Ducati V4 X Diavel & V4 Multistrada Rally

Ducati V4 X Diavel

V4 X Diavel 

‘Tis a thing of Beauty’

Arriving on a warm June morning the back doors of the Ducati transport van opened and the first thing that greeted me – starred at me, was the whopping 240 back tyre on the X Diavel. Dave unclipped the bike from its secure position and rolled it back – ‘it is a beast’ he said. Rolling down the ramp my jaw dropped, Tis a thing of beauty, a work of art. This thing has actually been designed to within an inch of its life. I think the designers sat round a table and said ‘what if we designed a power cruiser that didn’t behave, you know what I’m saying’. We put the V4 Granturismo engine producing 168‑hp in it, 1158 cc and boom! Everyone agrees!

Oh my days, the colour, some may say it should be Ducati Red or Yellow, but this is a dark black tulip colour, almost black to be honest, but in the light it has a rich dark aubergine hue to it. The bike is now sat on the avenue and wow, those exhausts, or should I say ‘rocket launchers’ just shout power at you. This is a bike that rocks up to the gym, skips leg day, arm day and just focuses totally on its torso. It’s a nightclub bouncer of motorbikes but is sophisticated enough to quote Shakespeare, love it! 

Question, am I worthy enough to ride this beast? I feel it is judging me, am I ready to tame the devil within, who knows, it may be right, but it certainly, at the moment anyway, is living up to being a real head turner! 

Before I go further with my thoughts and experiences, I just wanted to give a huge shout out to the team at Ducati Bournemouth for letting myself and a colleague use the bikes for a very important and charitable cause – ‘Dave Day 2026, The Last Ride Home’, charity being supported – Childline. If you want great service, first class technical knowledge then Ducati Bournemouth is the place to go to. 

Dave Myers was an icon in the TV industry known for his foodie programme with Si King as the ‘Hairy Bikers’. Dave was taken from us too early after battling with cancer. Some of his best mates decided to pick up on Dave’s love of motorcycling and organise with Lili Myers (Dave’s wife), a ride from Ace Café in London on the North Circular, to the Townhall at Barrow In Furness where Dave came from. Little did they realise just how many bikers would join the presession. This was the ‘The Last Ride Home’ the last official ride, and what an amazing experience to be with all those bikers that wanted to be part of something special. It really was special and an emotional time. What made it even more special were the works of art from Ducati. More on the ride shortly! 

At the same time as the X Diavel rolled off the back of the van, next to come out was the V4 Multistrada Rally. That is also a beast but for different reasons, at 6’ 4’’ I was on tip toes sat astride it, it’s so tall and wide. The two bikes sat side by side on the drive, jaw on the floor I grabbed myself a coffee and just stood and looked, looked at the beautiful detailing that has gone into every nut and bolt of those bikes, Ducati you have totally nailed it.

Coffee finished, time to call my colleague to take the bikes out for a blast, for me Boxhill and Rykas beckoned. James arrived, facial expressions said it all. Whose taking what out. 

Sat aside the X Diavel I started it, a deep growl sounding like it’s about to plot something without telling you. You just know that this is something special as you roll down the road. A little vibrating at anything up to about 3000 rpm but once beyond that, lovely and smooth. Twist the throttle and the V4 responds like it’s been personally insulted.

It doesn’t accelerate — it detonates you forward like it’s trying to escape your garage and start a new life as a track bike, the power delivery is phenomenal, 168 bhp, sport bike territory rather than a grand tourer. Looking in my mirrors, I can see the Multistrada surging up behind as we head towards the hill. 

Handling wise the X Diavel goes round corners like a bike half its size, it really is super nimble and very positive giving you bags of confidence. Learn it over and it shouts more, more. The technical bit for suspension is the front: 50 mm fully adjustable USD forks. Rear: Fully adjustable monoshock. Plenty of travel: 120 mm front / 145 mm rear. Very comfy to be honest even though it is all set up as firm tune! It’s not cruiser floaty floaty type, but more like a sports tourer with stiff compression damping. Under hard acceleration the rear shock does resist squatting to keep the whole thing stable which is why it needs that huge tyre on the back, quite handy given the amount of power that is hitting that back wheel like a train. 

