2017 Ducati Diavel Dark Stealth

2017 Ducati Diavel Dark Stealth

The bold lines and innovative shapes of the Diavel Dark merge to create a superb, unmistakable design, capable of turning every head. The unique character of the powerful 162 hp Testastretta 11° Dual Spark engine, ensuring muscular torque, combines with the athletic ease of a chassis built to provide riding pleasure beyond all expectations.

The stance of the Diavel is that of readiness, dominance, and confidence bordering on superiority. Lateral radiators add muscle to its broad "shoulders," which then taper down across the engine and into the belly-fairing with its oil cooler, giving shape to the athlete.

A massive 240 section rear tyre is the perfect example of how Diavel designers used a no-compromise attitude when applying their wish list of features. The sheer width of rubber communicates so much power and style that the R&D team vowed to find, and succeeded in finding, a way to make it handle - even if they knew the image would send a seismic shock through the industry.

The Diavel is a true Ducati, born from a passion for motorcycling and designed to deliver authentic Ducati performance in every respect.

The Diavel project was born when Ducati designers applied their wish-list of a bike's "basic instincts" to a blank canvas. With a "what if?" approach to creating a dream bike, they sketched inspiring forms which became a low, long, sleek and aggressive motorcycle that was born to dominate the boulevard.

"The challenge of building a muscular silhouette over a pure-bred competition motor had to be met with determination and a delicate touch, and the result is a frontal area that looks like a power athlete on the starting blocks," explains the team at Ducati Design responsible for the project. "With the front wheel kept close to the Diavel's body and using the short tail of a sport bike, we were able to blend this muscular design with a chassis that matched."

The Diavel's heart is the Ducati Testastretta 11° Dual Spark (DS) - developed directly from the incredibly powerful, world-beating race engines of Ducati Corse. Ducati's Testastretta 11° DS harnesses the immense power of the Superbike engine and makes it smoother and more linear, combining high performance with an enjoyable and perfectly manageable ride.To create an engine with this blend of brute power and supreme usability, Ducati carefully developed its cam timing with a particular focus on the valve overlap angle. Defined as the period of crankshaft rotation (in degrees) during which both intake and exhaust valves are open at the same time, this overlap angle is set at 11° on the Diavel's engine - much less than the 41° used by Ducati's Superbike engines. As a result the fresh inlet charge is less compromised by exiting exhaust gases, resulting in smoother combustion, improved fuel economy, and lower exhaust emissions.

Along these same lines, the Testastretta 11° DS employs several other technological advances. Targeted injectors direct their charge to the intake valves, which provides better vaporization of the air/fuel mixture. This compressed intake charge is ignited by twin spark plugs in each chamber for rapid and even combustion. And after exiting the combustion chamber, a s