New Iron: 2015 Ducatidiavel
NEW IRON: 2015 DUCATIDIAVEL
IGNITION
NEWS
At this year's Geneva Motor Show (and simultaneously in a sneak preview staged by Ducati in the Cycle World photo studio), the Bologna company unveiled the 2015 Diavel, a second-generation bike fitted with a tweaked Testastretta engine and other enhancements that include bar risers, revised gauges, and a new LED headlight.
The 1,198cc Testastretta, still with 11 degrees of valve overlap, has revised intake and exhaust ports, which, together with what Ducati calls a “radical adjustment” of the cam timing, has enabled the company to improve the torque curve at low rpm while remaining strong through a wider range. Claimed peak horsepower remains 162, but it now arrives at 9,250 rpm versus last year’s 9,500. More notable, Ducati says the Diavel produces 96.2 pound-feet of peak torque, up 2.2 from last year but arriving at the same 8,000 rpm. Nobody, including us,
ever complained the Diavel lacked torque, but Ducati says the twin-spark engine, fed by elliptical ride-by-wire throttle bodies, was tweaked to make this muscle cruiser a little easier to ride while still ensuring there’s plenty of go when you twist your wrist. Other changes to the fourcam, 90-degree V-twin include new pistons with 1198 Superbikestyle crowns that bump the compression ratio from last year’s 11.5:1 to 12.5:1. Moreover, Ducati says new injectors
are positioned better, spraying fuel onto the rear of the hot intake valve, not the “relatively cold” surface of the intake port wall. On the exhaust side, the Diavel still features big 2.28inch tubing but with stainless-steel mufflers.
Other changes to the 2015 model, which arrived at dealers in late April, include a new LED headlamp, a slightly longer twin-level seat, and clear-lens LED front signals that mount vertically on the leading edge of the Diavel’s restyled radiator covers.
The bike’s prominent intake ducts are also new, made of aluminum and anodized black.
Lastly, the new Diavel’s split-level instrumentation has been revised. On top, mounted to the bar risers, is an LCD display conveying speed and rpm. Below that, on the tank, is a new easierto-read TFT (Thin Film Transistor) display that includes a fuel gauge and a sidestand warning light, plus the usual gear selection and riding mode readouts.
With the windshield-
equipped Strada model discontinued, two Diavels remain: the blacked-out Dark Stealth ($17,995) and the Diavel Carbon ($20,995), both fitted with unpainted silencers and black Marchesini wheels made of forged aluminum. Despite the changes, the 2015 model remains very much a Diavel, a bold machine that defies categorization but wins us over with its killer motor, massive 240-width rear tire, slipper clutch, and powerful Brembos.
-Andrew Bornhop
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
