Ducati XDiavel Review - First Ride

Ducati XDiavel Review - First Ride: I've admired the brutish looks of the awesome Ducati XDiavel ever since it broke cover back in 2016 and I'm thrilled to say, thanks to the nice people at Ducati UK, I've now had the chance to ride and live with one for a month. In this first video of several on the bike, I give you my initial impressions review....

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Honda CRF250L
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Ducati 899 Panigale
Triumph Speed Twin
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[DonutSurfingTheInternet]

I don't often disagree with you on a bike review but this is one of the machines I've had a bit of experience on and I have some opinions on yours:

- Mirrors - You may think they're OK through town etc but wait until you get onto a motorway or get moving on an A road. They vibrate so much that you can barely see behind you!

- Engine could be smoother - No no no no no. This is a big ol' thumpin' L-twin with 1246CCs. It is not meant to be smooth. It is meant to roar with aggression and constantly remind you that you're on a monster of a Ducati machine. You want smoothness? Ride your STriple! ;)

- Clutch is a bit stiff - I found this to be an odd statement. I found the clutch to be wonderfully light, especially as it is a hydraulic clutch. Maybe try adjusting it to see if it helps?

- Exhaust noise - It may sound muted at low speeds/revs but that's good. Makes it neighbourhood/town friendly ;) Get it singing above 3-4k RPM and you'll find it roars!

Thank you for the video. I look forward to seeing how your thoughts develop on this machine.

[angrydwarf]

Great review as ever. In my experience Diavels are one of those marmite bikes (to look at) but present a real surprise when you actually ride one and get to wind the throttle right open. It’s certainly a barking mad bike and I’m glad that manufacturers step outside of the norm from time to time where most bikes tend to follow a very familiar format. Looking forward to the next review.

[daystate]

One thing I like about this channel is the fact that you can pay and tmf delivers content. You pay for other channels and they give you one vid a month.... No thanks...!!! My opinion...

[yonniboy]

IMO the Diavel and XDiavel are the Kings of cruisers, in 2012 a group of us rode down to Barcelona for the Catalunya Motogp, we met up in Larne (NI) ferry terminal, there was 11 of us all on sports bikes or sports tourers (Fireblades, R1s the smallest bike being a GSX-R750 plus a Hayabusa and Blackbird), the last bike to arrive was a Ducati Diavel, which had us all exchanging glances, reading minds probably thinking "this is gonna hold us back", by the end of our first day on the French motorways we were completely proved wrong and even when we left the autoroute south of Lyon the Diavel kept closer to the sports bikes than it had a right to, it really was an eye opener and from your test the XDiavel seems like a step up.

[Dark]

I own an Xdiavel, a 2017 Rocket 3 Roadster and I test rode the new Rocket the other day. I will say that the XDiavel is more like a sports bike and when you get it over 4 grand in the revs it really starts to kick hard, it corners WAY better than that rear tyre gives it any right to. The old vs new Rocket 3 is a bit of a meh, new the Rocket 3 does feel like its got more kick in the mid range compared to the old one but the engine really wants to be down low all the time. They get a bit buzzy up high, the rocket really likes being in the 2.5k rpm range.

[The]

Wow, I never realized it was a belt drive bike. Very cool to see you ride this beast - definitely a different style for TMF but an informative review. Beautiful bike.

[kevintaylor]

Got keyless ignition on my Tiger. Turn the key fob on, tuck it in your inside pocket and forget about it. No keys bouncing up and down scratching stuff. No worry about leaving them in the bike . . . ever. Nice accessory port where the key would normally go. Handy if you have sat nav, phone etc. Electronic steering lock. Get more than 3 or 4 foot from the bike and it shuts down. I keep a normal key with the key for the padlock I use in my garage in my trouser pocket as I need this for the top box. It's no real hardship using a standard key in the ignition but I love my keyless.

[MrJmbigorange]

Not a better looking machine out there. Gorgeous

[paulcosgrove]

At the time I bought my Diavel one of my friends bought an XDiavel. Like mine his brake reservoir leaked and proved impossible to cure, vibrations caused both our number plates to fall off, cured by fitting Tail Tidies which looked better anyway but worst of all was the front tyres 'square off' very quickly and required more changes than the rear! We found Termi exhausts was a brilliant mod but a cheaper and as good alternative is GPR. I ride 'feet forward' Cruisers and conventional bikes but still screw up putting my feet on Cruiser pegs sometimes riding off after 40-odd years:-) Accurate review as ever thanks TMF.

[tererez]

Great review, and thanks for the walk down memory lane. I studied in Buckingham 10 years ago. Lovely little town.

[alanottley]

I agree with your view on the forward controls. After an hour or so on my Harley, my back would be killing me. On my Ural, I can do 12/13 hour rides with no problems because my feet are below me. It is also hard to brace for a big bump with forward controls. Nice review!

[SlingingLead]

Ducati makes stunning bikes, no question. None I would buy based on a price/value standpoint, but I love to look at them.

[RevBombUK]

Great ride vlog andy, Amazing machine and the bonus it looks good too !!

[AMRX]

Beautiful video as always. Rain or Shine, TMF rides and delivers the best review! :-)

[lord.onk]

Its the nuts, what a beast. Great review as usual.

[mickthemaverick]

Not a lot going for it for me:
Useless mudguard on the front - potential radiator grief
Useless rear mudguard - crap under the seat
Boring colouring
horrendous forward pegs - no chance of getting your feet to a safety position quickly when it gets out of shape
pointless rear seat!!
And the good points:
Love the clear bars and "framed" forward view - brilliant for videos
Love the forward master cylinders, I wonder if the front faces are designed to throw air across the knuckles and thus reduce wind?
Cool looking exhaust even if its not great sounding
ITS A DUCATTI!!!!


Great first review Andy, look forward to the stuff to come!

[scottie]

Love the "Anti-fun police" feature that blurs the TFT screen at 65mph.👍

[grahaminkpen]

I just love the look of this machine, a work of Italian art. My friend has one and says it’s so easy to ride and his wife is even brave enough to ride pillion with him. 😁

[markbur]

That lay-by you stopped at is an infamous spot for job it was daylight when you pulled up to do the walk around .😉

[andrewedmond]

Great review as per usual Andy. Thanks brother.