2025 Ducati XDiavel V4 First Ride: Tearing Up The Cruiser Playbook

My first few experiences with motorcycles in the cruiser class left me significantly less than impressed, to say the least. Bloated, bad at turning, slow, and too stiff to ride in a straight line for long, a Harley-Davidson hog, in particular, took the cake as one of the worst forms of transportation I've ever had the displeasure of climbing up on. And that only explains why Indian's lineup only needs to be every so slightly better. Plus, the more budgetary Honda Rebel 500 then lacked the thumping V-twin appeal of a powerful, torquey engine.

All told, every cruiser I rode over the past few years left me wondering why manufacturers built bikes that do everything badly. Some hardcore superbikes even feature suspension with more compliance than this segment, which appears to cater to a community that seemingly knows no better.

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But it's a big market nonetheless, which perhaps explains the existence of Ducati's XDiavel, what Italy's most iconic bikemaker calls a unique "Sport Cruiser" motorcycle. In fairness, the XDiavel's sibling, the Diavel, surprised me with sportier aspirations than expected. Now add forward controls, a new V4 engine sourced from the Multistrada, and ride modes that include launch control to take advantage of the stretched wheelbase, and presto! The second-gen XDiavel has arrived for 2025!

I arrived in the Cote d'Azur, where Ducati was hosting me for the media launch of the XDiavel, with admittedly low expectations. At least the familiar mountain roads outside of Nice, the famous setting for Goldeneye's iconic car chase scene, should provide a perfect setting to wring the sport out of a sport cruiser, I figured. Allora! But even just climbing out of the city, I immediately knew the XDiavel aims to provide an entirely different ride than any other cruiser.

The very first speed bump revealed almost all I needed to know, since the suspension—lo and behold—actually absorbed a bump instead of sending shockwaves straight through the wide and low padded seat to my posteriore. Imagine that, from a cruiser! In fact, Ducati even increased the rear monoshock's wheel travel by 35 millimeters versus the outgoing XDiavel generation. The new bike's 505-pound wet weight, without gas and despite saving nine pounds, also probably helps to absorb some discomfort through the new aluminum chassis.

Part of that weight savings comes courtesy of the new Granturismo V4, borrowed from the Multistrada grant tourer. This familiar mill chunked along at low revs through city traffic before we reached the mountain passes, revealing a new character due to extended cylinder deactivation programming. Intended mainly to reduce emissions, switching off the two rear cylinders for more of the XDiavel's rev range thereby reintroduces some of the lost V-twin spirit, more choppy and exotic while tooling through town, before all four cylinders fired to life with enough twist of the wrist or upon reaching higher revs.

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The transition occurs quickly and almost seamlessly, and afterward the 1,158cc engine can crank out all 168 horsepower and 93 lb-ft of torque. In a low-slung bike that weighs so much, the Granturismo lacks brute force, instead building and building toward redline in classic Italian sport bike fashion. Then I remembered to fiddle from Touring mode into Sport, where another level of responsiveness and punch emerged. The quickshifter also seemed happier, still lurching a bit but largely letting me rip through gears as the roads and traffic opened up.

Here, the XDiavel's steering and suspension provided a bigger surprise than dropping a Granturismo V4 with a counter-rotating crankshaft into a low cruiser. Maybe that crank helps to combat the wheels' gyroscopic inertia, making for some of the bike's willingness to turn in and lean over. But I suspect that the long 63.8-inch wheelbase and 29-degree rake equally contribute to the sportier side of the dual personalities, as I leaned my torso over and tried to remember to shift at least some weight around onto the outside of the forward foot pegs. The thick rear wheel, at 240 millimeters wide, even started to wear the new Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tires down toward the chicken band before lunch. And even moreso once Ducati blocked off a portion of twisties for repeated lapping. Magnifico!

Ducati

Then the rain started and life quickly got absolutely miserable. Not just because of the high-40-degree temps and wind, but also my own concerns that I might lack the ability to handle a heavy bike with forward controls on slippery European roads. With a few toggles of the left grip controls, I switched over to Wet mode and purposefully took 'er nice and easy. Soon enough — my gloves soaked through to the bone, pants pooling up a puddle in the seat, and helmet fogging almost to the point of zero visibility — I reduced my conscious thought to simply keeping an eye on the distinctive integrated taillights ahead of me. Surely, if other journos can manage this, so can I.

