Changing Positions

We ride the new Ducati XDiavel in Australia!

- Sundeep Gajjar

The Ducatisti were not amused when Ducati initially revealed their plans for a cruiser motorcycle. The Diavel looked the part, its fantastic ride quality kept the Ducati fans loyal, but it didn’t really make a dent in the cruiser market. And the Bologna manufacturer has been keen to make inroads into this segment in the USA, which is a very important market for Ducati and cruisers. But for that they needed to take on the might of Harley Davidson.

The Italian manufacturer has thus changed positions, both literally and figuratively and brought out the XDiavel. For the first time, on a Ducati you could sit feet forward! And to add to the cruiser feel, the bike is also belt driven. You can have it in any colour, as long as it is black! Well you do get a chance of Matte or Gloss, if you are willing to spend a little more for the XDiavel S.

The XDiavel true to its word is a cruiser, but once you get rolling you are left in no doubt that you are on board delightful Italian machinery. The bike handles like no cruiser around. Once you place your trust in that different riding ergos and the increased wheelbase and rake, you can really start pushing the Pirelli shod front wheel through the corners. With a generous 40 degree lean angle, you can go quite far without scraping any of the expensive bits off!