The stars are out, the city is asleep.
The acoustics of the universe have surrendered to the night.
But somewhere out there a testastretta is alive.
The Ducati XDiavel Blackstar, moulded with the thought of making the devilish premise
of the Diavel a little more angelic.
But the question remains, is it angelic enough?
The Blackstar is distinct, known to keep itself discreet, the dark shade is an ally but it
leaps out of the shadows, flashing silver every now and then and then there's the red
stripe running along the tank that reminds you about the traditional colour that Bologna
is famous for.
Bow down before it and you will see it appear on the belly of the beast too.
The frame is long, intimidating and almost unnatural.
But the scooped seat sends out an invitation.
Sit on it and the aluminium mirrors glisten as you look in it before takeoff.
1262cc motor, a 160hp and 127Nm of torque,
power cruisers like the XDiavel are far from the concept of motorcycling.
It is difficult to grasp the usage of all this power in this format.
Put it in the vicious sport mode, and 160 hot horses teleport you to another galaxy.
With 80% of torque making its presence known at 2100rpm, hanging on to this handlebar is
the only thing that sucks you back to reality.
But the XDiavel will also offers you another set of options.
Dial it back to touring and things become smooth, it still has the lunacy, but with
a rhythm that you're more likely to enjoy.
Calm it a bit with the street mode as the output is now reduced to 100 horses
with the throttle response becoming much more usable.
All of this packed with well made electronics that makes sure the whip is firmly in your hands.
Pull up at a red light and the X will tempt you with its launch control,
smack yourself and ask why.
But then, you know you need a break and so does the devil to stock up on the firewood
that fuels the fire burning underneath.
As I gorge on this appetising sandwich at this hour, at a Shell station, the X replenishes
itself with Shell's V-Power fuel known for performance, thanks to a unique mix of additives.
The thing about modern engines like this is that they extract every ounce of performance,
which practically means more stress and tougher conditions for the internals.
They need modern additivized fuels that can get rid of the bad bits and keep the engine
clean with every fill, giving you the performance you want all the time, and when you look at
it again, so still, so calm, you wonder how does the XDiavel manage it all?
It sways easily despite its proportions but then you know, it has the legs to do it.
The fat footprint and the lightweight forged rims contribute to the ritual, it is all clinical
and engineered to give the bike the fangs and the horns, to make it do things
I cannot come to terms.
The brakes are sharp, have all the right doings
and make you feel the XDiavel has mutated to a sports bike, but unfortunately the suspension
makes you feel the same, but all you need is a fix, a quick one to get things right
and then there's the ergos, ride like the king of the night.
Tweak it to your liking if you want, which only means more time with the X.
It also is the first of its kind to get a belt drive, quieter, longer maintenance intervals
and easy to clean,
the charm of the dark side.
You have to give a little bit to get something back.
But the X needs to be better, stronger, with a lot more appeal, there is no quick shifter
to up the royalty, no electronic suspension that can be set with a few buttons, maybe
the ask is too much, or maybe the price is, but there needs to be more because the desire
definitely is.
Is it something you need?
Or is it more of a watch?
Wherever you go, whatever you do, the XDiavel makes sure
there is no dearth of drama.