Ducati Diavel V4

Four pots for Ducati’s mental super-cruiser

The Diavel is one of those bikes which, if you haven’t ridden it, is very hard to explain just how good it is. Back in 2010, Ducati took the best of its superbike powertrain and chassis kit and transplanted it into a cruiser-shaped device. Seemingly developed by the same engineers and test riders who made its Panigales, the result was, amazingly, a cruiser which went like a lowseated supersports bike. The Diavel used Ducati’s superbike V-twin motor up until 2022, but with the firm moving its performance machinery to the V-four platform, the Diavel had to change for 2023. And what a change. The new Diavel V4 uses a version of the 1,158cc Granturismo motor as seen on the Multistrada, which makes 168bhp, and has massive 37,000-mile valve service intervals with 9k oil changes. You don’t get desmodromic valves, but you do get a slick cylinder deactivation system that turns off the back cylinders when idling and cruising under low throttle loads. That cuts fuel consumption, emissions, and heat generated between your legs – cunning stuff. Probably the best part of the styling is the silencer design: it has four little exit pipes which look a bit like a Gatling gun, which is properly hilarious. Even more hilarious is the optional ‘Spitfire’ race pipe which has four inline outlets and adds 12bhp while cutting 11kg from the 223kg all-up weight. The chassis and equipment are a mix of the sensible and the wild. In the former class is a 20-litre tank, 5-inch full-colour dashboard with navigation and Bluetooth integration, and full LED lighting. In the latter category are 50mm USD front forks; a 240/45 section rear Pirelli tyre; and launch and wheelie control, with IMU-assisted cornering ABS and traction control. Up/down quickshifter and Brembo Stylema brakes with 330mm discs almost go without saying. Also in the ‘wild’ class is the price. £23,500 in this economy is a stiff set of numbers, and while you certainly get an awful lot of bike for that cash, it’s still a sobering sum.