Ducati Diavel Dark. Review.

[Shurup]

Awesome pictures, really loving it. I was checking out this bike too, I'm in the market for one now. Still deciding between the ducati, Yamaha, and Kawasaki. As we get older, my tastes are leaving the supersport area, and more into the nakeds. The rougher looking they are, the better width=20 alt=laugh.png> .

The kawi got some strong engines, but not sure if the spiderman look will age well.

So will probably settle for the duc or Yamaha.

Great Bike!

Thanks!

What Yamaha are you thinking? Is there a model that has similar riding position as the diavel?

Since you already bought the diavel, the ones I am looking at will not please you

But for the comparative model from Yamaha, you can google image Yamaha Vmax.

I'm still deciding on the displacement I am looking for, just casual easy going, but still have the muscle for occasional fun.

MT-09 or MT-07

Kawasaki Z800 (not likely)

I know the V-Max, it's one sweet crazy 200 HP bike. Haven't seen them in Thailand.

When I started looking for a new bike, it all started with a Z800. I've considered a lot of other models including the MT-09 but the lack of ABS really put me off. My interest has slowly moved onto the Ducati Monster 796 (still staying within the 800cc mark) and I briefly considered the BMW F800R. Was about to place an order on Monster 796 when I found out that the new Monster model was coming, so more wait. Then Ducati Thailand decided that the new Monster 821 would be imported (at ridiculous price) rather than locally made, it really disappointed me so I stopped looking at the bikes for a while, then I looked at the Hypermotard and Hyperstrada and then discovered that Ducati dropped the prices on Diavel. $10,000 down looked like a good deal so I finally made up my mind.

It was a long way and a long wait for me to decide on and get a new bike, but I'm glad I waited.

Let us know which bike you will go with!

[Balance]

Sounds like you need a K1600 BMW. In-line 6 cyl. 190 HP, and you do not get the shit beat out of you. It is considerably more money, but worth every Bhat.

[Nickymaster]

congrats shurup.

for the tranny, just give it some time for break in, it will get smoother, if not after 3000 km, visit the ducati dealer.

for suspension, lots of videos over internet but you can basically start with measuring your sag and adjusting it accordingly first.

read some forums too sure you can find a lot of info about it as well. ducati guys also can help.

surprised for 14 liters tank. Sure range will be an issue - not even 200 km i think if ridden hard - still there is a petrol station at every 10 km in Thailand.

it is a great bike man, if i was looking for a cruiser, sure go for it too. it is a lot capable than what people think actually.

happy and safe rides.

Yup, if ridden hard, it won't make it 200 km.

I live just over 100 km from Korat and when I went for a 1st oil change, I filled up the tank, changed the oil and rode it back. I passed many fuel stations on my way but passed them all as I wanted to make it to the station near my house which sells Benzine 95. I wanted fill up with Benzine before I park it for a month...

Well, I didn't make it... Run out of fuel 5 km from the house! Called my wife to send someone to bring me some fuel and when I finally showed up at the station near my home and told them I want full tank of Benzine, they said MOOT. Damn! Left the bike with Gasohol in it.

I assume you added 1-2 liters of that crap. Just enough to get to a pump that sells the real stuff. My bikes runs sh!t on gasahol.

[Shurup]

There are only 2 pumps in a close vicinity to my house. One normally carries Benzene but was out of it and another pump carries gasohol only. I had to fill it up (just half a tank) with gasohol and leave it like this.

And regarding my comment about the fuel tank size, there's some confusion, the manual booklet says the tank is 13.6 liters but Ducati's Web site says it's 17 liters. I think the later number is correct.

[ll2]

There are only 2 pumps in a close vicinity to my house. One normally carries Benzene but was out of it and another pump carries gasohol only. I had to fill it up (just half a tank) with gasohol and leave it like this.

And regarding my comment about the fuel tank size, there's some confusion, the manual booklet says the tank is 13.6 liters but Ducati's Web site says it's 17 liters. I think the later number is correct.

some says it can fill a max of 14,5 liters and some says 17 liters. yours might be smaller as people say charcoal canister is occupying some fuel tank space and Thai version has this canister. us version with charcoal canister has a 16 liter tank so most probably yours is 16 liters too.

i remember ducati has the same things from hypermotard as it has smaller fuel tank than they advertise it.

[Shurup]

You're probably right, maybe the 17L is a total volume but you can't fill it up higher than the tank's filler recess, which will leave an air pocket at the very top of the tank.

