When the Ducati Diavel debuted for 2011, it made a splash. It was the most over-the-top power cruiser since the Yamaha/Star Vmax, making a claimed 162 horsepower from its 1,198cc Testastretta 11˚ L-twin, a rowdy engine derived from the 1198 superbike. The Diavel, which means “devil” in a Bolognese dialect, had a cruiserish riding position and a fat 240-section rear tire, but its futuristic, brawny styling bore no similarity to any motorcycle we’d ever seen. In my first-ride report on the Diavel, I could barely contain the hyperbole: “Few bikes can provide such a neck-snapping, arm-straightening, eyeball-flattening, mind-bending, cliché-invoking experience.”

For 2015, the Diavel gets an updated engine with higher torque, a new exhaust system, full LED illumination, a new seat and revisions to the styling and instrumentation. The dual-spark version of the Testastretta 11˚ L-twin in the Multistrada and new Monster 1200/S now powers the Diavel, and a unique 2-1-2 exhaust system helps it achieve higher claimed output—162 horsepower and 96.2 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the wide rear wheel through a 6-speed transmission with a wet slipper clutch and chain final drive. Twin side-mounted radiators kept the engine cool and the bike’s shoulders broad. Ducati’s Ride-by-Wire system enables riding modes—Sport, Urban and Touring—that offer unique settings for engine output, throttle response, ABS intervention and Ducati Traction Control.

The Diavel’s chassis uses Ducati’s signature steel trellis frame architecture with the engine as a stressed member. Two die-cast aluminumsections bolt to the rear of the trellis and form the base of the subframe. Suspension features a 50mm Marzocchi fork and a Sachs shock, both fully adjustable, and brakes are by Brembo, with dual 4-piston radial monobloc calipers up front and a single 2-piston caliper out back. The 14-spoke wheels with machined details are shod with Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires.

A new LED headlight is mounted in a new brushed-aluminum housing, which complements the LED brake/taillight and turn signals. The stepped, two-person seat is longer and has been reshaped. The rider sits just 30.3 inches above the ground, and a removable pillion seat cowl is standard. Instrumentation is comprised of an LCD display mounted above the handlebar and a full-color TFT display atop the 4.5-gallonfuel tank. The TFT display features a new fuel gauge and sidestand warning icon.