I am not sure why Ducati is calling this Diavel 1260 S the “Black and Steel” model – since all of the Diavel’s tend to be black in color and made from steel frames… But hey, sure. Why not?
Accented with a yellow frame, yellow undertail, and yellow racing stripes, the Ducati Diavel 1260 S Black and Steel makes for a visually fetching addition to the Diavel lineup, and it is inspired by the Diavel “Materico” concept.
The third of Ducati’s all-new machines for the 2019 model year (check out the Panigale V4 R and Hypermotard 950), the Ducati Diavel 1260 takes an original concept, and cranks it up to 11. Part streetfighter, part power-cruiser, the Ducati Diavel 1260 is the sportier cousin to the Ducati XDiavel, with mid-controls for the feet.
The two Italian cruisers now share a power plant, the Testastretta DVT 1262 engine, which means 157hp (117 kW) on tap, with a peak torque figure of 95 lbs•ft (117 Nm). Tipping the scales at 480 lbs wet (218kg), there is plenty of “umpf!” to launch one down the street, which is good considering that the 2019 Ducati Diavel 1260 comes with a power launch feature.
We didn’t hear too much about “Project 1309” from World Ducati Week 2018, which is surprising considering what the past has shown us about Ducati’s secret reveals, but the Bologna brand was once again giving a teaser to fans in Misano.
In the past, World Ducati Week has been the place where Ducati showed us the first Scrambler model, and last year the event debuted the return of the Ducati SuperSport. This year, it is another new bike. A new Diavel, to be precise.
Set to compliment the current XDiavel model, the new Diavel features the same 1,262cc DVT engine with variable valve timing, but puts it into the more sport Diavel riding platform.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case, then the folks at Benelli are positively glowing for their fellow Italians at Ducati, as the Benelli 402S seems somehow very familia to our eyes…
Ok, let’s just call a spade a spade here: Benelli wholesale copied Ducat’s XDiavel motorcycle when the Pesaro company designed its latest machine, the Benelli 402S.
Ducati and Diesel have been cross-promoting with each other since 2011, first with the jeans brand sponsoring the motorcycle company’s efforts in the MotoGP Championship. The relationship then blossomed into a bike collaboration, with the Ducati Monster Diesel.
With the naming thing going on, you really can’t blame people for thinking that the tank-colored motorcycle shared a fuel source with a piece of mobile artillery. We don’t think anyone will be making that mistake with the Ducati Diavel Diesel though.
Possibly fueled by fire and brimstone and with 666 units to be made, it should be very clear that Ducati and Diesel wanted something a bit edgier in their limited edition power cruiser. We know this because phrases like “hyperkinetic dynamism”, “post-apocalyptic”, and “retro-futuristic world” are used in the press release to describe this Diavel (which is Bolognese for devil, by the way).
Snark aside, the Ducati Diavel Diesel is a pretty interesting collaborative design from the two brands, and it features hand-brushed stainless steel panels that have been welded and riveted together. We can also see some intriguing pieces built for the exhaust and seat.
Of course, the brake calipers have been painted red, as have been five links on the drive chain – unfortunately the latter are not visible to us in the photos. Take a gander for yourself, after the jump.
The Ducati XDiavel is another big step for the Brand from Bologna, as the modell pushes further into the territory first pioneered by the Ducati Diavel, and hopes to give cruiser enthusiasts a design that speaks a little bit more of their native language.
With forward controls coming standard, along with a low and raked chassis design, the XDiavel is unlike any other Ducati on the market, and it takes some time to wrap your head around that fact.
These changes though allow Ducati to move boldly into an area dominated by one brand: Harley-Davidson. That is a tall mountain to climb, as the Bar & Shield brand has a chokehold on the cruiser-riding faithful, who flock to the American brand not because of what it does, but because of who it is.
This makes winning the hearts and minds of cruiser riders an exceptionally difficult task – one too that is not easily undertaken. The first step in mounting the assault on that summit is to develop a motorcycle that has no equal. In this regard, Ducati has a fighting chance.
Here’s some more BMW Motorrad speculation for your two-wheeled consumption, as Germany’s Motorrad Magazine says that BMW is looking to take on the Ducati XDiavel, with a power cruiser model of its own.
This of course isn’t the first time that BMW has included a cruiser-styled motorcycle in its lineup, with the BMW R1200C being a unique, though slightly odd, offering to the cruiser demographic.
Like Ducati, BMW seems to be learning from its mistakes in going after the cruiser crowd, and instead of offering a motorcycle that is BMW’s take on the cruiser concept, they are building a cruiser that has cues back to the BMW lineup. A subtle but potent distinction.
The Bimota range has a long history of Ducati-powered machines, as the Italian brand has been used the most out of all the motorcycle manufacturers to power Bimota’s street and race bikes.
The Bimota Impeto adds another Ducati-powered model to the slew of others, but it differentiates itself as the only 162hp streetfighter in the lineup. If the Impeto looks familiar to the Bimota DB8, there’s good reason, as the two bikes share the Ducati Diavel’s Testastretta 11° DS engine.
As such, the chromoly steel chassis share a number of components, leaving most of the differences down to styling choices between the two liquid-cooled models. Our personal favorites are the exhaust and seat, which mirror each other with a rising flair.
In addition to the Bimota Tesi 3D RaceCafe that will debut at the EICMA show in Milan next week, the boutique Italian brand has another new model for our two-wheeled consumption, the Bimota Impeto.
Bimota is calling the Impeto a “hyper-naked” model, which we take to mean a nasty-fast streetfighter machine, which will take over from the Bimota DB9. We say this because sometimes things get lost in translation when it comes to Bimota press releases.
Do you like the current Ducati Diavel? Do you like carbon fiber? If you answered yes to those two questions, chances are then that you will like the 2016 Ducati Diavel Carbon model that has just been released.
At the core of the Ducati Diavel Carbon remains the same Testastretta 11° Dual Spark engine, which makes 162hp claimed and is packaged into the same 452 lbs mass that carves turns and turns heads.
The only actual technical change then is the Zircotec ceramic coating on the exhaust headers being the mainstay, along with a new seat that has special trim. In the motorcycle world, we call that bold new graphics for the Diavel – though tastefully done, as only Italians can do.
In addition to the Carbon version, the 2016 Ducati Diavel will also be available in a “Dark Stealth” model.
A new Ducati Diavel has been caught by spy photographers, making this the first proper “leak” ahead of November’s EICMA show.
Though keeping the overall aesthetic of the Ducati Diavel in place, the model has some clear visual and mechanic differences. Namely, a belt drive…yes, you read that right.
Other changes include a feet-forward seating position, revised trellis chassis, and likely Ducati’s Testastretta DVT engine with variable valve technology.
The switch from Euro 3 to Euro 4 emissions standards at the end of 2016 almost assure the DVT engine permeating its way into Ducati’s current lineup.