13.6L (as manual says) sounds way too small, I'm sure I filled it a few times with more fuel than that. Will need to pay more attention the next time I will it up.

[shezasdad]

Yesterday I ran my new Diavel down to an indicated 45 kms of fuel left and just managed to squeeze 11 litres in it. I'm leaning to it only have a 13 litre tank.

[Shurup]

I never trusted those computer's fuel range estimates, they always lie. But we can only guess as what the actual tank volume is until someone runs it dry and then fills it up again. I can get my tank level pretty low as I live only 1 km from the fuel station and when I stay in the moo ban for a while, all my riding is to the local market or 711, so I can get it low without taking a risk to get stranded in the middle of nowhere without fuel.

[CarlTyson]

Here are 2 mileage reports from the Fuelly website.

2013 Diavel

2014 Diavel.

[Shurup]

@CarlTyson Do you own 2 Diavels? One 2013 and one 2014? I see the largest amount of fuel you put in was just over 16L, must have been running on empty but it does indicate that the tank isn't 13.6L as the manual states. What year is your Diavel if you have only one?

[CarlTyson]

@CarlTyson Do you own 2 Diavels? One 2013 and one 2014? I see the largest amount of fuel you put in was just over 16L, must have been running on empty but it does indicate that the tank isn't 13.6L as the manual states. What year is your Diavel if you have only one?

I wish I owned 2 Diavels.

No, I just grabbed a screenshot from the Fuelly website.

You can sign up and track your own milage there.

http://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/ducati/diavel

Looks like you can safely get 250K on a tank between fill ups.

Edited December 13, 2014 by CarlTyson

[CarlTyson]

4.5 Gallon or 17 Liters according to the Specs I saw.

[Shurup]

Looked through the manual again... The previous number I've mentioned - 13.6L apparently does not include the reserve volume of 4 L.

Now I found a proper number in the manual in the specs section, it says 17L, including a 4L reserve volume. That answers the question as now this number matches the number from the Ducati web site.

Now 17 L should give me over 300 km range, if not riding at breakneck speeds... so I guess I'll never go that far on a single fill-up.

[BKKBike09]

Since you already bought the diavel, the ones I am looking at will not please you

But for the comparative model from Yamaha, you can google image Yamaha Vmax.

I'm still deciding on the displacement I am looking for, just casual easy going, but still have the muscle for occasional fun.

MT-09 or MT-07

Kawasaki Z800 (not likely)

FZ(MT)-09 is a lot of fun. AFAIK Yamaha will not import the MT-07 because, according to Yamaha Ratchada when I asked them, the price difference between the -07 and -09 won't be that great and they figure that most people would rather spend say 50K more and get an -09. Personally I think it's a shame because the -07 has had some great reviews.

The -09 models sold here don't currently have ABS but I'd bet on that being available here soon. If you're serious about an -09 and really want ABS then maybe best to wait.

-09 also has a small tank (one way to keep the wet weight to 190 kg). It's about 17 L. In the city I get around 14.5 km/l; on the highway around 16-17 km/l. But I bought the bike for fun so can't say I ride with an eye to fuel economy.

Cruising much above 130 kmh is quite tiring. However below 130 on a decent bit of road it's all smiles. A LOT of torque on tap from way down in the rev band.

A Street Triple R would also be a good choice.

[JacChang]

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Since you already bought the diavel, the ones I am looking at will not please you width=20 alt=laugh.png>

But for the comparative model from Yamaha, you can google image Yamaha Vmax.

I'm still deciding on the displacement I am looking for, just casual easy going, but still have the muscle for occasional fun.

MT-09 or MT-07

Kawasaki Z800 (not likely)

FZ(MT)-09 is a lot of fun. AFAIK Yamaha will not import the MT-07 because, according to Yamaha Ratchada when I asked them, the price difference between the -07 and -09 won't be that great and they figure that most people would rather spend say 50K more and get an -09. Personally I think it's a shame because the -07 has had some great reviews.

The -09 models sold here don't currently have ABS but I'd bet on that being available here soon. If you're serious about an -09 and really want ABS then maybe best to wait.

-09 also has a small tank (one way to keep the wet weight to 190 kg). It's about 17 L. In the city I get around 14.5 km/l; on the highway around 16-17 km/l. But I bought the bike for fun so can't say I ride with an eye to fuel economy.

