The final images of the Ducati Diavel have been revealed, and its one hell of a beauty. It comes in two versions the Diavel and the Diavel Carbon, the Carbon having more carbon fiber pieces and Marchesini rims which makes it lighter then the base model. The Ducati Diavel is packing a 162hp Testastretta 11º engine, 94 lbs•ft of torque, 456lbs (carbon) / 463lbs (base), radial brakes, ABS, traction control, ride-by-wire, and three riding modes. Based on previous assumption I think the base will be going for 4800 KWD and the Carbon will be around 5700 KWD, that is also assuming where it fits in the Ducati line up but I could be wrong of course. They managed to get that cruiser handling with Ducati charactiristics even though it a 240mm wide rear tire. I think this is one beautiful looking machine from Ducati.

The Ducati Diavel Carbon comes in either “red carbon” or “black carbon”, referring to the color of the paint on the trellis frame. Both versions of the Diavel Carbon will have black forged Marchesini wheels, which shed 5.5lbs off the Ducati Diavel’s base mass. The Carbon will also get Marzocchi forks, whose low-friction diamond-like-coating adds even more blackout to the hotness. Both bikes will get the full Ducati electronics package, which includes Ducati Traction Control (DTC), anti-lock brakes (ABS), rider-by-wire throttle control, keyless ignition, and rider-selectable riding modes.

The tank-mounted TFT display shows bike information such as the current riding mode, gear selection, DTC settings, etc. The TFT display senses the ambient light and choses whether or not to invert the display coloring to aid in daytime/nighttime reading. When stationary the secondary display also handles tuning the traction control and ride-by-wirse settings.

Link: Autoblog

I was so excited to ride this weekend that I woke up at the crack of dawn, I knew it was going to be cool but at 5 am it was 19C outside which was perfect. I update the playlists on my nano, got my camera with me, and got into gear. We met up at 7am on Friday at Starbucks Bida’a, and there were at least a dozen bikers already there. It seems everyone was ready to ride this season and well worth it in the lovely morning. The weather in Kuwait has been fantastic and I hope it stays that way for a while, I am one person that does not miss those dusty days.

As usual there were a bunch of Harleys in the morning and a couple of Ducatis, but it was just me and my friend riding this lovely morning. We said hello to a lot of people, had a cold drink then headed out. They have repaved certain parts of the GulfRoad with what seems to be cheap work so the roads are shiny but slippery, there were few parts where I felt the back end of my bike shake even when I was going relatively slow. I haven’t been on the roads for a while so I thought I would take it easy the first time around to make sure I know where the bad spots are before pushing the bike. We stopped at Sharq Mall to switch bikes, I was riding the Ducati 1098s and my friend was riding the MV Agusta 312R, the 312R is probably one of the most extreme machines out of MV Agusta, Italians really do know how to make their machines look good.

As soon as we switched bikes and got some pictures, we got back on the road only to find a pack of Ducatis that we knew so we dedcided to tag along with them since we didn’t mind modifying our plan. A few hand signals and we were off in a pack of six, and I was riding on a machine that I have never ridden on before, so there was a slight learning curve in the matter. These guys had their gloves off, they were maniacs, the throttle was tied to their adrenaline and they were flying like rockets, and we were keeping up and we know that we could even pass them but we usually go at a more comfortable pace. But we thought we do something different, we went all the way to Doha and back, they were relentless, a couple of Ducati Classics, one BMW, and a Monster, but we were on the MV 312R and the 1098s, so we were flying our of corners, taking any opening. We were lucky the roads were empty and we took the seaside all the way back. By the time we were on Blajat Street I ran out of Gas so we had to fill up, luckily the new station there had Ultra Super gas.

