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New Belt-Driven Ducati Diavel Being Developed

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A new Ducati Diavel has been caught by spy photographers, making this the first proper “leak” ahead of November’s EICMA show.

Though keeping the overall aesthetic of the Ducati Diavel in place, the model has some clear visual and mechanic differences. Namely, a belt drive…yes, you read that right.

Other changes include a feet-forward seating position, revised trellis chassis, and likely Ducati’s Testastretta DVT engine with variable valve technology.

The switch from Euro 3 to Euro 4 emissions standards at the end of 2016 almost assure the DVT engine permeating its way into Ducati’s current lineup.

It’s not certain how close to the production model this belt-driven Diavel is, though it’s clear that Ducati is courting the Harley-Davidson crowd, not only with something that is visually more similar to the American chopper aesthetic, but also mechanically.

This is an abrupt turn-away from the “don’t call it a cruiser” mentality pushed with the original Diavel, though it did garner the attention of many Harley-Davidson and Victory owners.

Perhaps Ducati is pushing harder to appeal to these riders, who otherwise would not be part of the Ducati brand. That should make for an interesting situation with Ducatisti.

In the mean time, we can expect minor changes to occur to the machine, ahead of its launch, namely a more refined exhaust and headlight unit. Time will if this is a 2016 model that we’ll see in November, or if it will debut later as a 2017 model.

Head over to our friends at BikeSocial to see what we’re talking about.

Source: BikeSocial

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