The Diavel project was born when Ducati designers applied their wish-list of bike “basic instincts” to a blank canvas. With a “what if?” approach to creating a dream bike, they sketched inspiring shapes which became a lower and longer motorcycle.

“The challenge of building a muscular silhouette over a pure-bred competition motor had to be met with determination and a delicate touch, and the result is a frontal area that looks like a power athlete on the starting blocks,” explains the team at Ducati Design responsible for the project.

The stance of the Diavel is that of readiness, dominance, and confidence bordering on superiority. With lateral radiators adding muscle to its broad “shoulders,” which then taper down across the engine and into the belly-fairing with oil cooler, the athlete took shape.

The design sets new standards in beauty, innovation and sophistication, while outstanding agility and handling are encased within a muscular body which moves with 162 hp.

Its astonishing power can be managed in three different Riding Modes and with the assurance of the Ducati Safety Pack (ABS + Ducati Traction Control).

The Diavel comes in two flavors, the Diavel and Diavel Carbon.

A massive 240 section rear tire was a perfect example of how Diavel designers used a no-compromise attitude when applying their wish list of features. Ducati’s philosophy for innovation has always been to push the boundaries of design in the name of exciting motorcycles.

Built to have a commanding presence, though lightweight and agile like all Ducatis. Stunning looks, 162hp and 207kg (456lb) of authentic Ducati performance drives a comfortable sport lifestyle that could only be dreamt of before.

The heart of the Diavel is the Ducati Testastretta 11° - developed directly from the incredibly powerful, world-beating race engines of Ducati Corse. Ducati’s Diavel Testastretta 11° harnesses the immense power of the Superbike engine and makes it smooth and adaptable, a massive step forward in balancing high-performance with an enjoyable ride.

With its 162hp and colossal 94lb-ft (127.5Nm) of torque, the Diavel Testastretta 11° engine is all about authentic Ducati Desmodromic performance.

The revised intake and exhaust ports combined with radical adjustment of the cam timing have enabled Ducati to achieve a fantastic torque curve at low rpm, which remains strong through a wider rev-range. The increase in bottom-end torque is managed by Ducati’s Ride-by-Wire (RbW) system to considerably enhance the Diavel’s effortless ridability, while ensuring plenty of power remains on tap for high-rpm riding.

For an engine with brute power on tap when needed and smooth, user-friendliness available for an effortless and comfortable ride, Ducati revised the configuration of the cam timing with particular focus on the valve overlap angle. The overlap angle is defined as the interval of crankshaft rotation, measured in degrees, during which both the intake and exhaust valves are open at the same time. This overlap occurs between the end of the exhaust stroke and the start of the intake stroke. High performance engines, which are subject to compromising smoothness for extreme power delivery, use high values of this parameter in order to benefit from the pressure waves to improve engine performance by maximizing volumetric efficiency.

On the Testastretta 11° engine, this angle has been reduced from 41°, used in the Testastretta Evoluzione engine which powers the 1198, to 11°. As a result, the fresh inlet charge flow is less compromised by the exiting exhaust gases, resulting in a much smoother combustion in addition to improved fuel economy and lower exhaust emissions.

The massive 58mm (2.28in) section exhaust headers lead the 2-1-2 system through power-enhancing equal lengths that enable the Diavel’s efficient power delivery. The engine management system dedicates a lambda probe to each header, providing precise fueling via a large airbox, while the stylish cannon-style, vertically stacked silencers carry catalytic converters to provide Euro 3 conformity and electronically controlled mid-section valve optimizes exhaust pressures throughout the rev-range.

Twin lateral radiators - positioned on either side of the bike - cool the Diavel Testastretta 11° engine. This unique feature combines with a new 64mm water pump impeller to increase flow rate by 35% at high rpm, enabling highly efficient cooling from the stylish air ducts.

