This Is The New Ducati Diavel — Spy Shots

The Ducati Diavel is about to get an upgrade. The biggest update for the second-generation power cruiser is that it gets the 1,260cc DVT engine and the associated chassis from the XDiavel. Styling is refined, naturally, and we'd anticipate an updated electronics package. Put another way: It looks like it's a restyled XDiavel with normally placed footpegs and a chain final drive.

The original Diavel was released in 2011, so by the time the XDiavel came around—touting the new 1,262cc engine with variable valve timing—the standard Diavel started to look a bit long in the tooth. In spite of the XDiavel's sleeker silhouette and updated motor, its unconventional (for a Ducati) forward controls, belt drive, and raked front end meant it wasn't a direct replacement for the Diavel. And it wasn't intended to be.

No doubt I’m not the only one to have thrown a leg over an XDiavel for the first time and embarrassingly put my feet up on the passenger pegs. When you hear a desmo twin, you’re conditioned to put your feet behind you. Which is to say, there’s room in the Ducati lineup for both styles of bikes.

To accommodate the 1,260cc motor, it’s clear from the spy shots the new Diavel uses a similar—if not identical—chassis to the XDiavel, save for a different swingarm (the new Diavel looks to have a cast aluminum single-sider in place of the XDiavel’s trellis number). Trellis main frame, aluminum subframe, and horizontal rear shock all look lifted from the XDiavel.

It’s unclear, however, if the new model will retain the XDiavel’s more cruisery geometry. Will the new Diavel have the same 2-degree less-steep rake and 1-inch-longer wheelbase, or will the numbers more closely resemble those of the original Diavel? With front-mounted radiators replacing the original Diavel’s side-mounted units, there might not be enough clearance for Ducati to replicate the original’s sportier setup. We shall see.

A look at our spy shots indicates there will be a base model in addition to an up-specced S model with Öhlins suspension.

So the new Diavel may “only” be a restyled XDiavel with normally mounted footpegs and a chain final drive, but there’s nothing wrong with that, frankly. We’ll take two.

One can’t help but wonder if the 1,260cc DVT engine (also found in the 1260 Multistrada) will find its way to the Monster, replacing the current-generation 11° Testastretta DS motor. With media outlets already claiming Ducati is building a new Streetfighter based around the Desmosedici Stradale V-4 platform, using the 1,260cc powerplant in the next-generation Monster would seem an obvious next step. That’s pure speculation, of course, but it’s something to ponder anyway.

Expect Ducati to unveil the second-generation Diavel at this year’s EICMA as a 2019 model. We’ll wait until then to see if the new Diavel has any other tricks up its sleeve.