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Imagine if Lamborghini made a muscle car. Now picture it on two wheels.
That’s essentially what Ducati has done with its new XDiavel. The Lamborghini-owned motorcycle maker has put Harley-Davidson and Indian in its sights with a distinctly Italian take on the American cruiser bike.
The XDiavel features the classic laid-back seating position, with a low, rear-set seat, high handlebars, and forward mounted foot-pegs, but allows them to be adjusted into 60 different combinations and wraps it all in Ducati’s signature, haute couture style, instead of the heritage look of most cruisers.
The XDiavel has steel trellis frame, single-shock rear suspension, and tips the scales at a spry dry weight of 485 lbs. Staying true to the cruiser formula, its 77 cubic-inch (1262 cc) L-twin delivers a mountain of low end torque that peaks at 95 ft-lbs at 5,000 rpm. Ducati’s first launch control system helps put that to the pavement through a six-speed transmission and belt drive, but the engine will keep on spinning to 9,500 rpm, where it pumps out a superbike-style 156 hp.
With a lean angle of 40 degrees, it shouldn’t have much trouble leaving the old school competition in the dust as it flies through the Badlands and Black Hills on the way to Sturgis. Whether or not it’s welcome there is yet to be seen, but Ducati North America CEO Dominique Cheraki expects the USA to be its top market when it goes on sale early next year at a starting price of $19,995
