2019 Ducati Diavel Spy Photos- Motorcycle News

7/27/2018

2019 Ducati Diavel Spy Photos- Motorcycle News

Motorcycle News - 2019 Ducati Diavel Spy Photos

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From these photos that were slipped under the MO office door, Ducati appears to be bringing the 2019 Diavel more in line with the XDiavel. It’s been some time since the standard Diavel received any attention from Ducati, so the timing of the 2019 revamp makes sense.

Looking at these photos, it appears the new Diavel will inherit the XDiavel’s engine, complete with variable valve timing. From there, the exhaust, frame, headlight, rear shock, and possibly the subframe are inherited, too.

Pictured here is the standard Diavel model while the other shots depict an S version with a gold-colored Öhlins fork and Brembo M50 calipers. The right air scoop is missing, exposing more of the trellis frame inherited from the XDiavel.

The overall look and feel of the Diavel is as bold and obvious as ever, but we can see subtle design changes in the form of revised air scoops. Also, the fuel tank shape appears to be slightly smaller, though it could be the angle of the photos and Ducati’s camouflaging fooling the eyes. Other carryover items from the Diavel include the wheels, chain drive, and footpeg positions. As has become commonplace with Ducatis, the standard model will get, presumably, a Marzocchi fork, while S models – a first for Diavels without the X prefix – get the good stuff from Öhlins.

The swingarm appears to be completely new while the rear shock is positioned above as on the XDiavel instead of below as with the current Diavel.

So what’s new? Despite the largely similar silhouette between new and old Diavels, we can clearly see a new swingarm for the 2019 model, necessitating the new shock mount. The trellis frame appears to now be shared with the xDiavel. A new radiator makes an appearance, too. The one-piece, two-level seat also looks revised, likely to accommodate the slightly different riding position. Lastly, S models appear to receive M50 calipers from Brembo.

The horseshoe-shaped LED (a daytime running light in permitted markets) was first used on the XDiavel S.

Changing the engine to match the XDiavel’s mill is a no brainer. The move will bump the displacement from 1198cc to 1262cc. Additionally, the engine will benefit from the broad range of power production delivered by the XDiavel’s Desmodromic Valve Timing (DVT). That combination was good enough to crank out 142.6 hp and 83.9 lb-ft of torque on the MO dyno when we rode it last October. What was most notable about the power delivery, though, was the impressively flat torque curve and the responsiveness it achieved in the bottom end. One thing that the Diavel didn’t receive in the switch to the Testastretta DVT 1262cc engine was a belt final drive. The photos clearly show a chain transferring the engine’s output to the rear wheel.

The engine looks identical to the XDiavel’s 1262cc powerplant, and we expect the Diavel will also have Ducati’s Desmodromic Valve Timing system. Another feature that is fairly obvious from the photos is that the header pipe routing follows the same path as that of the XDiavel’s. More shared parts is great for production efficiency.

Streamlining the Diavel and xDiavel lines makes sense from a business perspective. Despite the similar names, each uses key parts such as the trellis frame that aren’t shared with any other models. Being able to use the same parts with multiple models has become a key trend in the motorcycle industry, helping reduce production costs.

Expect to see the updated 2019 Ducati Diavel to debut at one of the fall’s big motorcycle shows. Judging from past history, it’ll likely be introduced at EICMA like the original Diavel and XDiavel in November rather than the Intermot show in October.

We’ll have more information right here on Motorcycle.com as it becomes available.