v4 VIOLENCE

That's the only word that comes close to defining the existence of the Ducati Diavel V4

- Manaal Mahatme

Mankind's innate desire to challenge its mortality has always fascinated me. The number of people participating in combat sports, adventure sports and of course, auto sports is a testament to that.

Unfortunately, most people give in to that appetitive aggression by virtually 'partaking' in such sports through video games. And perhaps that's the reason human beings are going soft, and that's something one can fix with the Ducati Diavel V4.

I mean look at it; the Diavel looks nothing short of a butch gladiator ready to maul everything that stands in its way. The muscular 20-litre fuel tank with those buffed up air intakes and the flat-ish headlight give an impression of a well-built powerlifter, who of course, hasn't skipped leg day because there's simply no ignoring the massive 240-section rear tyre.

Also, with that singlesided swingarm giving a full view of the blade-like alloy wheels, it's hard not to stare. Then there are the details like the honeycomb-pattern tail light and the machine-gun-style exhaust; now how can one not think of ripping through the streets and terrorising the neighbourhood with a bike like this, right? The civilised gentleman that I am, or that I try to be, I started off in the urban mode to get acquainted with the 223 kg motorcycle and the 1158cc engine.

Honestly, neither scared me because the Diavel V4 is 13 kg lighter than its predecessor and the 166.2 bhp and 12.8 kgm that the V4 Granturismo engine produces is far from its 200-bhp-spewing siblings - the Streetfighter V4 and the Panigale V4. But the Diavel was quick to point out how wrong I was.