Cruising much above 130 kmh is quite tiring. However below 130 on a decent bit of road it's all smiles. A LOT of torque on tap from way down in the rev band.

A Street Triple R would also be a good choice.

Thanks a lot man for your review, that will help me decide.

The price difference is 20%. So MT-09 is 20% more expensive than MT-07.

I've also been reading the review, and it seems "too perfect to be true". I really would want some real owners review, instead of all magazine reviews, since they do want to keep good relations with Yamaha and so on.

Side by side, both bikes are very similar, MT-07 seems easier in the city, with it being only 182kgs. Where I am at, we only have the MT-07 and no MT-09 haha, and it comes with ABS. The price is roughly 390,000THB for MT-07 ABS. How much did you buy for your MT-09?

Main things I would like to know is, since these cheaps are value and considered relatively cheap for the things they give. How is the quality and build? Any annoying vibrations? And last, how is the heat management? Some bikes like the ER6N just puffs hot air directly at you, which is uncomfortable.

Also how is the comfort/seats and suspension? I am thinking, they are more on the soft side compared to sportbikes?

I've refrained from ordering yet because ALOT of owners said, there is a stall problem especially at stop lights. The bike would stall when you are ready to take off just simply by pulling the clutch in. Didn't even release yet. Fuel management problem.

[BKKBike09]

^ @Jac - FZ-09 sells here for THB 435,000. It's also a good city bike. It's only 190 kg fully fuelled so weight is basically pretty much same as the -07. It's also a very narrow bike. I ride mine a lot in BKK traffic and it's fine, for me me anyway. The motard style seating position gives you great vision as well.

The build quality is excellent and many of the components are high end eg aluminium frame and swingarm, magnesium cylinder head cover (on an amazing engine)

The cost / quality compromise comes with the suspension. Many reviews bitch about it. If you're going to do a lot of aggressive riding / track days, you need to do something about it. If you're mainly doing city driving it may well be fine. Depends a lot on how heavy you are. I changed shock and fork springs for Ohlins (THB 30,000 total).

The seat is also pretty uncomfortable (stock is very hard and slopes forward) but that's easy enough to fix.

It heats up in traffic and being a naked bike that heat you can feel, but it doesn't really bother me.

Gearbox is really good - easy to find neutral, positive shifts and good ratios. Quite a lot of engine braking though.

The -07 sounds like a really fun bike but I'd still prefer the -09. Can't beat that 850 triple engine ...

[RubberSideDown]

Jac- I saw a couple FZ-09s at Pop Car Rent in CM (no idea of prices- I passed by in my car) if you're in the neighborhood and want to try it out.

[mania]

Jac- I saw a couple FZ-09s at Pop Car Rent in CM (no idea of prices- I passed by in my car) if you're in the neighborhood and want to try it out.

They were asking 2500 a day when they first got them

Not sure if that has changed.

[Shurup]

Been reading some rather disturbing info on the Diavel the last few days on Diavel Forum.

First off, the false Neutral between 5 and 6th gears are not unheard of but it also looks like the same thing happens with few other Ducati models, a firm shift is all that is required, and once the bike breaks in a little more, often the issue goes away or becomes less frequent. There are also after markets parts that can further minimize this happening, but I obviously don't want to go this route for warranty reasons. Hoping it will go away by itself but I will firm up my shift a little.

Another very disturbing thing is that the earlier models were known to pop out of 2nd gear and into Neutral in certain conditions, like engine breaking, which could be a life threatening situation if you rely on engine breaking going down a steep twisty road. Fortunately the 2015 and late 2014 were not affected (or there are no reports) and those affected bikes are getting this sorted out on a warranty. However all the warranty claims were done in US so not sure how well it will go in Thailand.

And the last - Where in Korat can I do a dyno test? I'm not sure if the Thai made bikes are full power or restricted. US and EU versions display the power mode as 162 High, 162 Low and 100 Low for the 3 riding modes (Sports, Touring and Urban), while the Japanese version displays just High, Middle and Low. The Thai made bikes are displaying the same thing as the Jap bikes, which are restricted to 120 HP. There are tuners that can easily disable the limiters but it's not something I was planning to do with the bike when decided to get it.

Or the Thai bikes are in fact unrestricted and I need not to worry about what display shows?

[RubberSideDown]

I'd be really surprised if it's restricted- it would be the same across the Ducati Thailand line, and we'd know about it for sure.

What wouldn't surprise me are minor differences in the ECU (this is a regional thing that is generally true of all bikes) that are causing the different readings in your display.