The bike sure did, and not just because of Ducati's indisputably superior suite of electronic nannies. I had also previously noticed the excellent aerodynamics, as we occasionally brushed above 80 miles per hour or so and a relatively minimal amount of wind buffeted my helmet—while never forcing my legs apart at that speed either. But now I almost wished for those rear cylinders to reactivate and help heat up my aching body a little, too. And I definitely started to stiffen up over the race back to the hotel, coccyx a little sore from sitting upright all day and relying on the bike to absorb bumps, rather than using my larger joints as suspension—even with the 54-millimeter thicker seat foam.

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Despite the XDiavel's suspension far outclassing any other cruiser yet, the fact that I mostly stayed put rather than hanging off the saddle, probably only exacerbated my growing discomfort. And while rain riding probably matters less for a review, the sketchy conditions revealed more about the bike than I expected. Despite my preference for sport and naked bikes, when a few slips and slides occurred, the XDiavel's low center of gravity helped me maintain balance, feet on the forward pegs and only a bit of countersteering required.

Especially when I tried to turn uphill onto a roundabout, and the front wheel jumped left about a foot before catching. And again, when I unavoidably needed to cross a patch of crosswalk paint and my rear tire then started to drift out rightward. Nessun problema! Just another quick correction, and the XDiavel and I continued onward through the rest of the ice skating. Similar to winter testing cars by doing donuts on snow and ice, the wet asphalt revealed what the dry morning hinted at, that with just a slight shift of my hips, a bike as big as the XDiavel nonetheless responded with a quick lean down into a corner—or slide—and back up with an unexpected level of sensitivity. Not bad for 505 pounds, plus gas and me!

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So yes, I must report that even if this bike delivers exactly the sport cruiser ethos that Ducati aimed for, I still prefer superbikes—or at least sporty nakeds—by a wide margin. But Ducati also undeniably achieved exactly the spread of characteristics that a new XDiavel needed to inhabit. A few revisions might help to make the XDiavel more of a direct Harley competitor, though. Namely, a lower seat for that La-Z-Boy lifestyle, since this one actually measures surprisingly high at 30.3 inches.

Even more low-end torque and a louder exhaust might work wonders, too, since the quad-tipped wasp's nest actually never reaches a true bassline nor a blasting crescendo. Ducati didn't bring along a bike equipped with the race exhaust along, which adds 11 horsepower while saving 11 kilograms, but I suspect might wind up too screamy, rather than deeper with American V-twin thump. And none of the bikes on hand featured the dealer-optional mid-controls, which reps on hand attributed to the strange geometry created by scooting the pegs rearward without moving the handlebars, as well—essentially saying that for mid-controls, just get a Diavel, don't mess with the X.

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But of course, Ducati also recognizes that the XDiavel will never fully compete with Harley. No Sturgis Ducatisti takeovers planned, at least not anytime soon. Especially given the XDiavel's starting pricetag of $28,995 for the base Burning Red color scheme. Harleys undoubtedly cost far too much for any sane justification of pricing, but exactly who the XDiavel targets at that price point remains still something of a mystery to me. I've probably only spotted maybe one or two privately owned Diavels in Los Angeles ever, and I don't think a single XDiavel.

Even if the XDiavel rides smoother, faster, and can rip when requested, only perhaps a tiny subset of Harley buyers might ever even consider a Ducati—much less just think of Ducati in the first place—when approaching the purchase of another bike. (Plus, at that price point the XDiavel should definitely have heated grips, maybe even a heated seat, to lean further into the comfort factor.)

Ducati's globally recognized connection to MotoGP, World Superbike, and, to a lesser extent, MotoAmerica makes less of a difference when considering the XDiavel, too. Especially since the Ducatistis are rightfully furioso that this sport cruiser has a single-sided swingarm, but the new Panigale doesn't. Still, at almost similar price points, I'd take a Panigale V4 all day every day. And a Streetfighter V4, or even V2, both which I found possibly even more comfortable for my long-limbed frame.

Ducati

The original XDiavel debuted way back in 2015, and now a decade later the second generation improves on every single aspect that makes the bike both sporty and a cruiser. But instead of hoping to convert patriotic hog riders with the new gen, I suspect that maybe Ducati needs to patiently wait another decade or so for the XDiavel to break into such a captive market. By then, the Desmo450 MX might start introducing middle Americans to Ducati dirt bikes at a young age.