Turning into Boxhill and Rykas café generates plenty of looks and pointing. I can’t say there are many Diavels or X Diavels kicking about to be honest, it might be the price tag £35k or thereabouts for this one, or simply because not enough bikers have tried riding one. Once ridden you will want one in your collection, I do! 

Swapping over to the Multistrada Rally on the way back. Totally different as you would expect. It’s like sitting on top of the world. Comfy and easy to ride, one feels like this is a real continent muncher. Engine slightly detuned from the X Diavel but my goodness this thing picks you and thrusts you forward like being thrown from a trebuchet, but at the same time not once did it unsettle on the road, totally planted to the black stuff, 168 hp at 10,750 rpm and 123.8 Nm of torque at 9,000 rpm. Gear changing through the 6 speed box was swift and smooth. 

The big Duke uses a lightweight aluminium monocoque frame with a steel tubular subframe and aluminium double-sided swingarm. The semi-active Marzocchi suspension offers 200 mm travel front and rear, managed by the Ducati Skyhook Suspension (DSS) Evolution system, which adapts damping automatically or manually to road and off-road conditions.

Riding back I am thinking about Dave’s Day ride  up to Barrow in the next couple of days. Which one do I pick? Decisions decisions. In the end I took the X Diavel up to South Mimms where all the Marshals met on the Friday night to discuss the plan of action for the ride up on the Saturday. Swapping keys with James, we decided I would take the Multistrada up to Barrow In Furness and ride the X Diavel home. 

I have to say I have never been involved with such a huge following of motorcycles. We pulled into Ace Café north London to a sea of motorcycles already and it was only 6am. I would think a good 500 to 1000 bikes, amazing. Ready to go we pulled away and soon were on the motorway heading north. It didn’t take long before bridges and roads were lined with well wishers waving, fantastic. Slipping the Multistrada in to cruise control made riding so easy, that coupled with the adaptive control worked a treat given the restrained speed 50 to 55 mph, and the amount of bikes around. Being up front as a marshal it was fantastic to look in the mirrors and see a sea of headlights rumbling along behind, amazing. 

The X Diavel next me just itching to serge forward made me chuckle as it just looked like my colleague was trying to tame it to keep it under control. At one point when a couple of the bikes/marshals were low on fuel they needed to press on a head to a service station to beat the crowd, and at the point the lead rider gave the all clear the X Diavel disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye, I had to smile! 

By the time we were leaving our last designated fuel stop we were up to around 40,000 motorcycles in convoy, oh boy what a sight! 

Turning off the M6 we were met with lines of well wishers cheering us all the way into Barrow wanting to high five us and clapping, I have to say an emotional ride toped off by a couple of fabulous bikes. 

In summary

Ducati V4 X Diavel

The Ducati X Diavel V4 is not a motorcycle, it is most definitely a lifestyle choice, It is loud, stupidly quick, and has a slightly irresponsible lifestyle choice that whispers:

“You don’t need money. you need torque.”

So, if you want a bike that makes you grin, scream, and question your life decisions all at same time, this is it. It is a thing of beauty and I want one! 

Ducati V4 Multistrada Rally

With this one if you’re looking for a bike that turns heads, provides a thrill, has oodles of comfort and lets you escape the world of daily commuting, the big Duke is your ticket to great adventure on and off road. The Ducati Multistrada V4 isn’t just a bike — it’s an Italian coffee machine on wheels. Very sophisticated, doesn’t purr, it percolates, and if you’re not careful, it’ll give you a double shot of adrenaline. You just need to remember to watch out for the speed limits, because this beast has a way of making them feel like mere suggestions!