Ducati Diavel 1260 S First Ride Review: Dark Necessities

Another twist in the tale comes from the riding position. The high and wide bar, low seat, and mid-set peg set-up is undeniably cruiser. The saddle is a comfortable place to be, with the wide perch offering plenty of support and a plush spot to park your keister. Because the Diavel comes with keyless go, you can leave the fob firmly in your pocket, push the on button, thumb the starter, and away you go. Considering I was on public roads I couldn’t really test out Power Launch, so I set off the old-fashioned way and, man, does it set off too! Thanks to the potent 1,262-cc engine and Ducati’s proprietary Ducati Testastretta DVT (Desmodromic Variable Timing) tech you get a healthy torque spread across the rev-range and the bike just pulls and pulls.

That fat rear tyre and the sheer ensemble of electronics keep you on the straight and narrow as you wring the throttle for all it is worth. It would take a brave man (or someone who has tussled with big bruisers in the past at the very least) to take off the electronic shackles and see if the Diavel can bite your head off. So, of course, I had to give it a go. Sport mode with custom settings — wheelie control off, traction control off, engine response set to high, and ABS on level two. I was ready to dance with this devil. On the straights, the acceleration is neck-snapping and you can feel the front getting light when you snap on the gas. The six-speed gearbox performs consistently and flawlessly and comes with quickshifter goodness so you can hustle up and down through the cogs. You would think that its fancy-pants suspension would see the Diavel feel stiff as a convent school principal. It isn’t quite that extreme, though. The suspension is pliant enough across the pits and craters and while it is on the stiffer side, it isn’t wooden or unforgiving. And considering you have full control on how it is set up, there’s a big scope for finicking about.