DUCATI PUTS ITS FOOT PEG IN IT..

At the launch of the Diavel in Sicily in 2011, all the hardened sports bike riders took one look at it in the morning and decided that although it looked fabulous, it wasn’t going to work because it was still a cruiser.

Then they came back at teatime grinning from ear to ear and babbling about how astonishing it was. It had brutal acceleration from an engine used in Ducati’s 1198 superbike, and superlative handling thanks to a sports profile rear tyre which allowed you to exploit a remarkable 41-degree lean angle to the full.

So far, so good. Until the meddlers moved the Diavel’s pegs forward to create the Xdiavel. A lot.

Now, anyone but Harley riders who fit so-called highway pegs knows this is a really stupid idea.

At its worst, it creates abominations like the shortlived Harley Blackline, which put all your weight on your coccyx then battered it to death with a shorttravel rear suspension, making it bearable for, oh, a good 20 minutes.

At its best, it still ruins the dynamics of the bike. When Triumph did the opposite on the Rocket III and moved the pegs back and down slightly, it moved the rider’s weight forward and significantly improved the bike’s handling.

The pegs and bars are slightly adjustable on the X, but to be honest, that’s just solving a problem the meddlers created in the first place.

It says a lot for how brilliant the original Diavel was that you can still hustle the X with aplomb through twisties, with cornering ABS as a safety blanket. And with the lean angle the same as on the standard model even inveterate hooligans will struggle to grind the pegs.

The good news is that the engine’s now up from 1198cc to 1262cc, giving it even more satisfying grunt, especially in Sport mode, with bucketloads of oomph between 3,000rpm and 7,000rpm, just where you need it.

Select touring mode and maximum power is kept at 156bhp, but it’s delivered less aggressively. Meanwhile Urban mode dials the power down to 100bhp and increases traction control and ABS for trundling through town with increased safety in mind.

The suspension’s also pretty firm to aid handling, but over rough roads it does give your nether regions a bit of a pounding.

So I’m afraid in this case X doesn’t mark the spot for me compared to the brilliant standard Diavel.

Thankfully that bike is still available, with the same stonking 1262cc engine, and at a grand cheaper than the X. Ducati Xdiavel

Price: £16,995

Engine: 1262cc liquid-cooled V-twin

Power: 156bhp @9,500rpm

Torgue: 95 lb ft @5,000rpm

Colours: Black, white

BUM DEAL Pegs put weight too far back