ON THE ROAD WITH THE DUCATI XDIAVEL S
Ducati | XDiavel s | Road test |
0. When you least expect it.
A few weeks ago I was part of a task force as a consultant for an automotive project. The company had given us offices on the top floor of the building to increase the level of confidentiality.
The place itself wasn't bad, but the view on the other hand was really amazing. And to top it off we had a constant supply of hot coffee and mini croissants.
But the windows couldn't be opened and in order to breathe air that didn't come from a vent you had to go down to the ground floor.
One day - and this is true story - I found myself envying a pigeon that was walking around on the window ledge outside the office.
I know what you are thinking, but let me explain: the pigeon had something very rare. Freedom. We, on the other hand, sitting for hours with our faces illuminated by the screens of our laptops, had coffee and croissants.
When I saw in my mail the invitation from Motor News World to do a test drive on the new Ducati X Diavel S, it was like the sudden ringing of the school bell at the end of the day.
During the trip I asked myself whether the old equation:
Motorbike = Freedom
was still true.
Even today when we are always in a hurry, when we get too many emails and messages thanks to being constantly connected.
The place itself wasn't bad, but the view on the other hand was really amazing. And to top it off we had a constant supply of hot coffee and mini croissants.
But the windows couldn't be opened and in order to breathe air that didn't come from a vent you had to go down to the ground floor.
One day - and this is true story - I found myself envying a pigeon that was walking around on the window ledge outside the office.
I know what you are thinking, but let me explain: the pigeon had something very rare. Freedom. We, on the other hand, sitting for hours with our faces illuminated by the screens of our laptops, had coffee and croissants.
When I saw in my mail the invitation from Motor News World to do a test drive on the new Ducati X Diavel S, it was like the sudden ringing of the school bell at the end of the day.
During the trip I asked myself whether the old equation:
Motorbike = Freedom
was still true.
Even today when we are always in a hurry, when we get too many emails and messages thanks to being constantly connected.
1. Arrival and departure - immediate
When the airplane lands it is already night, but my tiredness seems suddenly to disappear. I ask the taxi driver to change route and drop me off at the offices of MNW in the hope that the security guard would let me in despite the late hour.
The motorbike had been delivered just a few hours before and was there, parked somewhere waiting for me.
I get to the garage and I start looking for the XDiavel in the dark interrupted only intermittently by the neon lights which refuse to turn on. In fast photo frames alternated by cold and dark light, the lights begin to warm up and a long, feline shadow appears. Black as a moonless night.
Without waiting another minute, I run up to the office to sign the documents authorising me to take the bike and leave everything out on my desk. Then I take all the change I have and put it into the coffee machine so that I can fill a cup up to the brim.
For a second I glance down at the case which I came with and then I'm off again taking with me only what is strictly necessary.
Every time it is difficult to believe, but travelling by motorbike you discover that the strictly necessary is enough. Even too much.
The motorbike had been delivered just a few hours before and was there, parked somewhere waiting for me.
I get to the garage and I start looking for the XDiavel in the dark interrupted only intermittently by the neon lights which refuse to turn on. In fast photo frames alternated by cold and dark light, the lights begin to warm up and a long, feline shadow appears. Black as a moonless night.
Without waiting another minute, I run up to the office to sign the documents authorising me to take the bike and leave everything out on my desk. Then I take all the change I have and put it into the coffee machine so that I can fill a cup up to the brim.
For a second I glance down at the case which I came with and then I'm off again taking with me only what is strictly necessary.
Every time it is difficult to believe, but travelling by motorbike you discover that the strictly necessary is enough. Even too much.
2. Power!
Holding down the start button, the engine fires up immediately, growling like a huge guard dog that it is better to keep as a friend. A wild beast of mixed race.
The XDiavel in the end is this: a mash-up of different things that are used to create something that didn't exist.
It doesn't take long to realise that it is not a simple cruiser with the Ducati brand: it is a bike with two souls which are diverse and opposite but which live together in harmony. The XDiavel is in fact a real cruiser when you want it to behave like a cruiser. And it is a real Ducati when you want to drive a Ducati.
