Being a subscriber to Cycle World Magazine, I was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to participate in a Cycle World / Ducati Diavel test ride last Saturday. It was held at Front Range Airport in Broomfield. They took 10 riders at a time and first gave us a video presentation of the Diavel features and design concepts.

The bike was selected as Cycle World's "10 Best" in the cruiser category, although Ducati doesn't call it a cruiser. It was a pretty cool bike. It has 3 ride modes, Urban (100 hp, Ducati Traction Control), Touring (162 hp and mild DTC) and Sport (162 hp and no DTC). It was very comfortable to ride and I was very surprised how little the wind bothered me even at almost triple digit speed.

We went for an hour long ride up Coal Creek Canyon and back to the Airport. We were encouraged to play with the DTC and get a good feel for the bikes power. It was the best test ride I've ever gotten to do. I even got the "Starting Grid" picture with a Ducati Umbrella Girl.

It was a lot of fun and I was impressed with the bike, but unfortunately the Duck is a bit out of my price range.