Handlebars: Clothed as a Cruiser, A Ducati for the Fringe
And why does it look like the progeny of a dragster and Han Solo’s ray gun? The Diavel is Ducati’s latest addition to a product line that has expanded the company’s offerings far beyond the track-ready sportbikes that built its reputation. Like the play-dirty Hypermotard, introduced in 2008, and the revamped Multistrada, which arrived last year, the Diavel’s mission is to draw a new category of customers into dealerships. The Diavel, however, is a bigger gamble than the company’s other recent entries: its startling looks could scare off some potential buyers, its form has few links to the brand’s heritage, and it starts at 19,995 for the Diavel Carbon (not including a 365 destination charge for the bike I tested in New York). A more basic Diavel, differing mostly in cosmetics, starts at 16,995. Spoiler alert: even after spending some quality time and miles with a Diavel, I was not able to neatly <a href="http://www.newyorkjetsnfljersey.com/products/NFL-Jerseys-18/Cincinnati-Bengals-422/"><strong>Cheap Bengals Jerseys 2011</strong></a> classify the bike’s purpose. It doesn’t fit some of my criteria for awesomeness. It is neither a sculptured Italian beauty like the 1198 Superbike nor a versatile all-business beast like the Multistrada. Its styling sets off in a direction that few Ducati loyalists would expect from the company, an in-your-face showboat that favors overt brawn over tasteful restraint. What the Diavel did do superbly was put me at ease, giving me the confidence to make use of its power. The engine is easy to love. It’s based on the same 1,198 cc V-twin that powers the Multistrada 1200 and the 1198 Superbike. In the Diavel (pronounced dee-AH-vull and sure enough, a name that nods to the devil), it’s tuned to churn out 162 horsepower, with a top torque of 94 pound-feet, according to Ducati. The riding position is relaxed, but still a bit taxing: <a href="http://www.wingsnhljersey.com/products/NHL-Jerseys-16/Philadelphia-Flyers-401/"><strong>Cheap Flyers NHL Jerseys</strong></a> the Diavel’s seat is positioned far back, nearly atop the rear wheel. That position, combined with the 30.3-inch seat height and the bike’s 62.6-inch wheelbase, means that the rider’s mass feels more connected to the bike. This rider’s mass felt that way, at least. At 6-foot-3, and having a body-mass index that marathon champions do not envy, I find it hard to get comfortable <a href="http://www.stitchedjerseystore.com/products/Soccer-Jerseys-21/AC-Milan-622/"><strong>Cheap AC Milan Jerseys 2011</strong></a> in the tucked position that racetrack-replica machines impose. It’s more than just the elephant-on-a-tricycle feeling; motorcycles that are scaled to wiry MotoGP stars like Valentino Rossi often feel a bit out of their element with me in the saddle. I imagine that the sensation is somewhat like handling a loaded pistol that’s been cocked and then coated in grease: a lot of my energy is directed to just making sure no one gets hurt. The Diavel, though, put me closer to the machine’s core. Acceleration was astonishing, and the dragbike-inspired riding posture helped me feel fully in control. Taking a sharp corner, I felt more assured than I would on a comparably powerful sportbike — no hanging off required. Long before it reached any showrooms, the Diavel was skewered for its styling. In particular, the 8-inch-wide rear wheel and its 240-millimeter wide tire were criticized as a tic whose benefit was mostly visual, attractive mainly to the custom-bike set. The critics have a point: the dimensions of the Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tire, developed especially for the Diavel, probably make the bike slower around a racetrack. But for riders on public roads, that tire may just add to the impression of security, letting them lean more and worry less. Many reviewers <a href="http://career.xync.edu.cn/plus/guestbook.php"><strong>Cheap Shopping Online for Chanel Slippers On Sale Vintage Louis ...</strong></a> have compared the Diavel to so-called power cruisers like Yamaha’s Star-branded VMax and the Harley-Davidson V-Rod. But in pursuing a segment so far outside its traditional sportbike segment, Ducati has, in fact, created something entirely different, innovating in the design, the capabilities and the level of sophistication.
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