Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in Volume 7 of B.H. Magazine, order your copy now.
Dreams are called dreams for a reason, but there is a subset of seemingly fantastical things that can, just possibly, actually happen – let's call them “attainable” dreams.
Clearly, for 99.9% of us, owning a Ferrari is a dream, although it is one shared by a lot more than 0.1% of the population, and I count myself among that sighing number. Fortunately – and yes, I do sound like Yoda here – there is another way, as long as you're a fan of motorcycles.
In bike world, you see, the Italian supercar equivalent is a Ducati – born in Bologna, and most often painted in a fiery, fabulous red. Much like a Ferrari, Ducatis are exciting, loud, beautiful to behold and, unfortunately, jaw-droppingly expensive, although that is a relative term.
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Which brings us to the Ducati XDiavel V4, priced at $47,800. It's a significant number for a motorcycle, enough to warrant a long pause and a serious conversation with yourself. But it’s not a number that requires a lottery win to reach.
And just look at – nay, feast your eyes on – what that money buys you. From the moment the Ducati people sent me a photo of this cruiser-style mass of meanness and metal, I knew I had to ride it, and that I would spend some time with it parked in my driveway, simply staring at it.
That big, naked powerplant is a 1158cc V4 Granturismo engine, producing 125kW at a stratospheric 10,750rpm and 126Nm of torque at 7,500rpm. Those numbers sound like quite something on paper – particularly the revs – but trust me, they sound like a great deal more in the real world when you twist the throttle and wind one of the gears all the way into the red zone.
Ducatis have always had the kind of engine sound and exhaust note that makes people whip their heads around and form O-shapes with their mouths, but the visible four-exit exhaust on this XDiavel adds a strident, singing, metallic tone that vibrates not only the ears of passers-by, but the very core of anyone lucky enough to be riding one.
The relaxed cruiser seating position – with your feet up and out in front of you – takes some getting used to at first, but once oriented, you realise how effortless this machine is to ride, how sharp its responses are, and what an excellent companion it makes for carving up the curves on your favourite bit of road. It's no slouch in a straight line either, with the XDiavel V4's zero-to-100 km/h time of 2.9 seconds – fast enough to challenge some Ferraris. Of course, punching through the air on a motorcycle to record times like that feels far more impressive and visceral than a sub-three-second run does in any car.
This Ducati also posts an impressive technology suite: wheelie control, traction control, power launch, turn-by-turn navigation, and a wet mode, which will help keep you upright even in the worst conditions.
My one and only complaint would be the inclusion of Quick Shift, which allows you to change gears – both up and down – without using the clutch. I'm sure that's a handy feature for race-track carvers, but for an old-school rider, I actually find it removes some of the fun and involvement of motorcycling. The good news is you don't have to use it, and you can still clutch and rev-match to your heart's content.
And content is exactly how my heart felt at the end of my time with the Ducati XDiavel V4 – a bike that's almost as good to ride as it is to look at and listen to. Dreams, truly, are made of this.