10-04-2013, 02:26 AM
I'm a Ducati guy. Have owned and still own many of them...
Ducati builds 90 degree Vtwins that are designed for high speed performance - even on their more tame street models like the diavel and multistrada (both share the same 11 degree cam offset 1200 cc engine).
They are not designed to ride below 4000 RPM and in fact prolonged riding below 3000 can cause damage to the engine.
Once you get the feel for riding them at the appropriate RPM it becomes second nature and feels correct but I can imagine that it must feel a bit different coming from other types of engines - especially other Vtwins.
These engines really start to make power at around 7000 and just explode at around 8... It's a lot of fun and it can get you in trouble.
I agree with another post here that said the Diavel seems odd - a cruiser with an engine that wants to do anything but cruise - it's a strange bike IMO.
As for insurance, Wow you guys pay a lot... A Diavel would cost me about $450 a year for full coverage with State Farm.
And that's about what I pay for my Streetfighter and 1098R (both have higher performing engines)