Scorching up the Jebel Hafeet Mountain road that borders Abu Dhabi and Oman, I’m trying in vain to keep Ducati’s legendary test and development rider, Alessandro Valia, in sight. The man cuts a graceful figure, arcing wide, finishing tight and firing out of corners just like he would on any of Ducati’s Streetfighter V4 range. Except he’s not on an agile superbike-derived Streetfighter. We’re both on the 2023 Ducati Diavel V4, the closest thing to a cruiser that the Italian manufacturer produces.
Starting at $26,695, this 2023 edition of the Diavel is the first of its kind to come fit with the Granturismo version of the 1,158 cc Desmosedici Stradale V4, an engine that premiered on the 2018 Panigale V4 S. The Granturismo iteration of the mill made its debut on the 2021 Multistrada V4 S.
The new intakes, airbox, camshafts and cam timing—plus a shorter first gear—help the Diavel’s new motor deliver harder, faster acceleration, with peak output at 168 hp and 93 ft lbs of torque. The Diavel’s acceleration is immense. With a gigantic 240-section rear tire and the rider sitting at a low 31.1-inch seat height, the bike presents a drive grip unlike anything else on the market today. Indeed, there’s no other manufacturer with a motorcycle that has this almost cruiser-like look and a superbike motor.
Equipped with Ducati’s suite of electronics, including everything from multistage power modes, multistage traction and wheelie control, cornering ABS, power launch (for all of those drag starts you’ll be doing) and cruise control, the Diavel is infinitely tunable. But if you want your hands warmed, you’ll have to fork out $400 for the option of heated grips, which really should be included on a nearly $27,000 motorcycle. The model is also devoid of the radar-assisted Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Detection system that graces the Multistrada, even though big highway-mile days are easily within the Diavel’s design brief.
Much of the work done to make the Diavel V4 what it is has been centered around saving weight compared to the outgoing twin-cylinder Diavel 1260. The most noticeable contribution to this goal comes from the motor, with 11 pounds removed. A further 10.4 pounds has come off the monocoque frame, 5.3 pounds from the subframe, two pounds from the wheels and 1.3 pounds from the front brake discs. All told, Ducati is claiming that the model has a 520-pound curb weight with a 5.3-gallon tank of gas. For the rider, the seat height has been increased 0.7 inches, and the handlebar—which is now a two-piece unit—has been moved .78 inches closer.
While climbing Jebel Hafeet Mountain along a glorious six-mile ribbon of road (with 60 corners and 4,000 feet of elevation gain), the Diavel demonstrated agility and lightness in steering that’s rather remarkable, especially when considering the tire on the back, which is nearly the size of one found on a car. You’ll hit the cornering limits of the pegs miles before you run out of rubber, and you can’t really see the front wheel—because you’re so low and so far back—so you just have to trust that the front Pirelli is doing its job, as I did when desperately trying to hang onto Valia’s exhaust fumes.
The Diavel V4 is a brash ride that looks every bit the part, from the massive LED headlight and stunning webbed rear LED light signature to the slash-cut design of the wheels and the Gatling gun–style four-barrel exhaust. Then, of course, there are the monstrous intakes on either side of the 50 mm fully adjustable Marzocchi fork. You could never mistake this bike for being any other model, as its menacing character makes the rider feel, well, tough. It’s a feeling I remember experiencing the first time I rode a Diavel back in 2012; it’s now just been turned up to 11 with the new V4 variant.
Click here for more photos of the 2023 Ducati Diavel V4.
