Ducati XDiavel - First Look

Ducati describes its new XDiavel as a "paradigm shift" for the company, a departure from the image and spirit by which it has defined itself up to this point.

A cynical person would be correct in identifying some of that statement as marketing hyperbole. Beyond the self-involved goldfish bowl of motorcycle enthusiasts -- to the eyes of a novice, in other words -- the new Ducati XDiavel (also available as the XDiavel S) is probably indistinguishable from the standard Diavel that's been around since 2011.

The lines and semi-exposed trellis frame are pretty similar on both bikes, as are the only-good-for-one seating, single-sided swingarm, wheels, and teeny-tiny fenders. My mom would describe both as "cute," but I doubt she'd be able to remember which is which.

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But Ducati isn't trying to sell to my mom, and within the motorcycling goldfish bowl the differences between the XDiavel and the Diavel are pretty marked.

First and foremost is Ducati's simple admission that the XDiavel is a cruiser. The company has hitherto been uncomfortable with the cruiser label, at one point going so far as to create an ad for the Diavel titled "Don't Call Me a Cruiser."

Indeed, this acceptance of genre seems to have caused all sorts of philosophical hand wringing for Ducati. At the XDiavel's launch in Milan last month, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali spent several minutes digressing into a monologue about the intrinsic differences between the colors red and black, portraying Ducati up to that point as red.

But with the new XDiavel, he said, "we are ready to enter into the black."

English being a second language for Domenicali, it's possible he didn't understand the subtext of that statement -- i.e., the idea of being in the black financially. Although that's almost certainly the driving force behind the development of the XDiavel. Cruisers dominate the U.S. market, and it's clear from Ducati's recent Scrambler sub-brand effort that it's very eager to expand its share in that market.

By embracing the cruiser concept, Ducati has allowed itself to equip the XDiavel with qualities more familiar to fans of the genre. The all-important feet-forward riding position is there, as is the absence of chain maintenance. The XDiavel is Ducati's first-ever bike with belt final drive.

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