We headed back to Starbucks Bida’a for a drink before riding again, and by the time we got there we saw even more bikes around 9:30 am. I saw the BMW S1000R and its a mean looking machine, even a Corvette group seemed to be out as well. We had some cold water before heading out again, then we met up with some friends at Prime & Toast. This time a friend joined up with us from the Ducati Club and this guy wanted to fly, I won’t lie I was tempted everytime to take off, its a hell of a rush. I think everyone just really loved the day and the cool weather. Some of those guys were riding since last night they couldn’t wait to get on the road. After breakfast I went home and needed a nap to be up the rest of the day. This was my first time riding an MV Agusta and the 312R is a in a class of its own, it has a lot of high end power, I would have preferred a little at the low end but its a big machine and you have to learn how to ride it, if you are over confident its not a forgiving machine but if you learn to ride it, its pure bliss.

So we have a bit of a glimpse of the pricing expected for the Ducati Diavel, you can expect two available types. One is the is the base type and the other is the Carbon version. The Ducati Diavel will start with an MSRP base price of $16,995, while the up-market carbon version will hit the wallet with an MSRP of $19,995. Rumored to make around 165hp, the Diavel is based off the same Testastretta 11º motor as the Ducati Multistrada 1200, and weighs 456lbs according to Ducati. Ducati has also revealed that the Diavel will come with variable riding modes, traction control, and anti-lock brakes. So about 4800 to 5700 KWD, but I’m assuming it will probably sell around 5500 to 6500 KWD based on my past experience of Kuwait’s pricing model, I still think that its a thing of beauty. From the other details they say that the Shock will be mount to the swing arm so you can’t see it in this rear picture below. Then you have to factor in the Termignoni exhaust system which will cost another arm and leg, I can’t wait to see this machine. Only one week left until it is revealed in EICMA.

Riding in California is one of the things that I look forward to the most while I’m in the States. We woke decently early for a morning ride up to Alice’s Cafe on the 9, then back down the 1 after having a bite to eat at Alice’s Cafe. It was Hamdy, Bassim, and myself on the bikes, I was on the Daytona 675, Hamdy on the R1, and Bassim on the CBR 600. All amazing and very agile machines. I haven’t been riding in the states in a while, too long for my liking, and I honestly forgot how nice every one is while you are riding. While riding up the hill there was a Ducati 916 which destroyed us around the corners and made us look like amateurs, he just flew by us on a tight curved which freaked me the hell out, I tried staying in front of him for a bit but at the end I let him pass I couldn’t keep up that speed around the corners. The weather was amazing in the beginning of the day but then it got a little cloudy and hazy so we weren’t sure if were going to continue to the 1.

When we stopped at Alice’s Cafe I was starving, and so was everyone else, we wanted to sit outside and were looking for a table. Two nice older gentlemen offered to share their table with us since they could see the whole place was filled, I loved that, they were old friends talking and chatted with us for it when we sat down before carrying on their conversation, just genuinely nice people. So many bikes all around, I kept looking around different bikes and you could see some mean machines on the road from the BMW S1000RR to the Ducati 1198S, Two mean looking MV Agustas and a couple of Multistradas and lots of Suzukis. So many beautiful machines I just can’t get enough of them, and then it started raining a bit. We were thinking of weather to cut the trip short or continue, after our meal and a little deliberation we decided to just keep on going with it. Its just a little water, but I was unlucky to wear an Air Textile Jacket so I was a bit soaked and freezing cold while riding. We took it to the coast and then the sun broke through the clouds, what a view, what an insane feeling. The roads were amazing, the ride was blissful, this is why I love riding, good people, amazing roads, amazing machines, and good food.

This is the first time I pass by the new Ducati store by the Autodrome, and its right next to the Autodrome and one hell of a dealership. I walked in thinking that I was at the candy store, I kept looking at each machine. The new Monster 796 looks really good, and I loved the 1198R they had up on the second level. The design of the store is fantastic with so many bikes to look at, I just couldn’t get enough. If I wasn’t wearing a dishdasha I would have had my leg over each and every bike.