[eisfeld]

I've read about the false neutrals many many times when it comes to Ducati bikes. Be it Diavels, Monsters or recently Scramblers. I think it's a general issue Ducati has and really surprising that a premium company like them who have been around for a while can't seem to work it out what should be a not too difficult thing to fix (but what do I know?).

But like you said many reports say that after some break-in it often disappears. Or the drivers get used to the gearbox.

Regarding the restriction: the Ducati Thailand website says 162HP and your manual should confirm that. To do a dyno run you might be able to do it at Bigwing Korat for a few hundred THB, I think they allow non-Hondas but better call them up and ask.

[Shurup]

@RSD I think you're right, there would definitely be people complaining about the restriction. Didn't think about it.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Shurup

[Shurup]

I've read about the false neutrals many many times when it comes to Ducati bikes. Be it Diavels, Monsters or recently Scramblers. I think it's a general issue Ducati has and really surprising that a premium company like them who have been around for a while can't seem to work it out what should be a not too difficult thing to fix (but what do I know?).

But like you said many reports say that after some break-in it often disappears. Or the drivers get used to the gearbox.

Regarding the restriction: the Ducati Thailand website says 162HP and your manual should confirm that. To do a dyno run you might be able to do it at Bigwing Korat for a few hundred THB, I think they allow non-Hondas but better call them up and ask.

The false neutral doesn't really bother me now that I know it's not just my bike. I thought it was some sort of defect but it's a common occurrence. Unless if becomes more frequent, I'm sure I will just get used to it and will ignore it. So far it only happened 3 or 4 times over 1200 km I put on a bike, no big deal.

And regarding the restriction, I think I "worry too mut". I read about it and kind of started panicking and posted here without thinking. There would be reports and complaining riders if the bikes were restricted. Must be just a small regional difference in ECU as mentioned by RSD. But its good to know there's a dyno nearby in case I want to test it.

[nikster]

Regarding Ducati gearbox and false neutrals: Happened to me while breaking in the Hypermotard - scary and / or annoying. Just go for really crisp, hard shifting and it won't happen. Post break-in it almost never happens anymore - maybe once in the last 5 months or so.

As for being a premium bike - that gets you premium components and great designs. But a Honda is better quality - that's the way it is. Ducati is a lot better than it used to be, and they seem to have a very clear vision of going towards more day to day usable bikes, rather than being the lightest or fastest or craziest. But they're not a Japanese bike.

And yeah Thai Ducs are most certainly unrestricted.

[powdermonkey]

The false neutral doesn't really bother me now that I know it's not just my bike. I thought it was some sort of defect but it's a common occurrence. Unless if becomes more frequent, I'm sure I will just get used to it and will ignore it. So far it only happened 3 or 4 times over 1200 km I put on a bike, no big deal.

And regarding the restriction, I think I "worry too mut". I read about it and kind of started panicking and posted here without thinking. There would be reports and complaining riders if the bikes were restricted. Must be just a small regional difference in ECU as mentioned by RSD. But its good to know there's a dyno nearby in case I want to test it.

I would recomend against dyno unless you are really concerned about the power levels - nothing worse than watching your pride and joy getting thrashed inside a workshop with no airflow especially when new

Try shifting 5-6th without the clutch and see if you still hit the neutral. I have started using no clutch with the monster as the Duc seems to appreciate the faster shifts - seems my last daytona let me get a little lazy on the upshifts......

[RubberSideDown]

Most false-neutrals (particularly on new bikes) are the result of pussy-footing the shift- some transmissions require a more positive engagement, especially before they're fully broken-in.

If it's popping out of gear, that's an issue, but I would chalk this particular problem up to a Ducati idiosyncrasy that will likely resolve itself through either the rider or the transmission making a change in behavior.

[Hili]

Regarding the restrictions i worried the same about the 899 as the thai build is actually according to jap specs. Ducati Italy confirmed that its NOT restricted. BTW is the hp mentioned in the greenbook or only cc?

[Shurup]

I read the manual but wasn't paying attention to this as I wanted some other particular info. I will check it again today.

[Shurup]

The manual seems very generic, probably for the US market. No mention of HP but there is a note for the Power Modes saying that in Japan and France the indicator displays High, Middle and Low instead of 162 High, 162 Low and 100 HP. No mention of Thailand anywhere in the English manual and I don't have a Thai manual with me to check it.