The 2019 Ducati Diavel is so fast it sits in its own Bonkers Fast sector for speed
It is down to not just the huge power and torque available from the 1262cc L-Twin motor, but also the long wheelbase
This 2019 Ducati Diavel is a cruiser in the loosest sense. Sure, your feet are in front of you, you sit fairly upright and your arms hang in front of you like you are closing the boot of your car. But this bike is not really a cruiser.
The Diavel needs to sit in its own sector of the bike market – and we are going to call that the Bonkers Fast sector, for bikes Batman would ride.
This 159bhp boulevard basher is so fast it would make a supercar blush.
It is down to not just the huge power and torque available from the 1262cc L-Twin motor, but also the long wheelbase and the fact it carries its weight low down. When you couple these attributes with the electronic safety systems (cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, launch control and all the other best kinds of control), the result is a rocket ship of a bike.
The Ohlins suspension and Pirelli tyres do a great job of getting it around corners.
The S version we rode also comes with superbike-spec Brembo brakes.
Not only do they haul this 250kg bike to a standstill with ease, they do it with great feel, regardless of how hard you push them.
Our ride was on the famous Ronda road outside Marbella. It is one of the best riding roads in Europe, where you find sports bikers getting a fix.
Initially it was raining, so we put the bike into Urban mode. It dropped the power, increased the ABS and the traction control and allowed us to make safe progress up the twisting roads into the mountains.
As the conditions improved, we worked through Touring mode and into Sport.
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Sport delivers the full ferocity of that motor, along with less restrictive traction and braking support. That huge, 240-section rear tyre does not hold you back too much at corners – and each time you hit a straight piece of road you will love this bike as it fires you at the horizon like a bullet.
Reassuringly, dear at £19,785 the 2019 Ducati Diavel 1260S is a very exciting ride. Bad attitude and great road manners in equal measure – we love.
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