Ducati Diavel – Introduction

Now at Ducati Manchester UK, the all new Diavel and Diavel Carbon has arrived, with the addition of the Cromo and AMG models completing the line up for 2012. The Diavel project was born when Ducati designers applied their wish-list of bike “basic instincts” to a blank canvas. With a “what if?” approach to creating a dream bike, they sketched inspiring shapes which became a lower and longer motorcycle.

“The challenge of building a muscular silhouette over a pure-bred competition motor had to be met with determination and a delicate touch, and the result is a frontal area that looks like a power athlete on the starting blocks,” explains the team at Ducati Design responsible for the project.

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Custom shop beauty, state-of-the-art technology, innovative design and extraordinary riding pleasure are masterfully blended into the Diavel, a motorcycle destined to shape the future, a motorcycle built by people who have earned the right to change the rules.

The Diavel is available in four versions: Diavel , Diavel Carbon , Diavel Cromo and Diavel AMG. Enriched with lightweight composites and milled aluminium components that meld the two worlds of sport and style with features that are both visually beautiful and functionally high-performance. Discover all Diavel Carbon secrets.

Superior trust and confidence.
The stance of the Diavel is that of readiness, dominance, and confidence bordering on superiority. With lateral radiators adding muscle to its broad “shoulders,” which then taper down across the engine and into the belly-fairing with oil cooler, the athlete took shape.

Diavel Design | Diavel Performance | Diavel Technology | Diavel Colours

Diavel Design

“The challenge of building a muscular silhouette over a pure-bred competition motor had to be met with determination and a delicate touch, and the result is a frontal area that looks like a power athlete on the starting blocks,” explains the team at Ducati Design responsible for the project.

“With the front wheel kept close to the Diavel’s body and using the short tail of a sport bike, we were able to blend this muscular design with a chassis that matched.”

The stance of the Diavel is that of readiness, dominance, and confidence bordering on superiority. With lateral radiators adding muscle to its broad “shoulders,” which then taper down across the engine and into the belly-fairing with oil cooler, the athlete took shape.

A massive 240 section rear tyre was a perfect example of how Diavel designers used a no-compromise attitude when applying their wish list of features. Ducati’s philosophy for innovation has always been to push the boundaries of design in the name of exciting motorcycles.

“ The Diavel is a true Ducati, born from a passion for motorcycling and designed to deliver authentic Ducati performance in every respect. ”

Diavel Performance

Built to have a commanding presence, though lightweight and agile like all Ducatis. Stunning looks, 162hp and 207kg (456lb) of authentic Ducati performance drives a comfortable sport lifestyle that could only be dreamt of before.

A specially engineered 240 section rear tyre combined with famous Ducati chassis technology serves up mind-blowing handling and lean angles which defy the laws of physics, whether carving through curves on your favourite road or just riding out for a night on the town.

Merging the worlds of power and style has never been achieved with such convincing precision.

Diavel Engine
The heart of the Diavel is the Ducati Testastretta 11° - developed directly from the incredibly powerful, world-beating race engines of Ducati Corse.

Ducati's Diavel Testastretta 11° harnesses the immense power of the Superbike engine and makes it smooth and adaptable, a massive step forward in balancing high-performance with an enjoyable ride. With its 162hp and colossal 94lb-ft (127.5Nm) of torque, the Diavel Testastretta 11° engine is all about authentic Ducati Desmodromic performance.

Diavel Transmission
The Diavel’s gearbox uses high-strength materials to manage the increased power output and enhanced grip generated by the 240 section rear tyre, which also requires the use of a 16mm longer gearbox output shaft for drive chain routing. The transmission features an oil bath clutch with “slipper” function and super-light feel at the lever.

Its design uses a progressive self-servo mechanism that presses the plates together when under drive from the engine, enabling the reduction of the clutch spring rates. This results in a much lighter clutch lever at the handlebar, ideal in stop-start traffic or during long journeys.

15000 Miles between Services
Constant investment in quality by design, advanced materials and engineering techniques have enabled the distance between major service intervals (valve clearance check) to be increased to a highly competitive 24,000 kilometres (15,000 miles).

This has been achieved with the introduction of new valve seat materials, improved combustion efficiency and temperature management designed into the Testastretta 11° engine.

Diavel Frame Assembly
The signature Ducati Trellis frame uses large diameter, light gauge tubing with two lateral die-cast aluminium sections that flow into the rear subframe. This achieves massive torsional rigidity while remaining lightweight and compact.

The two sections form a rear-end structure by attaching onto either side of a complex techno-polymer component.

The long, die-cast aluminium, single-sided swingarm provides great “feel” at the rear-end with a wheelbase of 1590mm (62.6in) and a stance that provides lean angles of up to 41°.

Diavel Suspension
Front Suspension - The Diavel uses black-bodied 50mm Marzocchi front forks. These forks are fully adjustable for spring pre-load, compression and rebound damping. The forks are gripped by a slash-cut triple-clamp - cast aluminium for the lower and forged for the upper - with a rubber-mounted riser to tapered alloy bars.

The Diavel Carbon uses the same suspension as the Diavel, but with fork sliders black-finished in super low-friction diamond-like carbon (DLC).

Rear Suspension - Both versions of the Diavel have a Sachs rear suspension unit slung low under the chassis in a horizontal position, operated by a progressive pull-rod linkage from the swingarm. Adjustable in compression and rebound damping, the unit uses a handy control for easy spring pre-load adjustment.