There was even an 848 Evo in the back, and that looked like a beautiful machine that I couldn’t get enough of. Those beauties kept teasing me every time I look at one of them, now to wait for the Ducati Diavel coming out in a few months, based on what the sales guy said it will be on the show room floor sometime between February to March.

Last year it didn’t get cool in Kuwait until the end of November, and now things are cooling off towards the end of October which is fantastic. I have been riding when ever I can for the past few days, and I’m certainly not getting enough and now your seeing all these riders when ever the sun is going down. As long as I am on the move I’m enjoying the cool breeze by the seaside but it gets a little warm when stopped at a light for too long. It’s been a while since I’ve ridden and I just love it when I’m on the bike.

I took my bikes to Tristar service and when they were brought back everything was perfect. I got on the BMW last week, started it up to get warmed up but when I got back there was a puddle under the bikes, turned out to be a gasoline puddle. I quickly switched off the bike and called Tristar, so the next morning they took the bike and turns out the fuel pump cracked due to the dry heat and use over the years. They replaced the unit under the “Good Will” Warranty which is fantastic since my bike has been out of warranty for two years now. As soon as I got it back I took it out for one hell of a rough ride, I tried riding calmly but I was kidding myself, I was like a kid with his new toy, flying all over the place when I could. Nothing beats riding.

The weather just keeps getting better and better these days, I have been looking forward to riding for so long now. I got home a little late from work but I was too worked up to ride that I didn’t even think about eating lunch. As soon as I got home, I changed into gear, my iPod read, camera in hand, and bike filled up. I didn’t have any specific route, I just wanted to ride, and as soon as I had my leg over the bike I was ready to go.

The thing I was happy as hell about is that my gear fits me, I closed my Alpinestar jacket easily, I’m not at my goal yet but I’m happy about the results. I also had some gear that I wanted to test out while riding, its a new recording device from a friend, wanted to see the quality of night time video and see if it holds on in excessive speeds. I took the 6th ring road and took the GulfRoad all the way around, I loved it from light to light, I didn’t mind the traffic at all. I was honestly in another state of mind, just extremely happy riding, I had a work appointment later but I wasn’t thinking about that. My mind was on the road, the corners, the cars, and I was pulsing to the rhythm of the music playing loudly in my ears. I can never get enough of riding, it was cool enough at 35C to ride comfortably, it is even cooler at night, but it was bliss riding the Ducati and feeling every Rev. Even when I got stuck on major traffic on the 5th ring road around 6:30 pm I was calmly passing traffic at a comfortable pace getting to my destination.

ICON – Shinobi

Skills such as these are not human, the control he has on the bike is nothing short of mind bending. If you would take the Tazmanian Devil and stick him in a human being then it would Shin Kinoshita. A Man of little words but his riding and stunting skills speak for him. I love these ICON videos, it takes a hell of a lot of practice to pull of what he is doing. The balance, the turning, the momentum, mind numbing. I don’t have the guts to try some of that stuff, my heart jumps when I pull a wheelie, this guy is waving and bouncing this very large motorcycle around like it’s his third limb. More ICON videos please.

Link: Autoblog

This machine which has been eluding me for months has finally come out. This is the last sneak peak shot of the Ducati cruiser which is to be unveiled in EICMA in November which is just around the corner. I love the lines and the exhaust around their standard single sided swing arm, I know that there is probably more to it when we see it in November but I’m enjoying that Ducati is playing Hide & Seek with this bike acting as if they don’t see people taking these amateurish pictures so I know its going look even better when it comes out. I love that it’s a cruiser yet still has that sporty Ducati look with a single seat. I can even picture getting it fixed up to sound loud and mean, going fast down the road. I’m in love with this bike!

Link: Asphalt&Rubber

A rider with skill or a lot of ballz, when asked why he jumps at that corner he says its the fastest way he knows around the corner. I would probably be freaking out if I even tried a small jump let alone a full jump coming out of a corner.

Josh Brookes HM Plant Honda Launching @ Cadwell Park