Thanks to a role model chassis and an engine which is an undisputed protagonist - impatient to break free as soon as the reins are loosened, but at the same time able to adapt to the gentle speed of a parade.
On the road, in the moments when the lights of the city are not reflected in the polished tank, the dark of the night merges with the black paint - the only colour available - whilst kilometre after kilometre I discover an exciting motorbike.
The riding position of the XDiavel is unusual for those who are used to European motorbikes; the footrests are in fact further forward, as is common on the other side of the ocean. And there is little difference even if you move them back. But the feeling with the front of the bike is still good.
At the back, the big 24" tyre has great aesthetic value and gives generous grip on the bends, but above all allows all the power of the engine to be transferred to the road (and the engine in this case charges like a bull).
The engine, with its infinite pulling power is the centre of gravity in the XDiavel universe. Imagine a torque curve which brings to mind that of an electric motor (that of a Tesla for example).
The increase in engine size to 1262cc and the variable DVT timing system have ensured that this twin-cylinder bike is always ready for any RPM range.
It has a unique character: it can take you for a relaxing ride along the seafront but it is also ready to shoot you like a bullet with one courageous twist of the throttle.
But the 152 horsepower, the 13.3 Kgm torque and everything else we have talked about are not all. The bike comes from a successful design. Without it you would not get very far. The XDiavel S has a basic and simple style. No complications.
The headlight has DRL led illumination with a personal omega design. We will see this distinctive trait also in the future naked bikes from the Bologna-based company.
The trellis frame is short - therefore light - and is attached to the two cylinder heads, reminiscent of that of the Desmosedici that brought the MotoGP world title to Bologna.
The single-sided cast/trellis frame swing-arm is statuesque, whilst in aesthetic terms the load-bearing engine has benefitted greatly from the repositioning of the water pump inside the V of the cylinders.
And that's it. No plastic or cover. On the bike there are only the basics, but what is there is beautiful to see.
Passing in front of a big window and seeing one's own reflection in the seat of this motorbike is hugely satisfying.
After having driven around the city at night, it is time to make the XDiavel S roar.
Opening the throttle decisively, the sensation is that of being shot like a bullet: coming out of the
curves fast, the straights seem shorter than usual...
From an ergonomic point of view, the petrol tank is a little too wide and this is the only thing I note: it doesn't allow you to get a tight grip with your knees and so you have to hold on to the handlebars. But keeping the driver in place - even when accelerating a little too hard - is the well-contoured seat. Be careful not to lose any passenger you might have, though.
3. 3,600,000.
After a few hours in the seat one begins to rediscover a world made of both old and new sensations, curve after curve.
From this Bolognese twin-cylinder - above all in the "Sport" mode - you expect the infinite energy and the "grunt" of the V8 of an American pony car. It seems that nothing can go wrong when riding a bike with an engine like this.
Everyday we spend more time looking at the world through a screen than through our own eyes. The computer at work, the TV from the sofa...and many people stare at the screen of their telephone even when they are walking. Whilst riding a motorbike, however, we are exposed, immersed in the world around us. Actors rather than spectators.
We lose our patience in queues, at traffic lights or because of a slow connection.
We are used to counting the seconds and then we realise that by immersing ourselves in the daily routine, the years pass us by.
On the bike only the present matters. Slowing down makes us look inside ourselves and start to see what is around us.
Slowing down gives us back time instead of taking it away from us and allows us to enjoy the intensity of the sky to the full.
If we choose a direction instead of a destination, we don't just feel the excitement of continuous discovery: we tighten the reins of our own existence.
Every hour of our lives we possess a total of 3,600,000 milliseconds. It is up to us to decide what to do with them.
From this Bolognese twin-cylinder - above all in the "Sport" mode - you expect the infinite energy and the "grunt" of the V8 of an American pony car. It seems that nothing can go wrong when riding a bike with an engine like this.
