Ducati XDiavel: the devil is anything but boring
If the Diavel was already challenging the rules, this XDiavel burns them in a corner. This new generation (the first won the Red Dot for design in 2016) is renewed focused on its heart : it abandons the Testratteta engine to house in its new chassis the V4 Granturismo - already mounted on the largest of the Multistrada - with its 1,158 cc to deliver 168 hp at the top of the revolutions, with a torque of 126 Nm at 7,500 rpm in a clear bid to try to get the best of that cruiser character... as far as possible.
And on paper , this V4 Granturismo is a progressive engine, and it always is as long as you're able to do so with the throttle. Opening it up openly from 4,000/4,500 rpm unleashes the superbike within: 0-100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds, just a tenth of a second faster than the Lamborghini Temerario with its twin-turbo V8 and 920 hp. Its response is smooth, yet its character is always felt, and the air intake sound when you open the throttle is devilishly enveloping, almost overpowering the tremendous four-exit exhaust.
Visually, it emphasizes its suggestive silhouette with greater subtlety of lines, and the whole is completed by a new front headlight, a very original rear light under the seat, and the indicators perfectly incorporated into the sides of the tank.
When we get on it, we see that it has improved where it had its weak point: the riding position , too radical for facing a couple of hours on the road. Now, with a spoon-type seat (770 mm from the ground and 54 mm thicker as well as an incredible 50% wider for the co-pilot ), a handlebar that has gained curvature (14 mm further back), and forward-moving footpegs (they have three positions), the XDiavel allows the rider to enjoy the road for much longer.
Corners, if they're fast, are taken like a ruler , suggesting a strong push to find the center radius, with the monocoque chassis working well alongside its single-sided aluminum swingarm. Its slowness is another matter : its 229 kg weight, 1,620 mm wheelbase, and 240-profile Pirelli Diablo Rosso III rear tire are noticeable.
Its surprising agility in changes of direction is due to the crankshaft's configuration. Because it counter-rotates (turning in the opposite direction to the wheels), it generates reverse torque, partially neutralizing the gyroscopic effect.
All of this is also helped (and greatly) by the suspensions , which provide a good compromise between sportiness and comfort, especially the rear , with its monoshock with separate reservoir and 145 mm of travel . Up front, the inverted fork is 50 mm with 120 mm of travel that cuts through the rough terrain like a hot knife through butter ... All accompanied by top-notch braking from Brembo : pump and four-piston monobloc calipers (all radial) that bite hard into the two 330 mm semi-floating discs; and at the rear, a 265 mm disc for which a two-piston caliper is enough.
Such an engine can only be tamed with a lot of electronics. Thanks to its 6-axis IMU, it offers three power modes (high, medium, and low) with four traction control modes (and deactivation), anti-wheelie, exit, etc. All to achieve four driving modes: Sport, Urban, Touring, and the highly successful Wet , with which you can open the throttle when exiting a corner with three inches of water on the asphalt without any fear.
elmundo
