Ducati XDiavel V4 (2025 – ) review

Like the rest of Ducati’s V4 family the XDiavel uses an aluminium monocoque up front onto which engine, seat and rear subframe are then attached. That does mean you lose the more traditional exposed trellis steel frame, which is perhaps more of an emotional aesthetic leap than for others in the range but delivers real benefits in terms of weight saving and handling. Key differences for this XDiavel over the existing Diavel V4 it will sell alongside include a slacker front end with taller bars, a lower and wider seat and forward-mounted pegs. A single-sided swingarm meanwhile shows off the rear wheel and its fat 240-section tyre to great effect, the cluster of four exhausts ahead of it fanning out in a visual representation of the sound they broadcast to the world. A shame the realities of emissions and sound regulations mean behind the trim pieces it’s basically a big, ugly metal box but there’s only so much Ducati can do about that. Cruiser or not, meanwhile, there’s nothing traditional about the XDiavel’s intent, the only real rival it has at this level being the monstrous Triumph Rocket 3 and its scene-stealing 2.5-litre engine.

If you’re new to cruisers the feet-forward peg position requires a recalibration of your muscle memory if your boots are not to be left flailing in mid-air as you lift them from the deck. But you get used to the posture, which ticks the boxes cruiser fans would expect without dangling from ape-hanger bars and your bum seemingly scraping the road as might happen with more extreme examples of the breed. It is, in fact, a pretty balanced position, and with the wide saddle surprisingly comfortable for long days out. High- and low-seat options and multi-position pegs meanwhile let you fine-tune the fit according to tastes and physique.

This is a big, powerful, extravagant and extrovert motorcycle and – obviously - not the kind of thing to use for the commute, touring or all-year use. Not that anyone would expect to. For all that it’s not as impractical as you might imagine, assuming the physical bulk isn’t an issue. The seat is nice and low, it’s comfy and while there’s no weather protection you feel shielded to a degree behind the broad tank and sheer size of the thing. Fly screens and neat, colour-matched panniers are among the available accessories if you fancy going further on your XDiavel and, while it’s not an obvious tourer, you could certainly do a weekend away so equipped, though if you travel two-up your pillion would likely be a lot happier on a Multistrada.

A lot of engine, a lot of weight and, thankfully, a lot of braking power from the massive Brembo Stylemas up front to rein it all back in when required! The 1,158cc Granturismo V4 is familiar from the Multistrada and others in the Ducati range, but no less impressive for that. 168 horsepower at over 10,000rpm gives a sense of its character and it does like revs, though there is also decent torque across the powerband to enjoy. If not quite as much as the monstrous 2.5-litre triple in the Triumph Rocket 3. All things relative there’s more nuance in the Ducati V4, cylinder deactivation meaning it runs (and sounds) like a twin at lower revs supposedly to save fuel but also keep the back of the engine cooler. And avoid cooking your nether regions in town. At 229kg before fuel the XDiavel is a chunk of bike but, in its sportier riding modes, has the aggression to the throttle you’d hope for in something as wild looking. An unexpected downpour on our launch test ride also gave us opportunity to try the Rain mode, which cools the engine’s temper and makes the bike a little less scary when that fat rear tyre is surfing over standing water.

While hardly raked out like a chopper that front wheel does feel some distance from the bars, which makes tipping the XDiavel into corners something of a leap of faith, given you don’t have that usual reassurance of weighting the tyre with your arms. You learn to trust it, though, and the fat 50mm forks have the support necessary to lean the bike on its nose into the turns, while the rear suspension has enough travel to soak up the bumps more effectively than many cruiser-style machines. On fast and flowing roads you can actually ride the XDiavel more like a roadster than you might imagine, though the slower hairpins we encountered on some of the test route required a more patient approach to avoid dragging a peg. A Streetfighter V4will be faster in all situations, has much of the same style and will cope better with tighter roads. But the XDiavel is about the experience, and the bike is plenty capable of exploiting more of that incredible performance than you might have credited for the way it looks.

Expensive to buy, expensive to insure, expensive to run … life with an XDiavel is inevitably going to be an indulgence but that’s kind of the point, the statement it makes being that you are of sufficient means that this isn’t a problem. All fine, but the fact it costs a chunk more than the Rocket 3 and can’t quite match the Triumph’s lunacy or the uniqueness of its giant engine might be a consideration if you’re not hung up on brand loyalty.

The days of flaky Italian reliability are long past, and Ducati’s V4 engine and the suite of electronics supporting it well-proven across a whole family of bikes. In this GranTurismo configuration it’s also a little less highly strung than the Desmosedeci V4 it shares roots with. For these reasons and plenty more we have few concerns.

It might be a high-performance V4 but the Granturismo motor is built for big mileages in bikes like the Multistrada and can go an impressive 9,000 miles between services, the expensive valve clearance check not required until 37,000 miles have been covered. The standard warranty is, meanwhile, your regular two years, unlimited miles job.

While the XDiavel doesn’t get some of the tricker tech from the Multistrada like electronic suspension adjustment or ride height control, the passive forks and shock manually tweakable if you fancy. There are all the rider settings you’d want, though, with three power modes and four rider modes, with wheelie control and other assistance systems all configurable in each. You also get cruise control and the incredibly slick Quick Shift 2.0 included as standard, but not heated grips it seems. The TFT screen is bigger and newer than the one on the regular Diavel V4 as well, while the options and accessories catalogue offers many and various ways to trick up your XDiavel with carbon and aluminium trinkets, colour-matched luggage, a rear seat back rest, fly screen and more besides. We haven’t heard it but the not-for-street-use Akrapovič exhaust system gets rid of the ugly standard system, saves a chunk of weight, increases the power and (so we were told) unlocks a whole lot more noise and attitude from the engine.

A Multistrada V4 has the same engine and is way more practical while a Streetfighter V4 channels similar looks with Panigale pace. So, you might think the XDiavel is somewhat lost in the no man’s land between the two. True, it appeals to very specific tastes on that score and won’t be for everyone. But if you want a bike to turn heads nothing else comes close, the XDiavel meanwhile proving more fun and capable to ride than it has any right to.