BBC Top Gear India – July 2019

042 JULY 2019 →TOPGEAR.COM

space-age looks. The silencer too has become stockier and

you get a great, unobstructed view of the rear wheel.

Ergonomically, the seating position hasn’t been changed

a lot. Ducati says that nobody had complaints about this

in the earlier models. What they have done is move the

handlebars a tad back so that the reach is easier. They have

also slimmed the seat down at the front, so you can move

around easily when you’re riding the 1260 sportbike style.

Yes, I said sportbike style. Why? Because you can really

push this motorcycle to extents that nothing with the

word cruiser attached to it has any business being pushed

to. Ducati’s engineers have moved the engine back a bit

which gives the 1260 excellent weight distribution. This,

when combined with fully adjustable Ohlins front and

back and those massive contact patches on the specially

made Pirellis make this a serious performer in the corners.

The turn in takes some effort thanks to the 218 kg dr y

weight, but the response is nothing short of phenomenal.

The Diavel takes to corners with a vengeance and the only

thing holding you back is your own brain that is struggling

to make sense of the velocity it is carr ying though the

bendy bits of road. The tyres grip incredibly well and the

suspension keeps you in your intended trajector y with nar y

a thought. And what makes all of this even greater is that

‘The turn in takes some

effort thanks to the

218kg dry weight,

but the response is

nothing short of

phenomenal’

DUCATI DIAVEL 1260 S

Minimal amounts of plastic

and more cast metal and

brushed aluminium in use

The seating position hasn’t

changed much because there

were no complaints