Wheels and Tyres
The Diavel rolls on stunning, custom 14-spoke wheels with machine-finished detailing. The front rim is 3.5x17, while the rear, which is “flow-formed” for enhanced structure and lightness, boasts a massive 8x17 rim.

The Diavel Carbon has custom shop-finished, lightweight, forged, turned and milled rims by Marchesini that not only score an impressive total weight saving of 5.5lb (2.5kg), but also look spectacular. These highly intricate nine-spoke wheels highlight the delicate machining in natural aluminium set against a black finish.

Ducati’s technical partner, Pirelli, worked with the Diavel’s designers and engineers to develop the incredible new Diablo Rosso II tyres. While the front uses a conventional 120/70x17 section with a new tread pattern designed for enhanced wet weather performance, the 240/45x17 rear represents the latest innovation in tyre design with a sport-oriented profile being applied to custom-style width.

The massive rear employs bi-compound technology to enable high grip levels at full lean angle while providing high mileage and uses Enhanced Patch Technology (EPT) to maximise the contact patch at all angles. The tread pattern and compounds deliver great performance in all conditions, especially the wet.

This new design of tyre enabled Ducati to achieve the style they had envisioned for the Diavel without compromising the authentic Ducati performance of the chassis. This partnership of parallel development between chassis and tyre design has contributed massively to Ducati “changing the rules” in this segment.

Diavel Braking System and ABS
The Diavel front brakes use Brembo's incredibly powerful Monobloc callipers, which deliver outstanding performance actuated by new integral alloy master cylinders with unique shape reservoirs sporting milled tops. The 4-piston, twin radially-mounted callipers grip 320mm discs, while a single 265mm disc on the rear is gripped by a two piston calliper, also by Brembo.

The system is equipped with the latest, most compact, Ducati Bosch-Brembo ABS system as original equipment on both versions, providing a major contribution towards performance control.

Diavel Technology

The Diavel incorporates the very latest in innovative Ducati technologies. Ride-by-Wire, Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Riding Modes deliver a confidence-inspiring sophistication that enables riders to fully enjoy the power of the Testastretta 11° engine.

Lateral Radiators
The technical solution employed for keeping the frontal lines of the Diavel clean was to place two highly efficient lateral radiators on both sides of the bike.

These well-ducted units, located beneath the fuel tank, use aerodynamics to help draw air flow through the radiators and are assisted by high-flow electric fans when required. The design combines form and function to enhance the muscular shape of the bike.

Split Level Instruments
The upper LCD display provides main information such as speed and rpm, in addition to warning lights, time and temperature.
The lower, full colour Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display is styled into the fuel tank and provides an incredibly clear account of current Riding Mode, gear selection and DTC setting as well as total mileage and trips. Used on mobile phones and computers, TFT technology is a variant of LCD and displays easy-to-read high resolution graphics.

The Diavel's TFT display goes one step further by using the sensitivity of its surrounding light to decide upon black or white background colour. When stationary, the lower display also doubles as the latest user-friendly control panel to personalise DTC and RbW settings within each Riding Mode before saving.

Hands Free Ignition
The Diavel's ignition is actuated by an electronic key in the rider's pocket, which communicates with the motorcycle when within a distance of approximately 2 metres (6.5ft). The motorcycle recognises the dedicated key code and automatically enables the bike's systems. The Diavel's ignition is actuated by an electronic key in the rider's pocket, which communicates with the motorcycle when within a distance of approximately 2 metres (6.5ft).

The motorcycle recognises the dedicated key code and automatically enables the bike's systems. The electronic key externally doubles as a mechanical flip-key, required to open the seat and fuel tank cap. When parking the motorcycle, an electronic lock can be actuated on the steering simply by applying full steering-lock and pressing the ignition-off button a second time.

Ride by Wire
The Ride-by-Wire (RbW) system is an electronic interface between the Diavel's twistgrip and engine, which configures an ideal power response depending on the riding mode selected.

The twistgrip no longer has a throttle cable connected directly to the throttle body butterflies, but instead delivers a signal to a control unit, which in turn operates the butterfly opening electronically. The RbW system uses three different mappings to regulate the power delivery: 162hp with a sports-type delivery, 162hp with a progressive delivery suitable for touring, and 100hp with progressive delivery for city use.

Riding Modes
The Diavel incorporates the very latest in innovative Ducati technologies, including the recently introduced electronic Riding Modes. Selectable from the left-hand switchgear - even while riding - the choice of three pre-set modes are programmed to instantly change the character of the Diavel. The three modes are enabled by combining class-leading technologies such as Ride-by-Wire (RbW) and Ducati Traction Control (DTC).

Ducati Traction Control
The racing-derived Ducati Traction Control (DTC) is a highly intelligent system which acts as a filter between the rider’s right hand and the rear tyre. Within milliseconds, DTC is able to detect and control rear wheel-spin, considerably increasing the bike’s active safety and performance.

The system offers eight levels of “sensitivity”, each programmed with an amount of rear wheel-spin tolerance: level one is programmed to offer the least amount of interaction for sport-oriented riders, while level eight uses the most amount of interaction for complete confidence.

DTC levels are factory pre-set in each of the three Riding Modes, but can be individually customised and saved to suit the rider by accessing the new user-friendly set-up menu. A “default”option is available to easily return all settings to factory pre-sets.

Diavel Colours

The Diavel is available in 2 colours: Rosso or Pearl White Silk
The Diavel Carbon is available in 2 colors: Red and Matte Carbon or Glossy and Matte Carbon