Ducati Diavel V4 first ride review: Dark Art

Ducati motorcycles are traditionally known to be top-grade when it comes to their handling, performance and in-your-face styling. In truth, a bit of a pain when it comes down to riding them anywhere close to some moderate speeds. So then why does the motorcycle like the Diavel even exist? Because with the wide handlebar, and low-slung seat, the whole cruiser take of the whole motorcycle, it tends to drift away from what Ducati traditionally stands for in the first place. Now this is the Diavel V4, with two more cylinders than the previous generation 1260S. New engine, all-new chassis, all-new dynamics, upgraded features, all-new machine. But why does this bike exist in today's world? We're about to find out.

As with any modern-day Ducati, the Diavel V4 is an absolute visual delight. It appears to uphold Ducatis' oath of providing our drab world with some of the best-looking motorcycles. Yes, skinny, light and efficient EVs are the future. But this here is modern art. You can't help but admire it. The double C LED lights up front look great, and better still the bespoke tail lamp design and shape which give the bike a distinct identity from the rear. Looks fantastic, might even be a pain to clean when muck starts flying about though. Still, the Diavel V4 retains some signature features from the older generation Diavel models like the single-sided swingarm with that massive rear wheel and tyre, this one is a 240-section Pirelli Diablo Rosso 3 on a 17-inch rim which will even put a lot of sports cars to shame.

Still, a lot has changed all over this bike. The front looks a lot more tightly packed with those massive air vents that hug the front fork, and you don't see that trademark Ducati trellis frame anymore, because they've done away with it and instead employed a cast aluminium monocoque frame which uses the engine as a stressed member which has also helped reduce weight. The engine itself looks like a big block of metal and doesn't have those neat machined touches of finesse that the older L-twin had. That's my take on it anyway.

So the Diavel V4 is very striking in terms of design. The front has this nice bulky, chunky, muscular, look about it. And when you get on the bike it isn't as heavy as you'd think it to be. Now I want to focus on the rear of this bike because there are a couple of aspects that could go unnoticed design-wise. For instance, I like the way these pillion footpegs come out and they nicely go back in and sit flush if you're riding alone. You get a nice cowl for the bike and extend the grab handle for the pillion. And if you don't fancy having a pillion, everything sits nice and flush, which is the way it's designed to be really, with this bike. The quad exhaust pipes are great looking, and look like a couple of rocket launchers- ready to go to war, awesome!  The single-sided swingarm, and the big chunky rear wheel, are great to look at and give the bike a great amount of presence. And there are some functional aspects to match as well like the little heatshield which keeps your legs and undersides from getting cooked when you stop at a signal or while you're out on a long ride.

As you would expect with any flagship Ducati motorcycle, this one too pretty much has the kitchen sink thrown at it in terms of electronic aids and features. So you have four ride modes, throttle maps, launch control, traction control, wheelie control, cornering ABS, and the works. The 5-inch display readout is quite dense with information, like with the Multistrada, but it's easy to toggle through the lists once you're accustomed to it all. The best part is that the Diavel gets a fuel level indication bar too, something the sportier Panigale and Streetfighter models don't. The Brembo Stylema brakes give the bike some serious stopping power and if anything, the only thing this bike misses out on is the semi-active electronically adjustable suspension. But you do get a heavy-duty, fully adjustable 50mm USD fork and monoshock which works great at either end of the bike.

Of late Ducati appears to be loading most of their flagship models with the V4 engine, which is never going to be a bad thing, even though these new four-cyl engines employ the traditional valve spring tech instead of the manufacturer's famed desmodromic valvetrain system. The V4 engine in the Diavel isn't the full-blown high-performance version of Ducati's motor that features in the Panigale V4 and the Streetfighter V4. It gets the 1,150cc Granturismo V4 from the Multistrada which produces 168Ps and 126Nm of max power and torque, and this motor is more inclined with mid-range performance and high-speed touring. The motor features a counter-rotating crank which helps in the handling and agility of the bike and like with the Multistrada V4 Rally, even gets cylinder deactivation tech which shuts off the two cylinders at the rear when the bike is at idle or under 4,000rpm at first gear to reduce heat and fuel consumption.

As with the older Diavel models, this one too does stutter off the line and you'll have to gas it a bit to avoid stalling like an amateur rider thereby tarnishing your street-cred with onlookers. A good thing about this V4 model is that this 223kg (dry) doesn't feel exceptionally heavy or a task to manage at a slow speed. The V4 allows you to negotiate slow speed and turns a manoeuver past traffic a lot better than the older model did. Sure the engine did feel a little gruffy at low revs but it's ready to rock and roll post 3,000rpm.

The top 'Sport' and 'Touring' ride modes give you full access to 168PS of power while the other two let you play around with a more humble 115PS and the difference is all there to be felt not only when you set off, but also at the top end of the powerband, at 10,750rpm when you want to extract every bit of performance and aural joy from this devilish machine. The stock exhaust doesn't sound too bad at all, but you'll want to slap on the add-on Akrapovic kit if you really want to raise hell. Also, there's a bit of a high-pitched engine whine higher up the powerband which sounds brilliant.

The new Diavel gets a six-speed gearbox with a bi-directional quick-shifter, but I should say that the shifts from first to second aren't the smoothest. But that's just low down the gearbox. What's constantly annoying are the mirrors on this bike which are almost impossible to set right. Anyway, let's move on to the ride and handling aspects for now.

The handlebar is nice and wide which gives you good leverage over the surprisingly light front end and the bike feels quite agile once you lean into a sweeping corner. Feedback is good and of course, it's not as sharp as the other Ducati's built to take on the streets but leaned over, it'll hold its line a lot better than before.

The revised ergos will have you seated mostly upright and a bit stretched forward, while the foot pegs and controls are mid-mounted, unlike on most cruisers which have them more forward set, but everything feels well within reach and it's easy to have both feet flat on the ground while seated. The taller you are, the more you'll want to throw on some aftermarket pegs on this bike to get your feet angled just right.

The turning radius is quite commendable given this bike's visual bulk. The shortened wheelbase helps this bike in the matter of agility too. It's when you're riding solo that you'll mostly feel that this bike was meant to be ridden hard and fast and then there are times when you have a pillion aboard and you think, alright let's have none of that, let's take it easy and make things comfortable, and the bike is up for it as well. And that's commendable about it.

Sure the Diavel V4 looks stunning and the best part about it is that it does more than what you visually expect of it. Now compared to the earlier 1260S model, this flagship V4 looks a lot less elegant than it did before but a lot more villainous, menacing and diabolical especially in this black paint scheme. It appears more performance-oriented than before, and that's exactly what it is in reality, with the new engine, the chassis and the updated electronics. It feels less like a cruiser motorcycle now and more like a performance motorcycle. It's a lot more agile. And it gives you a good mix of what you'd want from a Ducati motorcycle in terms of performance, handling and dynamics. And it is one of the most comfortable Ducati motorcycles that you can get your hands on today. It's also one of the more expensive models, because at around Rs 26 lakh (ex-showroom) which works out to almost 31-32 lakh inclusive of taxes and other charges, you aren't going to see a lot of them on the road, so there is that novelty value to it as well. Now coming back to the original question of why this bike exists. Why would Ducati build a motorcycle like this? The answer – because they simply can, and the fact that they have is simply brilliant in a way. Because at the end of it, a motorcycle is meant to give you a sense of excitement, joy of ownership and plaster a big smile across your face when you get aboard, and the Diavel V4 will do just that!