DARK NECESSITIES

The Diavel is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma shrouded in an identity crisis. The name literally translates into “devil” (in Italian) and it looks, for all intents and purposes, like a cruiser. It offers the kind of on-paper output that compels you to add the word “power” to the cruiser classification, which is when Ducati wade into the conversation and say ‘No!’ The Italians really don’t like their pet fiend being called a cruiser of any sort. This despite the fact that the Diavel started off as an attempt by the bikemakers from Bologna to elbow in on the lucrative American cruiser market. So, if not cruiser then what? How do you categorise this hell beast from Ducati?

A visual examination has the pendulum swinging very firmly in the direction of the cruiser. It may be a balls-to-the-wall