The Diavel is the second cruiser

Cruiser (motorcycle)

Cruiser is the term for motorcycles that mimic the design style of American machines from the 1930s to the early 1960s, including those made by Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior and Henderson. The market for models evocative of the early cruisers has grown to embrace 60 percent of the U.S...

 motorcycle from Ducati, after the Indiana of 1986–1990. The 2011 model year Diavel debuted in November 2010 at the EICMA

EICMA

EICMA , or the Milan Motorcycle Show is an annual trade show in Milan, Italy featuring motorcycles. The 2008 show drew over half a million visitors. The show is frequently used by manufacturers to debut new models....

 motorcycle show in Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

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The engine is a retuned version of the 1198.4 cc Testastretta from the 1198

Ducati 1198

The Ducati 1198 is a sport bike made by Ducati since 2009. For the 2011 model year there are two models: the 1198 and 1198SP . The 1198 shares design elements with its predecessor 1098, but has more power and torque, redesigned wheels, lighter headlights, traction control, and lighter fairings ,...

 superbike, now called the Testastretta 11° for its 11° valve overlap (reduced from 41°).

Glynn Kerr, design columnist for Motorcycle Consumer News

Motorcycle Consumer News

Motorcycle Consumer News is a monthly periodical offering reviews of motorcycles and other information such as motorcycle safety techniques...

, says he created the original the Diavel concept sketches freelance for Ducati's design chief Pierre Terblanche

Pierre Terblanche

Pierre Terblanche is a South African motorcycle designer born in 1956 in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape. He started his career in advertising but felt the need to move into the design world. After moving to Germany and working with Volkswagen design he worked at Cagiva's Research Center at San Marino...

 in February 2002. In the US, most Diavel buyers appear to be existing riders age 50 and over, with more women than usual attracted to the bike, and some Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...

 owners, especially V-Rod

Harley-Davidson VRSC

The Harley-Davidson VRSC family of cruiser motorcycles was introduced in 2001 in a single model called the V-Rod. The V-Rod was developed by Harley-Davidson to compete against Japanese and American muscle bikes...

 riders, trading for the new Ducati power cruiser.