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Does the Ducati Diavel suck?

M

mrzuzzo

New member
Joined
Dec 9, 2013
Location
Los Gatos Hills
Moto(s)
The one outside of Starbucks
Name
Victor
So what's up with the Diavel? Wikipedia mentions it's a "cruiser", but I sat on one at the dealer and the position is pretty standard like, very close to my F800S... Nice and comfy.

ducati-diavel-6.jpg


My wife liked the pillion as well as it is wide. The factory backrest is also a big plus.

I've read some reviews and watched some videos and most of them say that the Diavel handles pretty well. Some people have even tracked theirs and while the max lean angle isn't the same as on a superbile, it's apparently pretty decent.

The downsides that I see right away is that:
- It's Italian (may come from factory in a perma-broken state)
- It's expensive
- That rear tire looks expensive

Surprisingly I don't see any on the road ever and the ones on CL all have very low mileage. Why?

Is it an underrated bike or is it the jack-of-all-trades that's not really good at anything at all?
 
Wikipedia is user-edited. Take anything said there with a grain of salt.

I like the Diavel...a lot. It was too pricey for me at the time, though.
 
coworker has one. he rides it now and then, loves it. but he has 3-4 bikes, so it stays garaged a lot. He rides his 1099 duc more. if i had extra cash lying around, sure maybe i get one.
 
mrzuzzo said:
Surprisingly I don't see any on the road ever and the ones on CL all have very low mileage. Why?

Is it an underrated bike or is it the jack-of-all-trades that's not really good at anything at all?
Click to expand...

just a hunchy guess: people who buy them don't ride much?

it could be correlated to whoever can afford this bike, may not have the time to ride it?

or basically, the distance to the local starbucks is short , so the mileage is not much?
 
mrzuzzo said:
Surprisingly I don't see any on the road ever and the ones on CL all have very low mileage. Why?

Is it an underrated bike or is it the jack-of-all-trades that's not really good at anything at all?
Click to expand...

it is an odd duck, doesn't fit in with their core audience and those in the market for such a bike don't want an eye-talian

same effect has relegated the harley v-rod to fairly low sales
 
I think it's pretty cool. Only one I've ever seen on the road was actually at a track day, running in the C group. I hear they're really nice bikes. My only thought would be, for that money, unless you're really into the power cruiser look etc., you could probably find a sporty standard/adventure tourer that'd do everything (except 1/4 mile) better than it. That said, when it comes to motorcycles, we often buy what the heart wants, not the head.
 
I actually did a lot of research because I almost bought one. The thing that stopped me was how huge the tank is and the clam shell feeling it gave me in regards to ergos. Great ride, lots of power when you need it and easy to handle. On the Diavel forum a few racers complain about dragging the header pipes on right hand turns which Ducati has not addressed. There are a lot of them out there and I do see them often. Everyone I have talked to loves it.
 
Archimedes said:
My only thought would be, for that money, unless you're really into the power cruiser look etc., you could probably find a sporty standard/adventure tourer that'd do everything (except 1/4 mile) better than it. That said, when it comes to motorcycles, we often buy what the heart wants, not the head.
Click to expand...

I don't like tall adventure-tourers. I'm not a huge fan of the front beak on all of them.

I like standard bikes, but they're all pretty uncomfortable for my wife.
 
I would say it's not really a cruiser but a standard that Ducati wants to market as a cruiser. I would guess it's a pretty good bike but expensive and Italian. I think people that buy this bike buy it on emotion as it's not really just a certain type of bike and it is expensive.
 
mrzuzzo said:
Too big, not really suitable as a DD.
Click to expand...

True it's about 75lbs heavier than the Diavel fully fueled, but it's got a 4" shorter wheelbase and it's more nimble for sure. The RT is a great commuter bike, a great weekend canyon carver, and a great 1,000 mile tourer. And the pillion space is awesome.
 
Archimedes said:
True it's about 75lbs heavier than the Diavel fully fueled, but it's got a 4" shorter wheelbase and it's more nimble for sure. The RT is a great commuter bike, a great weekend canyon carver, and a great 1,000 mile tourer. And the pillion space is awesome.
Click to expand...

You're probably right.. but it looks pretty boring. Just doesn't do it for me.

2015-rt_zpsa387c036.jpg
 
I may be a bit biased since I own one and use it regularly as my daily commuter and weekend fun bike but I'll try to be as neutral as possible.

The Diavel may not be for everyone. As has been mentioned before, it's not a sportbike, it's not a cruiser, and it's not a streetfighter/standard. It's a weird mash-up of all three.

For me, the Diavel was definitely an emotional purchase. My previous bike was a Moto Guzzi Stelvio then I took a Diavel out for a test ride and never looked back.

For me, part of the appeal is the 240mm rear tire, which can be found online for about $170 but will cost over $200 from a dealer. I love the idea of a bike with a rear tire that big that can still handle respectably well. My favorite bikes have been twins of some kind with Buells the usual candidate. For the way I ride, the Diavel fits me better than any other bike I've ridden other than my Buells. I also like the low seat height/center of gravity. Part of the "cruiser" feel I guess.

Is the Diavel perfect? No. Luggage is a challenge (I only recently found a tail bag that fits well and can hold my laptop and lunch) and I find the stock seat becomes uncomfortable after about an hour or so of freeway riding. Despite its low footpegs, the bike really comes into it's own on back roads though IMHO. I've never had a passenger on mine so I can't provide any feedback for pillion comfort. Yes, the bike isn't cheap, but then again, most Ducati's aren't cheap. I can honestly say that I have no regrets about buying mine and for the first time in nearly 20 years, I've found a bike I have no intentions of trading in on anything else. In fact, every time I think about even adding a second bike, I keep asking myself what am I getting from it that I don't get from the Diavel.

Limitations I noted above aside, I actually find the Diavel to be a pretty decent do it all bike. Like I said in the beginning, I commute on it, hit the twisties every now and then, take leisurely destination rides, and even bar hop once in a blue moon.

A note of caution, it's not a bike to get if you want to keep a low profile. It's definitely a conversation starter. You are correct though about not seeing a lot of them on the road. I probably see more of them at the shop than on the street. I can probably count on one hand the number I've seen on the road in the past year since I bought mine.

As for reliability, I've put over 10k miles on mine and only had one "major" issue which was a coolant leak fixed under warranty. The rear brake is also another known "issue", requiring frequent bleeding to maintain decent feel. These issues aside, nothing else has caused me any concern and the bike overall hasn't proven to be any less reliable than most other bikes I've owned over the years.

I believe most of the Ducati dealers in the area will let you take one out for a test ride (I know Ace Motorsports in Concord will). Try one...you might like it. ;-)
 
Triumph Sprint is a good option. Plenty fast and nimble, good for passengers, but perhaps on the heavy side.

They also are no longer making them, but they can be had at a good price and share parts with the Speed Triple.
 
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