinity to the table as well, but so does the rear monoshock on the S to put it a notch higher in the food chain than the base 1260.

Cast, 17-inch wheels round out the rolling chassis, but again the two models differ as the base model runs 14-spoke wheels while the S runs 10-spoke rim. No matter which you choose, you can count on Pirelli's Diablo Rosso III tires with a 120/70 up front and 240/45 out back.

Both bikes run with dual, 320 mm discs up front and a 265 mm disc out back, but where the base comes with Brembo's four-pot, M4.32 calipers up front opposite a twin pot caliper, the S scores Brembo M50 calipers up front. Both benefit from the Bosch Cornering ABS, in fact, the full safety equipment package comes stock across the board with rear end-lift mitigation as the icing on the brake-cake.

Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S Drivetrain

1,262 cc Testastretta L-twin engine
Cruise control and Ducati Power Launch
New variable timing
up-down Quick Shift and Ducati Multimedia System on the "S"

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 810013

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 843895

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 843896

There's more to the electronic suite of the Diavel 1260, lot's more, and the bulk of it lies in the engine-control augmentations. The overlap in safety equipment continues with traction control, riding modes, power modes, and wheelie-control to round out the goodies. Both run with cruise control as well as the Ducati Power Launch feature, but of course, the "S" goes to the top shelf once again for an up-down Quick Shift and Ducati Multimedia System. That's a lot to take in, but it's safe to say that the factory doesn't intend for you to want for lack of safety support.

The powerplant itself is a Testastretta L-Twin that rocks Ducati's hot new variable-timing feature alongside the signature Desmodromic valvetrain. Four-valve heads open up the combustion chamber for efficient aspiration with dual spark plugs to ensure positive flame-front propagation and near-complete combustion.

Majorly over-square, the mill runs a 106 mm bore and 71.5 mm stroke with a sizzlin' hot, 13-to-1 compression ratio and 1,262 cc displacement. Ride-by-wire inputs control a pair of 56 mm, elliptical throttle bodies complete with Bosch fuel injectors to manage the induction. Of course, the request at the right wrist has to run the gantlet of sub-systems before it turns into action at the butterfly valves, but such is the life of the technologically advanced, yeah? No matter how fancy the gadgetry gets, it's the visceral, even primal exhilaration we get from great power that still drives the emotions here; and in bikes, emotions matter.

It starts with the 95-pounds o' torque that come on fully by 7,500 rpm, but the real star here is the 157-horsepower top end that caps at 9,250 rpm on the U.S. version. That's right sports fans, the Diavel siblings are well into power-whatever range, but the line has never been about the "all-show and no-go" angle. Power flows through a slip-and-assist clutch to prevent excessive backtorque from breaking the rear-end loose on hard downshifts before it filters through the six-speed transmission and heads down to the rear wheel via the tough chain-type final drive.

If you hate having your keys flop around and flail your paint while you ride as much as I do, you'll be glad to hear that the 1260s come with a Hands-Free Ignition that automatically activates the ignition as soon as you enter the 4.5-foot detection radius, so you can leave the key in your pocket or clipped to your belt/chain.

Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S Pricing

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 810016

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 810019

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 810039

MSRP on the 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 is $20,295 and $23,395 for the 1260 S. This year, Dark Stealth is the only palette for the Diavel 1260. Ducati covers your new Diavel with a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S Competitors

2019 - 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 / 1260 S - image 810041

2015 - 2019 Triumph Rocket III Roadster - image 768318

So, what do ya do? The naked genre peters out around a liter, and the few 1200s I've laid eyes on were well beneath the Diavel 1260 range. I considered the British style power-cruiser and took a look at the Triumph Rocket III Roadster with its 2,294 cc triple. While it's definitely swingin' lumber with a massive 163 pound-feet of torque and 148-ponies, it lacks the gadgetry of the Italian, and the $15,700 price tag can only do so much to cover that lapse.

The Big Four were, surprisingly, slim-pickings as well. Sure, there's the Z line, the MT range and so on, but all are smaller with less tech and much lower price tags. Surprisingly, BMW didn't have quite the thing either as the Bayerische fell well short on stock tech. As it is, and with its peculiar looks, I'd say the Diavel may be in a niche all its own. So far...

Read our full review of the Triumph Rocket III Roadster.

He Said

"Oddly enough, I prefer this to the XDiavel that runs with cruiser-style forward controls, believe me, feet-first gets old. At least you can throw some English if your heels are under your butt. Oh and that rear end ain't particularly passenger friendly, even if the factory begrudgingly mounts some flip-out pegs on the swingarm. On that point, all I can say is 'ew'."

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, "This is the same engine as the XDiavel and the Multistrada 1260 and has a nice electronics package, too. Ducati took a bike that looked sinister and had an aggressive attitude and doubled down in 2019. I didn't think it would be possible. The turn signals even look menacing. I like it."

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