The transmission features an oil bath clutch with “slipper” function and super-light feel at the lever. Its design uses a progressive self-servo mechanism that presses the plates together when under drive from the engine, enabling the reduction of the clutch spring rates. This results in a much lighter clutch lever at the handlebar, ideal in stop-start traffic or during long journeys. When the drive force is reversed (over-run), the same mechanism reduces the pressure on the clutch plates, enabling them to provide a race-like “slipper” action, which reduces the destabilizing effect of the rear-end under aggressive down-shifting and provides a much smoother feeling when closing the throttle or down-shifting under normal riding conditions.

The Diavel’s gearbox uses high-strength materials to manage the increased power output and enhanced grip generated by the 240 section rear tire, which also requires the use of a 16mm longer gearbox output shaft for drive chain routing.

The Diavel’s clutch and alternator covers have been restyled with enhanced detail and shaping, as have the cam belt covers with a new aluminum mid-section.

The signature Ducati Trellis frame uses large diameter, light gauge tubing with two lateral die-cast aluminum sections that flow into the rear subframe. This achieves massive torsional rigidity while remaining lightweight and compact.

The two sections form a rear-end structure by attaching onto either side of a complex techno-polymer component.

The long, die-cast aluminum, single-sided swingarm provides great “feel” at the rear-end with a wheelbase of 1590mm (62.6in) and a stance that provides lean angles of up to 41°.

The Diavel uses black-bodied 50mm Marzocchi front forks. These forks are fully adjustable for spring pre-load, compression and rebound damping.

The forks are gripped by a slash-cut triple-clamp - cast aluminum for the lower and forged for the upper - with a rubber-mounted riser to tapered alloy bars.

With a rake of 28°, trail of 130mm (5.12in) and an offset of 24mm (0.945in), the set-up provides a sure-footed and agile front-end for incredible handling and 70° of total steering lock for maximum maneuverability.

The Diavel Carbon uses the same suspension as the Diavel, but with fork sliders black-finished in super low-friction diamond-like carbon (DLC).

Both versions of the Diavel have a Sachs rear suspension unit slung low under the chassis in a horizontal position, operated by a progressive pull-rod linkage from the swingarm. Adjustable in compression and rebound damping, the unit uses a handy control for easy spring pre-load adjustment.

The Diavel Carbon has custom shop-finished, lightweight, forged, turned and milled rims by Marchesini that not only score an impressive total weight saving of 5.5lb (2.5kg), but also look spectacular. These highly intricate nine-spoke wheels highlight the delicate machining in natural aluminum set against a black finish.

Ducati’s technical partner, Pirelli, worked with the Diavel’s designers and engineers to develop the incredible new Diablo Rosso II tires. While the front uses a conventional 120/70x17 section with a new tread pattern designed for enhanced wet weather performance, the 240/45x17 rear represents the latest innovation in tire design with a sport-oriented profile being applied to custom-style width.

The massive rear employs bi-compound technology to enable high grip levels at full lean angle while providing high mileage and uses Enhanced Patch Technology (EPT) to maximize the contact patch at all angles. The tread pattern and compounds deliver great performance in all conditions, especially the wet.

This new design of tire enabled Ducati to achieve the style they had envisioned for the Diavel without compromising the authentic Ducati performance of the chassis.

The Diavel front brakes use Brembo's incredibly powerful Monobloc callipers, which deliver outstanding performance actuated by new integral alloy master cylinders with unique shape reservoirs sporting milled tops.

The 4-piston, twin radially-mounted callipers grip 320mm discs, while a single 265mm disc on the rear is gripped by a two piston calliper, also by Brembo.

The Diavel Carbon uses specially milled aluminium disc carriers which have natural aluminium colored recesses machined around the weight saving cut-outs in contrast to the carrier's black finish around the centre.

Typical of Ducati, these top-of-the-range components provide outstanding levels of braking and set a new benchmark in this category.

The system is equipped with the latest, most compact, Ducati Bosch-Brembo ABS system as original equipment on both versions, providing a major contribution towards performance control. Top Brembo components combined with Bosch ABS, the special Diavel chassis configuration and Pirelli's Enhanced Patch Technology (EPT) result in a braking performance even greater than that of the awesome Ducati Superbikes.

Pictures of the 2011 Ducati Diavel

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Official Specifications