BREAKING: 2021 Ducati XDiavel Launched In India, Undercuts Diavel 1260

The Italian marque has launched both the base Dark variant and the top-end Black Star model

• The 2021 Ducati XDiavel gets subtle styling updates and an 8PS more powerful engine.
• New for 2021 is the Black Star variant, which features more premium cosmetic parts, lighter wheels, and standard smartphone connectivity.
• The only other alternative in the performance cruiser segment is the Triumph Rocket 3.

After launching the 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 in June and the Multistrada V4 last month, the Italian bikemaker has followed it up with the 2021 Ducati XDiavel range. Take a look at the variant-wise ex-showroom India prices and their comparison with the prices of the Diavel 1260:

The base variant of this achingly gorgeous performance cruiser is called the XDiavel Dark. The company has not offered the S variant here yet. Aesthetically, the XDiavel looks like a sleeker version of the Diavel 1260, but makes 1.36PS and 2Nm less. 

Unveiled back in November 2020, Ducati has made the 2021 iteration’s 1262cc L-twin engine run cleaner to comply with Euro 5/BS6 emission norms. Additionally, the engine produces about 8PS more than before, with 160PS arriving at 9500rpm. With 127Nm coming in at 5000rpm, the peak torque output is 1Nm more than before. Of course, Ducati has blessed the bike with a plethora of electronic aids, including Sport, Touring, and Urban riding modes, traction control, launch control, cruise control, and cornering ABS courtesy the Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). 

The two variants employ a fully adjustable inverted front fork and a preload- and rebound-adjustable rear monoshock. While the base Dark variant is anchored by Brembo M4.32 radial calipers with 320mm discs up front, the Black Star model features more premium (read: powerful) Brembo M50 calipers. The rear wheel of both variants sports a 265mm disc with Brembo 2-piston calipers.

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While the standard variant rolls on cast alloy wheels, the Black Star variant gets a pair of nicer looking, forged and machined alloys which are also 2kg lighter. It also features a premium suede seat cover, forged and anodised frame plates, a blacked-out powertrain with matte black aluminium belt covers, billet aluminium rear view mirrors, and the Ducati Multimedia System (Ducati’s term for smartphone connectivity) as standard. Besides, both variants get all-LED lighting and a TFT instrument cluster.

If the new Italian Devil isn’t up to your tastes, you could look at the only other performance-oriented cruiser alternative: the manic Triumph Rocket 3 retailing from Rs 19.35 lakh (ex-showroom India). It also packs the world’s largest engine on a production motorcycle, churning out a gut-wrenching 221Nm of torque and a tarmac-searing 167PS of power! Which one would you go for? Let us know in the comments.