Everyday we spend more time looking at the world through a screen than through our own eyes. The computer at work, the TV from the sofa...and many people stare at the screen of their telephone even when they are walking. Whilst riding a motorbike, however, we are exposed, immersed in the world around us. Actors rather than spectators.
We lose our patience in queues, at traffic lights or because of a slow connection.
We are used to counting the seconds and then we realise that by immersing ourselves in the daily routine, the years pass us by.
On the bike only the present matters. Slowing down makes us look inside ourselves and start to see what is around us.
Slowing down gives us back time instead of taking it away from us and allows us to enjoy the intensity of the sky to the full.
If we choose a direction instead of a destination, we don't just feel the excitement of continuous discovery: we tighten the reins of our own existence.
Every hour of our lives we possess a total of 3,600,000 milliseconds. It is up to us to decide what to do with them.
4. Slow down and speed up.
The pace is carefree, just like that of those who are not in a hurry as, in the end, there is no destination.
The engine is always sufficiently polite with its calm gait and allows us to enjoy the scenery, thanks to the belt transmission and the mapping, but it is difficult to resist the temptation to open the throttle to hear it roar. It always manages to surprise in how tireless it is and ready to let loose with the force of a storm as soon as we want it to.
All roads have their own winds that go with them. And here the wind blows so strongly that it is necessary to cling on to the handlebars and grip the motorbike as tightly as possible, hoping that all will be well. And all is well!
At about 2000 m up, passing over a mountain plateau, the air becomes sharp and there are some piles of snow in sight in the dips of the fields. On the display the message "ICE" starts flashing warning of possible danger, but a bright light filters through the clouds and brings with it the pleasant heat of the sun which luckily warms as it should.
The engine is always sufficiently polite with its calm gait and allows us to enjoy the scenery, thanks to the belt transmission and the mapping, but it is difficult to resist the temptation to open the throttle to hear it roar. It always manages to surprise in how tireless it is and ready to let loose with the force of a storm as soon as we want it to.
All roads have their own winds that go with them. And here the wind blows so strongly that it is necessary to cling on to the handlebars and grip the motorbike as tightly as possible, hoping that all will be well. And all is well!
At about 2000 m up, passing over a mountain plateau, the air becomes sharp and there are some piles of snow in sight in the dips of the fields. On the display the message "ICE" starts flashing warning of possible danger, but a bright light filters through the clouds and brings with it the pleasant heat of the sun which luckily warms as it should.
5. Contact!
The sky appears the colour of a bruise and the deep murmur of a thunderstorm echoes around the mountains. But it is not scary - it seems that, in the end, I've gotten used to it as the dual lateral exits of the exhaust let out a constant, guttural heavy metal thunder*.
*(Quote from "Born to be Wild")
Accelerating, I quickly leave the thunderstorm and all the rest behind me, pointing the nose of the XDiavel in the direction of good weather.
Travelling by motorbike goes beyond transport; it puts you in contact with life.
It forces you to leave behind certainties for adventure, to evaluate risks, to control your fear and allow optimism to enter into action.
It is something that everyone should do every once in a while.
In the saddle after so many hours between the road and the sky, it is easy to lose awareness of time, but I realise I am smiling. I should be on my way back, but I feel that I could go on like this forever. Because something changes - or fits back into place - and all of a sudden the mind makes contact with the heart again.
*(Quote from "Born to be Wild")
Accelerating, I quickly leave the thunderstorm and all the rest behind me, pointing the nose of the XDiavel in the direction of good weather.
Travelling by motorbike goes beyond transport; it puts you in contact with life.
It forces you to leave behind certainties for adventure, to evaluate risks, to control your fear and allow optimism to enter into action.
It is something that everyone should do every once in a while.
In the saddle after so many hours between the road and the sky, it is easy to lose awareness of time, but I realise I am smiling. I should be on my way back, but I feel that I could go on like this forever. Because something changes - or fits back into place - and all of a sudden the mind makes contact with the heart again.
A.F.
TECHNICAL GEAR
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